In today’s digital age, we spend a significant portion of our day in front of computers. Adding a touch of customization can be an excellent way to personalize and enhance our electronic devices.

Using the default themes on Windows 11, many users overlook the extensive customization options it provides.

Not only can you change the color scheme and theme of your desktop, but you can also set a video as your wallpaper. Imagine starting your workday with a personalized video that uplifts your mood—a perfect serotonin booster.

Windows 11 offers multiple ways to set live wallpapers. You can use specialized video background apps to apply your own videos as wallpapers or even utilize third-party applications like VLC Media Player to achieve the same effect.

In this article, we’ll explore three different methods to add videos as your desktop wallpaper.

Set live wallpapers using Push Video Wallpaper

Third-party applications like Push Video Wallpaper are an excellent choice for setting a video as your wallpaper on a more permanent basis.

With Push Video Wallpaper, you can customize your desktop using videos from your device, GIFs, or even YouTube videos. The application comes preloaded with a selection of videos and GIFs, offering you a quick way to personalize your workspace.

Additionally, Push Video Wallpaper allows you to select custom videos from your storage, giving you complete control over your desktop’s appearance. As if that weren’t enough, it also lets you create playlists. You can shuffle through various videos or loop a single video to suit your mood.

To explore these features, follow the steps below and transform your desktop into a dynamic, personalized space:

Step 1. Download and install Push Video Wallpaper.

Step 2. Open the application and click on the playlist icon.

Step 3. Click on New from the menu.

Step 4. Give your new playlist a name and click Ok.

Step 5. Now, go to your new playlist from the drop-down menu.

Step 6. Click the plus icon to add a video or GIF. This icon can be seen in the bottom-right corner of the window.

Step 7. With the selection window now open, locate the videos you want to add to your newly created playlist. You can switch between videos and images from the bottom right corner.

Step 8. Once you are done selecting all your desired videos and GIFs, click on Add to playlist.

Push Video Wallpaper also allows you to directly use YouTube videos as wallpapers. To do so,

Step 1. Click on the URL icon from the bottom-right corner.

Step 2. In the Add URL window, paste the URL of your desired video and then click on Add to playlist.

You can also make a playlist of multiple YouTube videos to set as your desktop wallpaper. Just follow the steps below:

Step 1. Click on the playlist icon and then select YouTube from the menu.

Step 2. Now, paste the URL of your desired YouTube video or playlist and then click on Add YouTube playlist. This will add videos from the YouTube playlist to your Push Video Wallpaper playlist.

You can easily control the Push Video Wallpaper playlist you just created with the controls present at the bottom of the window.

Here you will be able to find all the standard video player controls like play, pause, skip, and more.

From the controls on the top-right corner, you can set the playlist to randomize or repeat as well.

Set live wallpapers using the Lively Wallpaper app

There are many video wallpaper apps available on the Microsoft Store. One of them is the Lively Wallpaper app which allows you to set videos as your desktop wallpaper.

It has features very similar to the third-party app we discussed above, Push Video Wallpaper.

Here are the steps to follow to set a video as your wallpaper on Windows 11:

Step 1. Download and install the Lively Wallpaper app.

Step 2. Upon opening the app you, will see a list of live wallpapers that you can apply to your desktop. To add your own videos and GIFs, click on the plus (+) icon in the right side menu.

Step 3. Click on the Browse button to import your videos and images. From here, you can also set a webpage or YouTube video as your desktop wallpaper.

Step 4. Now, select from any of the imported videos to set as live wallpaper.

Lively Wallpaper app brings with it a wide array of playback options. Here’s how you can experiment with these:

1. Go to Settings from the bottom right corner.
2. Change settings such as background video player, disabling the sound, and other playback options.

To stop the video wallpaper and go back to the original desktop setting:

Step 1. Right-click on the app’s system tray icon in the taskbar.

Step 2. Select the Close Wallpapers option.

Step 3. You can also simply click the Exit option.

The only drawback of these apps is that they always need to be running in the background for the live wallpaper to work. If you close the app, the live wallpaper will be removed from your desktop.

Set a video as your wallpaper using the VLC media player

VLC media player is a free and open-source application that can play almost any and every type of video that exists. This makes it super convenient to use VLC for several different purposes.

VLC is also the quickest and easiest method to apply a live wallpaper on your desktop. To apply a live wallpaper using VLC, just follow the steps below:

Step 1. Open the VLC media player and start playing the video you want to set as the wallpaper.

Step 2. Right-click anywhere on the playback window, then go to Video and select Set as Wallpaper.

With these simple steps, you can easily set any video as your wallpaper.

If you wish to stop the live wallpaper, you can do so by pausing the video in the VLC Media Player window. Alternatively, closing VLC Media Player will revert your desktop to the previously set wallpaper.

However, a limitation of this method is that the video wallpaper will only remain active while VLC Media Player is running. As a result, this approach is best suited for temporary live wallpaper setups.

For a permanent solution, you can explore other methods mentioned earlier, such as using third-party applications like Push Video Wallpaper or Lively Wallpaper. These apps offer advanced features and greater flexibility, making them ideal for long-term customization.

If setting a video as your wallpaper isn’t your preference, you can still personalize your desktop with stunning images. With millions of options available online, you can find the perfect wallpaper to add vibrancy and character to your homepage.