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Best Screen Savers For Mac: Enhance Your Productivity and Relaxation



Aerial is a macOS screensaver that lets you play videos from Apple's tvOS screensaver. This includes classic Aerial videos shot over various cities and locations (New York, San Francisco, China...), Earth videos from the ISS, and the new underwater videos introduced in tvOS 13. Starting with version 2.0, Aerial also includes videos from 3rd parties that kindly shared them, and you can also now add your own!


Aerial Companion (the app that auto-updates the screensaver) is getting a much needed makeover with a new UI. This is still in beta and the design will likely change a bit, but the goal is to make some more room to add new features.




Best Screen Savers For Mac



Back in 2015, when Apple unveiled its fourth-generation set-top box for streaming apps, movies and shows, one of the standout features was how it could play gorgeous screensavers filmed in various spots around the globe in stunning 4K at 60 frames per second.


Apple actually used drones and helicopters to film those "Aerial" screensavers; in 2018, it added the International Space Station as a source to get incredible videos of our planet from above the atmosphere.


Officially, the Apple TV is the exclusive home for these incredible screensavers. But unofficially, there's an easy way to get all of Apple's Aerial screensavers on your computer, whether it's running Windows or Mac. Huge shout-out to developer John Coates, who built the open-source software that makes this possible.


If there ends up being not solution for your macOS, consider using a Virtual Machine(VM) for running a screensaver, by maximizing the screen while the screensaver is running. All would be accessed and would operate as desired on the VM. Virtual Machine applications include VMWare Fusion and Parallels. Learn more here: What Is a Virtual Machine? - VMWare Support.


"3rd party screensavers for M1 Mac. Thanks, I know this would work, but I'd prefer not to have to resort to running Windows on my Mac to solve the issue. Hopefully someone else here knows of a good place for 3rd party screensavers."


One I use on both my intel and m1 that's open src from GitHub called Aerial. It has universal app support and is originally based on the Apple TV screensavers but has branched off to include 3rd party images.


In older CRT and plasma monitors, and even newer OLED ones, leaving a static image on the screen for an extended period of time could create a burn-in, i.e., a burned in image that you'll vaguely see for a limited time (as in image persistence) or permanently.


Screen savers were also good at conserving power, since older monitors would use up massive amounts of energy. Today's LCD screens use much less power, so it's no big deal unless you're sporting a retro display.


But all of this doesn't mean that screen savers should become extinct. I still love watching them when I return to my computer, and sometimes even get mesmerized by them. Plus, they can actually be useful, not just entertaining. Below, I present you with 10 reasons why you'll want to use screen savers again on your Mac, no matter what type of display you're rocking.


Just download, uncompress, then open up the .saver file. This will open up System Preferences, and will give you an option to install for the current user or all users. After installation, you'll automatically be taken to the Screen Saver preferences where you can select the screen saver and make any necessary adjustments or customizations.


Since the screen savers below are from third-party developers, you might need to adjust your security preferences before proceeding. Alternatively, you can simply control-click (or right-click) on the file, select "Open," and proceed as seen above.


A great way of making your screen saver useful and informative is by applying an RSS feed to it. With RSS Visualizer from developer BillyBobBongo, you can add your favorite news source and get up-to-date information with just a glance at your screen. Installing this screen saver is a little different from the rest, so consult the guide below for instructions.


We don't always have the time to keep up with social media, but if you use Screenstagram from the Barbarian Group, it can be a little bit easier. By using your Instagram feed as the screen saver, you can see a 5x8 grid of what everyone's posting or just the pictures that you've liked.


If you're a fan of the classic flip clock, then you'll enjoy Fliqlo by developer Yuji Adachi. This screen saver turns your Mac's display into a giant version of a flip clock. Using the preferences, you can adjust the size and choose between a 12-hour or 24-hour clock.


Personally, SaveHollywood is one of my favorite screen savers because you can use any video you have in its place (in MOV, MP4, or M4V formats). Using the preferences, you can adjust the volume level, background color, and starting point. SaveHollywood also allows you to add multiple videos in case your screen is idle for an extended period of time.


