How To Turn an Animated GIF Into Wallpaper

Do you want to breathe new life into your dull, static wallpaper? Animated backgrounds are one way to do it, and an excellent way to start is by converting a GIF. With plenty of those available on social media platforms, you can swap them out at will.

Keep in mind that using GIFs as wallpapers either on your computer or mobile phone will consume more resources than static images.

As every operating system is different, the configuration steps to turn a GIF file into a wallpaper won’t be the same. But do not worry, we’ve compiled an easy step-by-step guide for you to follow depending on the OS you’re using.

Turning an Animated GIF Into a Wallpaper on an iPhone

The process of turning a GIF file into the wallpaper of your iPhone starts with the search for the perfect one, and of course, the iPhone has an app for that. Download GIPHY to your phone and you’ll get an app that will allow you to create your own live wallpaper or download one from the thousands available in their library.

When it comes to selecting wallpaper for your phone, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, the image has to be vertical so it’ll look nice on the screen and not just a blotchy squared photo in the middle of the screen. Second, GIFs start from a still frame, so make sure it looks good. And lastly, but not less importantly, take your time to select a high-quality and high-resolution GIF file.

If you have your perfect GIF in mind, you need to save it to your device:

1. Go to the direct image link on your GIF platform of choice. We’re using GIPHY as an example.|
   
2. Tap the three dots icon on the upper right corner.
   
3. Select “Convert to live photo.”
   

Now it’s time to turn that live photo into your phone’s wallpaper. Here is a simple guide on how to do it:

1. Go to “Settings.”
   
2. Choose “Wallpaper.” You’ll find several wallpaper options.
   
3. Select “Live photos.”
   
4. From your “Live photos” gallery you can select the GIF you want to use.
   
5. Touch the screen to get a preview of the movement.
   
6. Confirm your choice, and you’re done.
   

Turning an Animated GIF Into Wallpaper on an Android Device

The process to set a GIF file as wallpaper on Android is very similar to the one with iOS.

You can download GIPHY from the Google Play Store to get one of the largest collections of GIFs at your fingertips. Otherwise, you can also directly download any GIFs you’ve found while browsing. Mobile devices can detect GIF files as possible wallpapers no matter how they got on the phone, so the setup is easy regardless.

The download process on GIPHY is very simple, but we’ll include it to make it even easier for you:

1. Use the magnifying glass to narrow down your search, and browse through the GIFs files that interest you the most.
   
2. Once you’ve selected the GIF you’d like to use as a wallpaper, tap on the three dots in the corner.
   
3. Select “Save” to downloaded the GIF to your image gallery.
   

After you’ve downloaded the GIF(s) you need, here are the steps on how to set a GIF as a wallpaper:

1. Open “Gallery.”
   
2. Select the GIF file you want.
   
3. Tap on the three dots icon on the buttom right.
   
4. Choose “Set as wallpaper.”
   
5. Select between lock screen, home screen, or both.
   
6. Confirm your choice.
   

Turn an Animated GIF Into Wallpaper on a Windows PC

Windows 10 doesn’t support animated wallpapers by default.

However, there are several apps available on the internet that will allow you to set a GIF or video as the background of your computer screen.

Among the paid applications you can use, Wallpaper Engine is one of the most popular. It has a broad library of animated images for your convenience.

For a $3.99 payment, you’ll get full access to all the features of this app. Here’s how to set a GIF as wallpaper.

1. Install the app by following the instructions on the website.
   
2. Go to the “Discover” tab.
   
3. Search for an image you like through keywords or browse directly.
   
4. Click on an image.
   
5. Select “Subscribe.”
   

Another popular app you need to check out is Plastuer. For $5.00 you can run this application that allows you to set GIFs, videos, and HTML5 webpages as wallpaper. Here’s how to set a GIF:

1. Install the app by following the instructions on the website and launch it.
   
2. Select the GIF file you want from the library.
   
3. Use the sliding buttons on the upper right corner for last-minute adjustments.
   
4. Confirm your selection by following the in-app instructions.
   

Turning an Animated GIF Into Wallpaper on a Mac

macOS doesn’t natively support animated wallpapers. Fortunately, you can install third-party applications that will allow you to personalize the background of your computer screen.

The first app is GIFPaper. Although the earlier versions of this app had several negative reviews, it’s been updated and is now considered very user-friendly. Here’s how you can set a GIF file as a wallpaper using this app:

1. Download your favorite GIF from the internet.
   
2. Install GIFPaper on your computer. This should be a working download link, but browse carefully for alternatives.
   
3. From the zip file you’ve downloaded, install the one called GIFPaperPrefs.
   
4. Once installed, you’ll find it in the System Preferences folder in your mac. Launch it with a double-click.
   
5. In the Preference panel you’ll find a browser. Use it to find the GIF file on your computer, and you’re done.
   

AnimatedGIF is another application you can use thanks to recent updates that added that feature. Set a GIF as a wallpaper following these steps:

1. Install AnimatedGIF from this link and follow the instructions.
   
2. Tap on “System Preferences.”
   
3. Click on “Desktop and Screensaver.”
   
4. On that section, select “AnimatedGIF Screensaver.”
   
5. Click on “Screen Saver” option.
   
6. Select the GIF you want, and adjust all the settings you want.

Note that AnimatedGIF might not work on all macOS versions.

A True GIFt

If you’ve wanted to give your devices a little more personality, we hope this guide was useful. Not all GIFs make good wallpapers, and all of them will use more power and resources to function so that older devices might struggle with animated wallpapers.

Leave us a comment below to tell us about your experience personalizing your computer or phone with the funniest GIFs.