How Do I Change the Screensaver on My Mac?

Alright, let’s dive into changing that screensaver on your Mac. First things first, bounce over to the Apple menu in the top-left corner of the screen and give System Settings a click—that’s where the magic happens.

Once you’re in, keep an eye out for the Screen Saver option buried in the sidebar. Sometimes you have to do a little scrolling to unearth it. Trust me, it’s in there.

Now, you’ve got a smorgasbord of screensavers to choose from, everything from macOS classics to stunning landscapes. Find one that tickles your fancy and click away. Some screensavers come packed with extra features, like shuffling aerial views or adding your personal photos from a folder or straight from your Photos app. It’s a nice touch that lets you make it your own.

Next up—how long do you want your Mac chilling before the screensaver kicks in? You’ll need to head back to System Settings, find Lock Screen in the sidebar, and adjust that idle time to suit your style.

Here’s something neat—you can set up Hot Corners if you want your screensaver to start with a quick flick of your mouse to a corner of your screen. Pop back into System Settings, hit Desktop & Dock, and get those Hot Corners ready for action. It’s like having a secret button for your screensaver!

Once you’ve twiddled and tweaked all you want, just close out of the System Settings window. Your screensaver is locked and loaded, ready to come to life whenever you decide.

And there you have it! With these steps, you’re just a click away from a screensaver setup that’s all yours. Happy customizing!

Sure thing! Changing your screensaver on a Mac is a breeze, but it can look a bit different if your macOS is newer or older. Let’s dive into the details, share some tips in case you hit a snag, and give you a bit of a backstory on screensavers.

So, way back when, screensavers stopped monitors from “burning in,” which was a thing with those bulky CRT screens. Fast forward to today, and they’ve become more about making your Mac look snazzy or adding a layer of security—you know, having a password in place when it wakes up from its slumber. Macs come with some cool preset screensavers, like “Flurry” or “Aerial,” but you can show off your own photos too. Depending on your macOS, the way you get to the screensaver settings might be a tad different: it’s either under “System Settings” if you’re using macOS Ventura or newer versions, or “System Preferences” if your Mac is a bit more vintage.

Alright, let’s get to the good stuff—how you actually change it:

If You’ve Got macOS Ventura (13.0) or Later

• Open Up System Settings: Click the Apple logo in the corner, hit “System Settings,” and you’re in.
• Find Screen Saver Options: Navigate to “Desktop & Screensaver” and click the “Screensaver” tab.
• Pick Your Favorite: You’ve got options like “Aerial” or “Album Artwork” stuffed into your Mac. Click one to see a preview.
• Jazz Up the Settings: Decide when your screensaver should kick in—maybe 5 minutes after you leave your desk. If you’re using photos, grab the album or folder you want to display.
• Add Some Security (Optional): Flick the switch on “Show sign-in screen when waking” if you want passwords to be part of your screensaver routine.

Running macOS Monterey (12.0) or Earlier?

• Go to System Preferences: Click the Apple logo, then hit “System Preferences,” and you’ll spot “Desktop & Screensaver.”
• Choose What You Like: Find your flair on the left, tweaking settings such as how fast slides change or shuffling images.
• Set When It Pops Up: Use “Hot Corners” or dive into “Battery”/”Power Adapter” settings to determine activation time.

Troubleshooting Time!

1. Having Trouble Getting the Screensaver to Show Up?

• Could be a mix-up in settings between “Battery” or “Power Adapter,” where maybe your display’s sleep time is shorter than the screensaver time. Or maybe macOS needs a little update.

Solutions:

• Check “System Settings → Battery → Power Adapter” (or “System Preferences → Energy Saver”) to make sure “Turn display off” is longer than the screensaver time.
• Restart your Mac or head to “System Settings → General → Software Update” for any needed updates.

2. Photos Not Showing?

• Sometimes it’s a folder permission hiccup or the files aren’t compatible. JPGs, PNGs, and HEIC should work fine.

Solutions:

• Double-check your chosen photo folder in screensaver settings.
• Look at “System Settings → Privacy & Security → Files and Folders” to get your permissions sorted.

3. Screensaver Settings Act Stubborn

• Settings might not stick due to corrupt files or third-party apps playing fancy.

Solutions:

• Try resetting prefs:
  • Go to “Finder → Go to Folder” and type ~/Library/Preferences/.
  • Trash com.apple.screensaver.plist and com.apple.ScreenSaverPhotoChooser.plist.
  • Restart and see what you get.
• Temporarily disable any conflicting apps.

4. Trouble with Third-Party Screensavers?

• macOS security might block unsigned apps or they’re just not compatible with the latest versions.

Solutions:

• In “System Settings → Privacy & Security → Security,” allow “App Store and Identified Developers.”
• Reach out to the developer for an updated screensaver.

Extra Tricks Up Your Sleeve

• Animate Things Up: Third-party screensavers like “Aerial” offer some stunning animations. Install them through Homebrew or download them directly.
• Get Smart with Shortcuts: Automate screensaver changes through the “Shortcuts” app based on activity or even time of day.
• Dive into Terminal Magic: Pro users might like to tinker directly using Terminal commands, like setting specific times via code.

There you have it! Personalize that display and conquer any screensaver woes. If you’re still stuck, Apple’s support team or the Mac forums should be able to throw you a lifeline.

So you want to change your Mac screensaver, huh?

Switching up your screensaver is a piece of cake and it’s a great way to add a bit of your personal flair to your Mac. Let me break it down for you:

First up, open System Preferences:

Just give the Apple menu a click in the top-left corner of your screen and pick System Preferences from the dropdown.

Next, head over to Desktop & Screen Saver:

Once you’ve landed in System Preferences, find and click Desktop & Screen Saver.

Now, pick a screensaver:

Hit the Screen Saver tab. You’ll see a list on the left of what’s available. Click around to preview them on the right side.

Maybe you want to customize, eh?

If the screensaver allows it, click Screen Saver Options and tweak the settings until they suit your vibe.

Think about when you want it to kick in:

Find Start After and set up the time interval you prefer. You can also play with Hot Corners to start the screensaver by moving your cursor to certain corners.

Wrap things up:

When you’re happy with your choices, just close System Preferences, and voilà, your new screensaver is good to go!

It’s really that easy to give your Mac a bit of a fresh look with a screensaver that suits your style.