The ocean wallpaper already built into your Mac
macOS already includes ocean footage: the Underwater aerials in Wallpaper settings animate as you lock or unlock your Mac and can run as a slow-motion Screen Saver. For waves that move all day, loop a free ocean clip with a live-wallpaper app, or use an abstract scene such as Mac+ Waves.
macOS already ships ocean footage. Among the aerial wallpapers Apple built into the Mac are Underwater scenes — jellyfish, sharks, dolphins, rays — plus coastal flights over real coastlines, and either can run as your wallpaper or a slow-motion screen saver. The catch: they only move the moment you lock or unlock your Mac, then sit still while you work. This guide covers how to turn them on, why they freeze, and the two ways to keep real motion running all day: your own ocean clip, or Mac+'s admittedly abstract Waves scene.
The ocean already on your Mac: Underwater aerials and coastal flights
Search “ocean live wallpaper mac” and page one is wallpaper-download sites and galleries — none of them mentions that the ocean is already sitting on your Mac. It is. Apple's wallpaper settings group a set of aerial videos as “Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth aerials,” and Underwater is exactly what it sounds like: footage filmed below the surface, with coastal flights filed separately under Landscape. Apple's own description of how they behave: “These aerial images animate as you lock or unlock your Mac, showing dramatic views.”
According to Macworld, macOS Sonoma “added 15 Underwater wallpapers with jellyfish, sharks, seals, dolphins, rays, and more,” and because the same footage doubles as a screen saver, “the animals swim across the display.” A community-maintained catalog of Sonoma and Sequoia's aerials — not an Apple-published list, so treat these as descriptive rather than official — names individual Underwater scenes such as “Tahiti Waves Mist” and “Gray Reef Sharks,” and coastal flights like “Hawaii Coastline” and “Iceland Coast” under Landscape. Whether the newest macOS release ships the exact same set isn't documented, so don't expect a perfect match on your Mac.
Use an aerial as your wallpaper, and as a slow-motion screen saver
To try one yourself, open System Settings and click Wallpaper. Inside “Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth aerials,” pick an underwater or coastal scene. Some aerials need a one-time download before they'll play: Apple's screen saver settings note that when a download icon appears next to an aerial's name, “you need to click the image to download and use it.” Lock and unlock your Mac to watch it move — that's the only trigger.
The same footage can double as your Screen Saver. Apple's guide says to click Screen Saver, choose Custom, and select an aerial; Apple describes the result plainly: “These slow-motion images show dramatic views.” By default, whichever aerial you set as wallpaper is already used as your screen saver too, so there's often nothing left to configure beyond confirming the same underwater or coastal scene in both places.
Why the waves stop the moment you start working
This is the part that trips people up. Apple's own description is precise: aerials “animate as you lock or unlock your Mac” — full stop. Apple documents no setting that keeps them moving once you're back at the desktop; the motion is tied to that transition, not to a timer or to idle time. The slow-motion version can run as your screen saver while the Mac sits idle, but the moment you press a key, move the mouse or touch the trackpad, the screen saver closes and the wallpaper behind it is still again. That's expected behavior, not a bug: the aerials work as a lock-and-unlock flourish and as a screen saver, not as a continuously moving desktop background. If continuous motion is the actual goal, the next two sections cover the two ways to get it.
Real waves all day: loop your own ocean clip
For waves that never stop, load footage into a live-wallpaper tool — two routes handle the “own video” part differently. Aerial is a free, open-source app (MIT license, not made by Apple) that plays Apple's aerial videos and, as of version 4.1.4, lets you “bring your own videos” by dropping an MP4 or MOV into a folder; it can even register as an actual desktop wallpaper, though its own site labels that mode “Beta,” and it needs macOS 26 or later on Apple Silicon or Intel. The other route is a dedicated live-wallpaper app such as Mac+, covered next, which runs on macOS 13 or later — see our full guide to setting a video as wallpaper on a Mac for the mechanics.
Either way, you'll need footage, and license terms vary. Pexels says its photos and videos are “free to use” with no attribution required and allows modification, but forbids redistributing them “on other stock photo or wallpaper platforms” — looping a clip locally is fine, re-uploading it to a wallpaper site is not. Pixabay's summary is similar: free use, no attribution, modification allowed, but no standalone resale or redistribution. Coverr's license permits commercial and non-commercial use “at no cost” with no attribution requirement, though it excludes building a competing service or training an AI on the footage. Read the specific terms on the clip you pick before publishing anywhere yourself.
The Mac+ Waves scene: an abstract swell, not footage
If you'd rather skip managing video files and licenses, Mac+ ships a scene called Waves — its own subtitle for it is “A calm swell.” It's rendered live by the GPU behind your icons, not a filmed clip: broad grey-and-white bands undulate like a swell behind a calendar widget and your desktop icons, and you can recolor the whole thing with a palette. To be direct about what it isn't: no water, no fish, no beach, no sound, and it doesn't appear on the Lock Screen or as a screen saver.
