We've been asked literally multiple times to explain how to set an animated GIF as the desktop wallpaper in Windows. Quite why y'all'd desire to practice this is something of a mystery, but for those who want to exist driven to distraction by flickering wallpaper (or be seduced by Manga) while they're working abroad on their PC or laptop, here'due south how to do it. See likewise: The 10 best new features in Windows 10

Commencement, it's impossible to do this without actress software. Windows doesn't support animated GIFs as groundwork images, then although you can select 1 and set it as your wallpaper, it will appear equally a static prototype: effectively the first frame of the blitheness.

In that location are a few programs that will play animated GIFs as a wallpaper, including Stardock DeskScapes and  BioniX Blithe Wallpaper

Stardock is bachelor equally a costless thirty-twenty-four hour period trial (it'due south $10 to buy - around £half dozen) while BioniX is freeware.

We've used BioniX here, but it's well worth paying for Stardock as it's much more polished and doesn't wallpaper over your desktop icons like BioniX does with full-screen images (it's fine for smaller GIFs which occupy a smaller infinite in the heart of the desktop). In that location is an option to 'paint beneath desktop icons' but this isn't recommended as it causes a lot of deejay reads.

How to set a GIF as your groundwork in Windows viii.1

BioniX has some other advantage: it works in practically all versions of Windows including 8.1, under which nosotros tested the awarding.

Once you've downloaded it from the link higher up, double-click on the file to install information technology. The animated tool is separate from the main wallpaper utility, just yous launch it by going to the Tools menu and clicking on Wallpaper animator:

If a pretty picture isn't enough as your desktop wallpaper, an animated GIF can liven things up (and drive you crazy). Here's how to set a GIF as your background in Windows - including Windows 8.

Next, point it to the folder in which your animated GIFs reside and click on ane in the list which appears on the left. The animation will immediately be set as your wallpaper and brainstorm playing. (It may not play on a second screen. We tried various animations and some played on both, while others played simply on the main screen.)

Yous then have options for playback speed, quality and zoom. Counterintuitively, a higher speed number yields slower playback, simply you'll have to try different numbers to become the ideal speed for your GIF.

When you're happy, but minimise the Wallpaper animator window and the main BioniX Wallpaper awarding. Both will disappear to your notification area of the taskbar.

To stop an animation or select a different one, click on the red dragon icon. The main app has a computer screen icon.

If a pretty picture isn't enough as your desktop wallpaper, an animated GIF can liven things up (and drive you crazy). Here's how to set a GIF as your background in Windows - including Windows 8.