# Vivid Walls: Fact Sheet

| | |
|---|---|
| **Name** | Vivid Walls |
| **Tagline** | Wallpaper Engine scenes, native on Mac |
| **Category** | Desktop Enhancement / Customization |
| **Platform** | macOS 14.0 or later, Apple Silicon (M1 or later) required |
| **Price** | Free to download, with a 3-day trial; $9.99 unlocks the full library, no subscription |
| **Mac App Store** | https://apps.apple.com/app/id6761993729 |
| **Website** | https://vividwalls.app |
| **Companion app** | Free Windows app for library transfer (https://vividwalls.app) |
| **Developer** | James Goodnight (solo) |
| **Contact** | support@vividwalls.app |
| **Latest version** | 1.3.0 |
| **Initial release** | 2026 |

## What it does

Vivid Walls is the first native macOS app that runs Wallpaper Engine scene files (`.pkg` / `.scene`) on Apple Silicon. It is not a video-loop player, not a virtual machine, and it does not run Windows software. It plays the same real-time particle effects, audio-reactive wallpapers, and animated characters that Wallpaper Engine renders on Windows, natively on the Mac.

A free Windows companion app pairs with the Mac app over local Wi-Fi using a 4-character code. Users transfer their existing Wallpaper Engine library directly between machines without a cloud service, account, or re-purchase.

A Windows PC is not required to use the app. Eight animated wallpapers ship inside Vivid Walls and load into the library automatically the first time it opens: City Lights, Aurora Scene, Beach Scene, Cherry Blossom, Fireplace HD, Nebula Journey, Rainy Street, and Dense Forest.

## Why it matters

Wallpaper Engine is one of the most popular apps on Steam and has never shipped a Mac version. Mac users moving from gaming PCs lose their entire wallpaper library at the door. Vivid Walls is the only solution that runs the actual scene files those users already own, instead of asking them to start over with a new library of video loops.

## Coverage

- **AppleInsider**, 3 September 2026: "There is a way to run Wallpaper Engine files on Mac, with caveats". Hands-on with the bundled wallpapers, playback controls, library features, and importing a 4K video wallpaper through the Wallpaper Engine importer. Interactive scene files were not part of that test. https://appleinsider.com/inside/macos-27/tips/there-is-a-way-to-run-wallpaper-engine-files-on-mac-with-caveats
- **MacMagazine** (Brazil), 3 September 2026: "Vivid Walls permite usar wallpapers animados para Windows no macOS", by Douglas Nascimento, via AppleInsider. https://macmagazine.com.br/post/2026/09/03/vivid-walls-permite-usar-wallpapers-animados-para-windows-no-macos/

## Technical highlights

- **Native playback**: plays Wallpaper Engine scene files directly on the Mac, no Windows and no virtual machine involved
- **Real-time scenes**: particle effects, animated characters, mouse and audio reactivity
- **Now Playing widget**: scenes with a music widget show live album art, track title, and artist from Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube
- **Power behaviour**: GPU-accelerated and frame-capped rather than free-running. Default is a 30 FPS cap on power, dropping to 15 FPS on battery (pausing entirely on battery is the alternative setting), with automatic pausing on display sleep, on a fullscreen app, when the desktop is fully covered, and after 15 minutes without input
- **Multi-monitor**: independent or spanned scenes per display
- **Library transfer**: free Windows companion, local Wi-Fi only, no cloud, no account, no telemetry
- **Privacy**: zero analytics, zero tracking, zero data collection (per the published privacy policy)
- **Built natively**: SwiftUI, sandboxed, no private API usage

## System requirements

- macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later
- Apple Silicon (M1 or later) required; Intel Macs are not supported
- For library transfer: a Windows PC running the free Vivid Walls Companion, on the same Wi-Fi network as the Mac

## Pricing

- Free to download on the Mac App Store, with a 3-day trial
- One in-app purchase: Full Library, $9.99 one-time, which unlocks Wallpaper Engine library access when the trial ends
- No subscription, no recurring fee
- The eight included wallpapers stay free after the trial
- Reviewers do not need a code to install: the app is a free download. If you want full library access for a review, contact support@vividwalls.app