Windows 11 May Soon Let You Set Videos As Wallpapers

Some Windows 11 users have discovered a new feature that has been introduced to the latest beta build where they could set video or mp4 files as desktop wallpapers.

User @phantomofearth made a post on X on Friday, showing the setting up of a video file as a desktop backdrop, displaying a looped animation of blue, blooming shapes using a Windows 11 Dev/Beta build (26x20.6690).

The user said that this might be the return of WindowsDreamscene, a discontinued feature of Windows Vista, that did not return in Windows 7, where users could set animated backgrounds as their desktop wallpapers.

Unlike the new iteration, this version primarily supported .wmv and .mpg file formats to be used as wallpapers.

This feature was replaced with a slideshow wallpaper in Windows 7. Despite this, the Verge reported that there was demand for this type of dynamic wallpaper with people using third-party apps like Wallpaper Engine, which is often listed in the topmost used and downloaded apps on digital storefronts like Steam.

According to a blog post from a former motion designer and 3D artist at Microsoft, Windows 11 developers were working on moving wallpapers for many years. They were not included in the 2023 release version of Windows 11, as originally planned, according to reports.

The blog post by Sergei Kisselev depicted various dynamic wallpaper designs, depicting a swirl of various colourful shapes and textures arranged in aesthetically striking ways.

According to Kisselev, the team behind these designs were primarily targeting educational users and low-cost Windows devices.

"This work was part of the Windows Creative Direction Team’s efforts to celebrate a new centered signature composition for Windows 11, highlighting its centered Start Menu and taskbar," Kisselev wrote.

The designs were created with the intent of having "flexibility in interpretation and execution" and were meant to adapt to both light mode and dark mode, according to Kisselev.