A former Microsoft designer reveals Windows 11's dynamic wallpapers.
It was expected that Windows 11 would receive dynamic wallpapers in 2023.
Microsoft has been working for several years on dynamic animated wallpapers for Windows 11, and a former designer has shared details about their appearance. Sergey Kisselev, who was a motion designer and 3D artist at Microsoft, explained his work on these dynamic animations that were intended to be released in 2023 but have apparently been canceled.
Kisselev was involved in the design elements of Windows and in Microsoft’s Fluent design system for over eight years before joining Amazon in 2022. In his post on Behance, Kisselev describes the dynamic wallpapers as part of the efforts by the Windows Creative Direction team to highlight a new composition centered around Windows 11, focusing on its centered Start menu and taskbar. According to Kisselev, these animated wallpapers were part of a project intended for Microsoft’s low-cost devices, specifically aimed at educational users.
Reports indicate that these dynamic wallpapers were planned to be released as part of the 23H2 update for Windows 11; however, this never materialized. Well-known Windows observer Albacore mentioned that the dynamic wallpaper feature has been discarded, and unfinished parts of this implementation appeared in the 22H2 and 23H2 versions of Windows 11, although they were removed in the latest 24H2 update.
Visually, these dynamic wallpapers are very similar to those Microsoft uses in the Xbox control panel. Currently, the only way to have animated wallpapers in Windows is through third-party applications like Wallpaper Engine. It is worth noting that Microsoft previously allowed videos as wallpapers through the Windows DreamScene feature in Windows Vista, which is surprising given all the design work done to reintroduce a dynamic wallpaper feature that then went unlaunched.