sindresorhus/wallpaper — explained in plain English
Analysis updated 2026-08-01 · repo last pushed 2026-04-19
Build a wallpaper rotation app that automatically changes the desktop background on a schedule.
Create a focus mode tool that sets a calming solid color during work sessions and restores a photo afterward.
Add a wallpaper picker feature inside your desktop app so users can choose backgrounds without leaving the app.
| sindresorhus/wallpaper | phuc-nt/my-translator | yyx990803/vue-lit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars | 1,095 | 1,106 | 1,116 |
| Language | JavaScript | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last pushed | 2026-04-19 | — | 2020-10-27 |
| Maintenance | Maintained | — | Dormant |
| Setup difficulty | easy | moderate | easy |
| Complexity | 2/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 |
| Audience | developer | general | developer |
Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.
Install via npm and call a single function with an image file path, no external dependencies or infrastructure required.
The wallpaper package lets your JavaScript code change or read the desktop background image on a computer. Instead of a user manually right-clicking an image and selecting "set as wallpaper," your app can do it programmatically with a single line of code. It works across macOS, Windows, and Linux, so you don't have to worry about the differences between operating systems. At a high level, you provide the file path to an image, and the tool handles the rest. It also can retrieve the path of whatever image is currently set as the background. On macOS, you get extra control: you can target specific monitors if the user has multiple displays, choose how the image scales (like fill, fit, or stretch), or even set a solid color as the background instead of an image. The Windows version supports similar scaling options, while Linux support is currently limited and not actively maintained. A developer building a desktop application might use this to add a feature that automatically rotates wallpapers, sets a themed background based on the time of day, or lets users pick a wallpaper from within the app itself. For example, a productivity app could set a calming solid color during focus sessions and switch back to a user's preferred photo afterward. It is a utility tool meant to be combined with other features rather than used on its own. The project does have some notable limitations. It cannot set dynamic wallpapers like live websites, videos, or animations. The FAQ points users toward other tools for those needs. Also, the Linux portion is effectively frozen until a volunteer with deep Linux knowledge steps up to maintain it.
A JavaScript tool that lets your app change or read the desktop background image on macOS, Windows, and Linux with a single line of code.
Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Node.js.
Maintained — commit in last 6 months (last push 2026-04-19).
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice.
Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.
Mainly developer.
This repo across BitVibe Labs
double-check against the repo, no cap.