What types of wallpapers can ScreenPlay display?

Updated

ScreenPlay can display most video formats as well as HTML5, QML, and GIF wallpapers. It is an open-source live-wallpaper app for Windows and macOS, and it also supports desktop widgets and an AppDrawer. If your wallpaper is a video file, an HTML5 page, a QML scene, or a GIF, it falls within the formats ScreenPlay is built to handle.

Supported wallpaper formats

Wallpaper type What it means in practice
Video Most common video formats are supported, so you can use video clips as animated desktop backgrounds.
HTML5 Web-based wallpapers built with HTML5 can run as live wallpapers.
QML QML wallpapers can be interactive and animated, not just looping visuals.
GIF Animated GIF files can be used as wallpapers.

The official feature list groups these under “Wallpapers” and states that “most video formats as well as HTML5, Qml and Gif Wallpaper are supported.” That wording matters: video support is described as covering most formats rather than every format, so an unusual codec or container is the case to test before relying on it.

Where wallpapers come from

ScreenPlay binaries with Workshop support are available for Windows and macOS via Steam, and the site points to a “Vast Steam Workshop” as a place where users upload content. In practice, that means you can browse and subscribe to wallpapers through Steam Workshop rather than only using files you create yourself. The site also lists other download options besides Steam, and notes Linux/KDE support as coming soon rather than available now.

Interactive and animated wallpapers

QML is the format to look at if you want more than a looping background. ScreenPlay describes QML as an easy-to-learn declarative language for creating custom wallpapers and widgets, with native ECMA 2017 support that allows interactive and animated content. The app also offers live reloading, so changes to a QML project can appear in real time without restarting the content — useful when you are iterating on an animated or interactive wallpaper.

For example, if you want a wallpaper that reacts to system information, ScreenPlay exposes a SysInfo API for CPU usage, memory usage, and IP address, plus a Weather Forecast API built around open-meteo.com with a 7-day forecast and matching weather icons. Those are building blocks for QML wallpapers and widgets rather than separate wallpaper formats.

Choosing the right format for your goal

  • Simplest option: use a video or GIF if you just want motion on the desktop.
  • Web content: use HTML5 if the wallpaper is essentially a web page or web animation.
  • Interactivity: use QML if you want animation tied to logic, system data, or user interaction.
  • Ready-made content: check Steam Workshop first if you would rather download than build.

One practical caveat: the site’s feature descriptions are the source for these format claims, and it does not publish a full codec list. If a specific video file does not play, converting it to a more common format is the straightforward next step before assuming the app cannot handle video wallpapers at all.