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Do you want to give new life to your boring and static wallpaper? Animated backgrounds are one way to do this and a great way to start is by converting a GIF. There are many available on social media platforms and you can change them whenever you want.
Please note that using GIFs as wallpapers on either your computer or mobile phone will consume more resources than static images.
As each operating system is different, the setup steps to convert a GIF file to a wallpaper will not be the same. But don’t worry, we have compiled a simple step-by-step guide for you to follow depending on the operating system you are using.
Turn an animated GIF into a wallpaper on an iPhone
The process of turning a GIF file into your iPhone wallpaper starts with searching for the perfect one, and of course, the iPhone has an app for that. Download GIPHY to your phone and you’ll get an app that lets you create your own live wallpaper or download one of the thousands available in its library.
When it comes to selecting a wallpaper for your phone, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, the image has to be vertical so it looks good on the screen and not just a square photo with spots in the middle of the screen. Secondly, GIFs start from a still frame, so make sure it looks good. And last but not least, take your time to select a high-quality, high-resolution GIF file.
If you have your perfect GIF in mind, you should save it to your device:
- Go to the direct link of the image on the GIF platform of your choice. We are using GIPHY as an example.|
- Tap the three dots icon in the top right corner.
- Select “Convert to Live Photo”.
Now it’s time to turn that live photo into your phone’s wallpaper. Here’s a simple guide on how to do it:
- Go to settings.”
- Choose “Wallpaper.” You will find several wallpaper options.
- Select “Live Photos.”
- From your “Live Photos” gallery you can select the GIF you want to use.
- Tap the screen to preview the motion.
- Confirm your choice and that’s it.
Turn an animated GIF into a wallpaper on an Android device
The process to set a GIF file as wallpaper on Android is very similar to that on iOS.
You can download GIPHY from the Google Play Store to have one of the largest collections of GIFs at your fingertips. Otherwise, you can also directly download any GIFs you found while browsing. Mobile devices can detect GIF files as potential wallpapers no matter how they arrived on the phone, so setup is easy anyway.
The download process in GIPHY is very simple, but we will include it to make it even easier for you:
- Use the magnifying glass to narrow your search and browse the GIF files that interest you most.
- Once you’ve selected the GIF you want to use as your wallpaper, tap the three dots in the corner.
- Select “Save” to download the GIF to your image gallery.
Once you’ve downloaded the GIFs you need, here are the steps to set a GIF as your wallpaper:
- Open “Gallery”.
- Select the GIF file you want.
- Tap the three dots icon at the bottom right.
- Choose “Set as wallpaper.”
- Select between lock screen, home screen, or both.
- Confirm your choice.
Turn an animated GIF into a wallpaper on Windows PC
Windows 10 does not support live wallpapers by default.
However, there are several applications available on the internet that will allow you to set a GIF or video as the background of your computer screen.
Among the paid applications that you can use, wallpaper engine It is one of the most popular. It has a large library of animated images for your convenience.
For a payment of $3.99, you will get full access to all the features of this app. Here’s how to set a GIF as your wallpaper.
- Install the app following the instructions on the website.
- Go to the “Discover” tab.
- Search for an image you like using keywords or browse directly.
- Click on an image.
- Select “Subscribe.”
Another popular app you should check out is Plastuer. For $5.00 you can run this app that allows you to set GIFs, videos, and HTML5 web pages as your wallpaper. Here’s how to set up a GIF:
- Install the app following the instructions on the website and launch it.
- Select the desired GIF file from the library.
- Use the slider buttons in the upper right corner to make last-minute adjustments.
- Confirm your selection by following the instructions in the app.
Turn an animated GIF into a wallpaper on a Mac
macOS does not natively support animated wallpapers. Fortunately, you can install third-party applications that will allow you to customize the background of your computer screen.
The first application is GIFPaper. Although previous versions of this app had several negative reviews, it has been updated and is now considered very easy to use. This is how you can set a GIF file as wallpaper using this app:
- Download your favorite GIF from the Internet.
- Install GIFPaper on your computer. This should be a working download link.but look carefully for alternatives.
- From the zip file you downloaded, install the one called GIFPaperPrefs.
- Once installed, you will find it in the System Preferences folder on your Mac. Launch it with a double-click.
- In the Preferences panel you will find a browser. Use it to browse to the GIF file on your computer and you’re done.
AnimatedGIF is another app you can use thanks to the recent updates that added that feature. Set a GIF as your wallpaper by following these steps:
- Install animated GIF from this link and follow the instructions.
- Tap “System Preferences.”
- Click “Desktop and Screen Saver.”
- In that section, select “Animated GIF Screensaver.”
- Click on the “Screen Saver” option.
- Select the GIF you want and adjust all the settings you want.
Please note that AnimatedGIF may not work on all versions of macOS.
A true gift
If you have wanted to give a little more personality to your devices, we hope you found this guide useful. Not all GIFs make good wallpapers and they will all use more power and resources to run, so older devices may have problems with animated wallpapers.
Leave us a comment below to tell us about your experience personalizing your computer or phone with the funniest GIFs.
