Where to find screensaver settings on your Mac

Open System Settings (called System Preferences on older Macs), then click Lock Screen in the left sidebar. You'll see a preview window showing your current screensaver, with a dropdown menu below it labeled Screensaver. Click that dropdown to see all available screensavers installed on your Mac.

If you're using macOS Ventura or earlier, the path is slightly different: open System Preferences, click Desktop & Screen Saver, then select the Screen Saver tab. The rest of the process is the same.

Key Takeaways

  • Screensaver settings live in System Settings under Lock Screen (or Desktop & Screen Saver on older macOS versions).
  • You can preview any screensaver before selecting it by clicking the play button in the preview window.
  • Set how long your Mac waits before the screensaver starts by adjusting the "Start after" timer, which ranges from 1 minute to Never.
  • Some screensavers like Aerial and Drift offer additional options you can customize, such as video quality or animation speed.
  • Your screensaver choice applies to your user account only — other users on the same Mac can have different screensavers.

Selecting a screensaver from the built-in options

Click the dropdown menu under Screensaver to see all available options. Apple includes several built-in screensavers: Aerial (flying footage of real locations), Drift (animated geometric shapes), Kaleidoscope, Messages, Patterns, and others depending on your macOS version. Each one appears with a thumbnail preview.

Click any screensaver name to see a live preview in the window above. The preview shows exactly what you'll see when the screensaver activates. If you like what you see, that screensaver is now selected — your Mac will use it the next time the screensaver starts.

Setting how long before the screensaver turns on

Below the screensaver dropdown, you'll see "Start after" followed by a time field. This controls how many minutes of inactivity must pass before your Mac automatically starts the screensaver. The default is usually 10 minutes, but you can change it to any value from 1 minute up to 1 hour.

Click the time field and type a new number, or use the up and down arrows to adjust it. If you want to disable the screensaver entirely, select "Never" from the dropdown instead of a time value. You can always manually start the screensaver by pressing Control + Shift + Eject (or Control + Shift + Power on newer Macs).

Customizing screensaver options

Some screensavers offer additional settings you can adjust. After selecting a screensaver like Aerial or Drift, look for an Options button that appears below the preview window. Click it to open a settings panel for that specific screensaver.

For example, Aerial lets you choose video quality and whether to show location names, while Drift lets you adjust animation speed and color schemes. Not all screensavers have options — straightforward ones like Patterns or Kaleidoscope may not offer any customization beyond selection.

Adding screensavers from the App Store

If you want screensavers beyond the ones Apple includes, you can read additional ones from the App Store. Open the App Store, search for "screensaver," and browse available options. Many are free, though some charge a one-time fee.

Once you read and install a screensaver from the App Store, it automatically appears in your screensaver dropdown menu in System Settings. You can then select and customize it the same way you would a built-in screensaver. Uninstalling a screensaver removes it from the dropdown.

Screensaver behavior when your Mac is locked

Your screensaver will not start if your Mac is locked with a password. When you lock your Mac (by pressing Control + Command + Q or closing the lid), the login screen appears instead of the screensaver. The screensaver only activates when your Mac is awake but idle — meaning you've stepped away without locking it.

If you want your Mac to lock automatically after a certain time, that's a separate setting. Go to System Settings, click Lock Screen, and adjust "Turn display off after" and "Require password after" to your preference. These settings work independently of the screensaver timer.

Troubleshooting screensaver problems

If your screensaver won't start even though you've set a timer, check whether your Mac is set to never sleep. Go to System Settings, click General, then Sleep, and make sure sleep is enabled. A Mac that never sleeps may also prevent the screensaver from activating.

If a screensaver you downloaded from the App Store doesn't appear in the dropdown menu, try restarting your Mac. Sometimes newly installed screensavers don't show up until you restart. If it still doesn't appear, uninstall and reinstall the screensaver from the App Store.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a photo or video as my screensaver?

Yes. In System Settings under Lock Screen, select the Photos screensaver option. You can then choose which photo album or folder your Mac pulls images from. The screensaver will cycle through those photos during idle time.

Will my screensaver drain my battery on a laptop?

Screensavers use some battery power, but modern Macs are designed to sleep the display and enter low-power states instead. For best battery life on a laptop, set your display to sleep after a short time (1–5 minutes) rather than relying on the screensaver to save power.

Why does my screensaver stop after a few seconds?

Your Mac likely has a short sleep timer set. If the display is set to sleep after 1 minute, the screensaver will only run for that long before the display powers down. Adjust the sleep timer in System Settings under General > Sleep to give the screensaver more time to run.

Can different user accounts have different screensavers?

Yes. Each user account on your Mac has its own screensaver settings. When you log in as a different user, they can select and customize their own screensaver independently. The settings don't affect other users on the same Mac.

How do I remove a screensaver I don't want anymore?

If it's a built-in Apple screensaver, you can't remove it, but you can straightforward choose a different one. If it's a screensaver you downloaded from the App Store, open the App Store, find the screensaver in your Purchased list, and click Uninstall. It will disappear from your screensaver dropdown.