Aerial, from developer John Coates, is one of the newer screen savers on the list and provides you with the Apple TV's newest screen saver for your Mac. With beautiful views of places like China, San Francisco, New York, and more, it's difficult to not like this one. Check out the guide below for more details.


Like most kids growing up in the '90s, the earliest screen saver I remember is the 3D pipes from my family's bulky Windows PC. Feeding the nostalgia bug, developer Jamie Zawinski brings back a classic with his 3D Pipes screen saver for Mac. Check out the guide below for more details.


For additional continuity between your Mac and iOS devices, check out iOS Lock Screen for OSX by Little Endian Game Studios. The display resembles the look of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch lock screen, which includes the date, time, and "Slide to Unlock" text. There is also an iOS 7 version available by Bodysoulspirit. Check out the guide below to see how to get them.


Pong may have been before my time, but as a gamer, I can appreciate a classic, and I love playing it whenever I need to kill a few minutes. So why not make it your screen saver? With PongSaver from Rogue Amoeba, you can. Though you can't play this screen saver, it will score every time the minute changes on the clock. It also includes the hypnotizing Pong sounds, but you can disable those if they get too annoying.


Thanks to Aerial (opens in new tab), you can now get similar screensavers for your Mac. It offers plenty of customization options, including the ability to create playlists and display certain overlays such as weather, battery status, timers, and more.


You'll automatically be redirected to the Desktop & Screensaver settings page in System Preferences, where you'll see the new Hello screensaver at the bottom of the list of your existing screensavers.


If you click the Hello screensaver, you'll see a preview of the screensaver, which repeatedly draws out the word "hello" in various colors and languages. If you want to customize the screensaver, click the Screen Saver Options underneath the preview. A menu will appear, where you can configure the following:


Changing your desktop background or screen saver is a nice, easy way to give your Mac a more personal touch. Some people even like to move beyond Apple's built-in crop of backgrounds and use their own collections.


Hot Corners are customizable shortcuts linked to the corners of your Mac's screen. When you move your cursor to a Hot Corner, the associated action will take place. For instance, you can set your bottom-right corner to activate your screen saver. The following will teach you how to set up Hot Corners of your very own.


It would be preposterous to have a roundup of the best screensavers and not mention perhaps the most recognizable program of them all. The 3D Maze originally came with Windows 95 and 98, and the Doom-esque first-person thriller gave millions of individuals a real hoot. Who needs virtual reality when you can plop down in front of an HP Pavilion and behold this?


After Dark is a series of screensavers released by Berkely Systems, and the early packages included the popular Flying Toasters screensaver. Later variants even came loaded with all sorts of special features, like, you know, bagels.


As it turns out, this screensaver, much like the vast majority of the ocean floor, is relatively void of life. With this digital aquarium, you can experience the same ephemeral, emotional benefits of a pet fish without the cleanup or a constant, electric drone echoing through your lonely apartment.


  • ArtSaver has been a pet project of mine for many, many years, and it has grown into a small set of programs: a regular app, called ArtSaverApp;

  • a small helper program for ArtSaverApp, called ArtSaver Auto Launcher, which will sit in the Mac's status bar (top right); together with the ArtSaverApp, it aims to replace the screensaver, while offering controls (e.g., going back to the previous picture) and more options; for setting up this, be sure to refer to section Screensaver Surrogate Mode below.

  • a screensaver proper, called ArtSaver, which will sit in your Mac's System Preferences (as kind of a plugin).

Foradvantages/disadvantagesof each program, see below.In a nutshell: if you want to back up to see previously shown images again (using the arrow keys),you need to use ArtSaverApp; if you need to run it in public spaces or on multiple monitors simultaneaously,then ArtSaver is the right tool.I strongly advise to use either ArtSaverApp or ArtSaver, but never both!If you are wondering how to distinguish between a screensaver proper and a regular app in general,please see below.


ArtSaver provides a "slide show" or "picture flow" for large image collectionsyou have stored in a folder (or several folders).It is mostly geared towards people who want to see their image collections as large as possible, and with some information about the images currently displayed(see screenshot on the right). 2ff7e9595c


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