Mac+'s free tier — no account required — includes 6 of its animated scenes, 8 palettes, an image background, 6 folder icons, 2 widgets and multi-display support; the app doesn't publish which 6 scenes are in that free set, so check inside the app rather than assume Waves is one of them. Looping your own ocean video, specifically, is a Pro feature (€9.99 once, or €1.99 a month with a 7-day trial). Like the other scenes, Waves pauses automatically when the screen sleeps or an app covers the desktop, full-screen apps included, so it isn't rendering when there's nothing to see. For more nature-toned desktop looks, see our aesthetic Mac desktop ideas.
Which ocean option actually fits your Mac
Four ways to put the ocean on a Mac desktop, from what's already installed to what needs an app:
| Option | When it moves | Price | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Underwater or coastal aerial (wallpaper) | As you lock or unlock | Included (some aerials download on first use) | macOS with aerial wallpapers (Sonoma or later) |
| Same aerial as screen saver | Slow motion while idle | Included | Same as above |
| Your ocean clip + Aerial (open-source app) | All day (native wallpaper mode labeled “Beta”) | Free (MIT license) | macOS 26 or later |
| Your clip or the Waves scene + Mac+ | All day; pauses when an app covers the desktop | Scene: free tier or Pro; own video: Pro, €9.99 once or €1.99/month | macOS 13 or later |
The “Sonoma or later” minimum comes from Macworld's original coverage, not from an Apple-published version requirement — Apple's own pages describe the behavior without naming a minimum release. Pick the top row if you're happy with motion that only plays at lock and unlock; drop to the bottom two rows the moment you want waves that keep moving while you work. Whichever you choose, try the built-in aerial first: it costs nothing.
Put Apple's ocean aerials on your Mac
- Open System Settings and click Wallpaper.
- In the aerials — Apple's Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth aerials group — pick an underwater or coastal view. If a download icon appears next to its name, click the image first to download it.
- Lock and unlock your Mac to see the aerial animate. That's the only moment it moves.
- Click Screen Saver, choose Custom, and select the same aerial for slow-motion playback while your Mac is idle.
- For waves that move all day, loop a free ocean clip with a live-wallpaper app (Aerial, or Mac+ with Pro), or pick the abstract Waves scene in Mac+.
macOS 13 Ventura or later. Apple Silicon and Intel. Free tier: 6 animated scenes, 8 palettes, multi-display; looping your own video is Pro, checked 24 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an ocean live wallpaper built into macOS?
Yes, in the form of aerials. Apple's Underwater aerials include, per Macworld, “jellyfish, sharks, seals, dolphins, rays, and more,” and separate coastal flights sit under the Landscape category. Apple's own description says aerials “animate as you lock or unlock your Mac.” There's no setting that keeps that motion running continuously on the desktop.
Why does my underwater wallpaper stop moving?
Because that's how Apple built it: aerials “animate as you lock or unlock your Mac,” not continuously. Once your desktop settles, the scene holds still until the next lock or unlock — or you can watch the same footage in slow motion as your Screen Saver while the Mac is idle.
Can I use my own beach or wave video as my wallpaper?
Not through System Settings → Wallpaper. Apple's own option for personal media, Your Photos, only accepts “a single photo, image file, or photo set” — not a video. To loop your own MP4 or MOV continuously, you need an app; see our guide to setting a video as wallpaper on a Mac, or use Mac+, where looping your own video is a Pro feature.
Where can I find a free ocean wave video for my wallpaper?
Pexels, Pixabay and Coverr all offer free stock video, though the fine print differs. Pexels and Pixabay allow free use and modification with no attribution required, but neither allows re-uploading the same clip to another stock or wallpaper site. Coverr allows commercial and non-commercial use at no cost, excluding building a competing service. Read the license on the exact clip before you use it.
Is Mac+'s Waves scene a real ocean video?
No. It's a GPU-rendered abstract scene — broad bands undulating like a swell, described in the app itself as “A calm swell” — not filmed water, and it has no fish, no beach and no sound. You can recolor it with a palette, but it was never meant to look photographic.
Can I show the ocean wallpaper on two Mac screens?
With Mac+, yes: the app lets you “enable the wallpaper per screen, with automatic updates whenever you plug in a display.” See our guide to live wallpaper across multiple Mac monitors for the full setup.
Keep reading
Sources
- Apple Support — Customize the wallpaper on your Mac
- Apple Support — Use a screen saver on your Mac
- Apple Support — Change Screen Saver settings on Mac
- Macworld — macOS Sonoma's Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth animated wallpapers (Roman Loyola, 30 Aug 2023, updated 26 Sep 2023)
- Pexels — License (checked 24 September 2026)
- Pixabay — Content License Summary (checked 24 September 2026)
- Coverr — License (checked 24 September 2026)
- Aerial — official site, v4.1.4 (checked 24 September 2026)