Stupid Question – Any way to customize the screen saver in Windows 10?

In the old days, you used to be able to select from any number of custom screen savers. Now we only have the few listed that come with Windows 10. I would think we could get more in the Microsoft Store app but nothing there that is actually a ‘screen saver’ that adds to the list.

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Conversation 14 comments

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    08 January, 2019 - 8:58 pm

    <p>Microsoft decided to kill off the screensaver in Vista. It's never been the same since. Even the ones that are included are shadows of what they once were. No options on most of them. Others still have baffling changes, like the 3D ones no longer let the 3D object float around the entire screen, instead restricting it to a small area at the middle of the screen. They never even updated them with niceties like antialiasing.</p><p><br></p><p>If MS didn't want them anymore, I wish they'd simply left them alone rather than putting forth effort to ruin them.</p>

    • Tony Barrett

      09 January, 2019 - 12:21 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#392972">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>Nah, MS can't just leave things alone. They either remove or break them, but they don't just leave things!</p>

  • JustDavid

    08 January, 2019 - 9:40 pm

    <p>I use 'Dynamic Theme' from the Store to download the daily Bing image and the daily Windows Spotlight image into a folder I created in my Pictures folder. I point to that folder in the Personalize option and use a slideshow of the images downloaded as my desktop background. I can also set the lock screen to a slideshow using these images.</p><p><br></p><p>I set the 'Background' to System Settings in the Dynamic Theme settings, and I can put other Hi Res pictures in that same folder which get cycled through. Right now I have 890 excellent pictures in that folder. And since I have my Pictures folder in OneDrive, I can get all the images on my other PCs as well.</p>

    • ommoran

      Premium Member
      09 January, 2019 - 4:51 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#392975">In reply to JustDavid:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>I think Dynamic theme is great! Windows 8 used to have the "sync to bing image" automatically – across my phone, my desktop, everything.</p><p><br></p><p>I find myself wishing for the same sort of software for my iPhone… now I'm going to go look…</p>

  • madthinus

    Premium Member
    09 January, 2019 - 1:55 am

    <p>Screen savers is still supported in Windows 10. It is just hidden, you have to search for it to get to the control panel applet or you can find a link in the settings app under Personalisation, Lock screen. Yeah, not the obvious place for it. To add to the list, add the .scr file to WindowsSystem32. Hope this help. </p><p><br></p><p>Screen savers have fallen by the way side, we are now focusing on saving power so we just turn of the screen or use the blank screen. I miss them, they used to be a lot of fun. </p>

    • xperiencewindows

      09 January, 2019 - 8:13 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#393000">In reply to madthinus:</a></em></blockquote><p>Screen savers aren't necessary anymore due to the advancements with LCD displays.</p>

  • evox81

    Premium Member
    09 January, 2019 - 9:20 am

    <p>You can find screensavers (*.scr files if I remember correctly) online. From what I've read, you can put them in <span style="color: var(–ytd-comment-text-color); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">C:/Windows/SysWOW64 and they'll show up on the list of screensavers automatically. </span></p>

  • tomwynne

    09 January, 2019 - 11:30 am

    <p>Sorry, my original post didn't have me logged in so it has no name on it. </p><p>A lot of people like the Apple TV screen saver where it is HD video of flying over things. Why isn't there anything like this in Windows 10? It is not for saving screens but to have something that displays when you aren't using the computer other than those several built in screen savers they give you. Can a Windows store application install one of the SCR files? Thinking of creating a screen saver and would like to publish it in the Windows store. Roku does this now by the way.</p>

  • navarac

    09 January, 2019 - 1:00 pm

    <p>I used to love "Johnny Castaway". </p>

  • suraj kurrey

    09 January, 2019 - 1:39 pm

    <p>Good post</p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    09 January, 2019 - 4:03 pm

    <p>I used AfterDark in the early 1990s, but I began using power management to simply turn the screen off by the late 1990s. If the goal is saving the monitor or power, then turning it off is optimal. If the goal is hiding what's on the screen when away from one's desk, then [Win]+L should become a habit.</p>

    • tomwynne

      10 January, 2019 - 12:25 am

      <blockquote><a href="#393222"><em>In reply to hrlngrv:</em></a><em> Bring back the flying toasters!</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

  • gregsedwards

    Premium Member
    09 January, 2019 - 4:44 pm

    <p>On a related note, I would love the option to have screen savers on my Xbox consoles. Anyone know if/how you can do that?</p>

    • tomwynne

      09 January, 2019 - 11:43 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#393229"><em>In reply to gregsedwards:</em></a><em> amen. A UWP application can work on windows 10 or XBOX, just don't know if you can have it launch automatically on idle time. It could be an issue if it is in the middle of an XBOX game and it launches maybe?</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

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