Free and open source · GPL-3.0
Live wallpapers for Linux,
without the CPU tax.
Set a video, GIF, image, slideshow, or playlist as your desktop. Hardware-accelerated playback keeps CPU near zero.
Total downloads
GitHub stars
Latest release
Free and open source
Features
Any media. Any monitor. No CPU drama.
Fresco plays your wallpaper through mpv with GPU hardware decoding, so a 4K video costs about as much as a static image.
Hardware-accelerated, near-zero CPU
Decoding runs on the GPU through VA-API or NVDEC. Your processor stays free for everything else, with no loss of quality.
Set anything as your wallpaper
Video & GIF wallpapers
Loop any mp4, webm, mkv, or animated GIF as your desktop.
Image slideshows
Point at a folder and rotate through stills on your own interval.
Video playlists
Queue several clips and let Fresco cycle through them.
Slideshow transitions
Crossfade, fade, or a slow Ken Burns pan between images.
Theme & accent picker
Light or dark, with an accent color that suits your setup.
Restores on login
Set it once and close the app. It comes back every session.
Compare
Fresco vs other Linux options.
How Fresco compares to the live-wallpaper tools people usually try first on Linux.
| Feature | Fresco | Hidamari | Komorebi | mpvpaper | Wallpaper Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUI app, no terminal | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works on GNOME and X11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Wayland only | Compositor off |
| Hardware decode, low CPU | Yes | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Drag-to-crop | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Playlists | Yes | No | No | Manual | Yes |
| Image slideshow | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Wallpaper library | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Actively maintained | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free and open source | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Wallpaper Engine is a paid, Windows-first product. Komorebi is no longer maintained.
Theming, polish, and a big performance pass.
Themes and accents
Light, dark, or follow the system, with six accent palettes.
Image slideshows
Pick several images or a whole folder and loop them on an adjustable timer.
Much lighter
Memory dropped toward 120 to 150 MB and binaries are about 20 percent smaller.
Right-click menu
Set, Edit, Rename, or Remove any wallpaper straight from its library card.
How it works
Three clicks, then forget about it.
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Pick your media
Open Fresco from your app menu and choose a video, GIF, image, folder, or playlist.
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Click Set
Set it as your wallpaper. It starts playing on your desktop right away.
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Close the app
Quit the window. A lightweight daemon keeps the wallpaper running, even after a reboot.
Download
Install on Debian, Ubuntu, Pop!_OS & Mint.
Download the .deb
From GitHub releases
Grab the latest .deb and double-click it, or install from the terminal:
sudo apt install ./fresco_*.debPrefer one command? Run the installer:
curl -fsSL https://github.com/DibbayajyotiRoy/fresco/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bashFlathub
Sandboxed Flatpak build
A Flatpak build with automatic updates is in the works. For now, grab the .deb from GitHub releases.
For the lowest CPU usage, install your GPU's hardware-decode driver (Intel media VA driver, Mesa VA drivers, or the NVIDIA proprietary driver for NVDEC).
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Everything you need to know before setting your first live wallpaper on Linux.