How to Set a Custom Live Lock Screen Wallpaper on macOS Tahoe: 5 Easy Steps

Hey everyone! Welcome back to the blog.

In a previous guide, I shared a trick for using live lock screen wallpapers on macOS Sequoia. Unfortunately, that method doesn’t work on the latest macOS, Tahoe. But don’t worry—I’ve found a new workaround that gets the job done on Tahoe as well!

In this guide, I’ll show you how to set any MP4 video as your live lock screen wallpaper. As an example, I’ll be using a clip of Virat Kohli signing after RCB’s epic IPL win. Let’s get started!

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What You’ll Need

• A video file (in MP4 format) that you want to use as your wallpaper.

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Custom Live Lock Screen Wallpaper on macOS Tahoe

Step 1: Convert Your Video to MOV Format

macOS’s live lock screen wallpaper system uses .MOV files. So, our first task is to convert your MP4 file.

1. Open your browser and search for “convert MP4 to MOV free”.
2. You’ll see several websites. Pick any reliable one (I used the first result).

3. Click “Select File” and upload your video.
4. Once uploaded, hit the “Convert” button. This might take a minute.
5. After conversion, download the new .MOV file to your desktop.

To keep things tidy, you can now delete the original MP4 file.

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Step 2: Download a Sample Wallpaper from Apple

We need to trick macOS into using our video. To do that, we’ll replace one of its own live wallpapers.

1. Go to System Settings > Wallpaper.

2. Scroll down, and you’ll see a section with “Cityscape” videos. These are Apple’s built-in live wallpapers.
3. Click on one to download it. For this guide, I’m using the Dubai Skyline video.

4. Once downloaded, make sure it’s set as your current wallpaper. You may need to switch to it and then back to ensure.

Important: Keep the System Settings window open for the next steps.

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Step 3: Find Where the Wallpaper is Stored

This is the crucial part. We need to find the folder where macOS stores the Dubai Skyline video.

1. Open Launchpad and find Activity Monitor.

2. In Activity Monitor, scroll down and look for a process named WallpaperAerialExtension.

3. Double-click on it. A new pop-up window will appear.
4. Click on the “Open Files and Ports” tab.

5. Scroll to the very bottom of the list. You will see a file path (URL) that includes the word AERIALS.
6. Select the entire path up to and including AERIALS, right-click, and choose Copy.

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Step 4: Replace the Wallpaper with Your Video

Now, we’ll navigate to that folder and swap the files.

1. Open a new Finder window.
2. From the top menu, click Go > Go to Folder….

3. Paste the file path you just copied and press Enter. This will open the hidden AERIALS folder.

4. Inside, open the VIDEOS folder. Here, you’ll see the Dubai Skyline.mov file.

5. Right-click on the Dubai Skyline file and select “Rename.” Copy its exact filename.

6. Now, go to your desktop and find the .MOV video you converted in Step 1 (the Virat Kohli video). Rename this file to the exact same name as the Dubai Skyline file.

7. Go back to the VIDEOS folder. Delete the original Dubai Skyline file.

8. Drag and drop your newly renamed video into this same VIDEOS folder.

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Step 5: Activate Your New Live Lock Screen Wallpaper

We’re almost done! We just need to refresh the wallpaper system.

1. Go back to Activity Monitor and find the WallpaperAerialExtension process again.
2. Select it and click the “X” button (Quit) in the toolbar.
3. In the dialogue that appears, click “Force Quit”.

The moment you force quit, your lock screen will flicker, and your new custom video will start playing! You can lock your screen to see it in action.

Now, you have Virat Kohli signing autographs on your MacBook!

If you want to set any video as your desktop wallpaper, here is the guide you can use: How to Set Any Video as a Live Desktop Wallpaper on Your Mac

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A Few Important Shortcomings

This trick works, but it has a couple of quirks you should know about:

• Black Screen After Login: After you see the live lock screen wallpaper and log in, your desktop wallpaper might turn black. There’s no easy way to change it back without a restart.

• Requires a Restart: For the live lock screen wallpaper to work again after the first use, you’ll need to restart your Mac. Locking the screen a second time won’t trigger the video.

You’ll have to manage these small issues if you really want a custom live lock screen wallpaper for now.

Video Tutorial for macOS Tahoe:

Video Tutorial for macOS Sequoia:

If you are running on macOS Sequoia, you can watch this video:

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I hope this guide was helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below. For more tech tips and cool tricks like this, don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel!

What video would you set as your wallpaper? Let me know!