How to Delete MacOS Sonoma Live Wallpapers macOS Sonoma is the latest version of the operating system for Mac computers, and it comes with some new and exciting features. One of them is live wallpapers, which are dynamic and moving images that can be used as your desktop background or screen saver. These live wallpapers are based on the aerial videos that Apple has created for the Apple TV, and they show stunning scenes of landscapes, cityscapes, underwater, and earth from space. They can also transition seamlessly from the lock screen to the desktop, creating a beautiful and immersive experience.
However, not everyone may like or want to use these live wallpapers on their Mac. Some may prefer a static image or a different theme for their desktop or screen saver. Some may also want to free up some disk space, as these live wallpapers can take up a lot of storage on your Mac. If you are one of those people, you may be wondering how to delete these live wallpapers from your Mac and reclaim your disk space. In this article, we will show you how to do that in a few simple steps.
What are the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma?
The live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma are a collection of aerial videos that Apple has created for the Apple TV and adapted for the Mac. They are grouped into four themes: landscape, cityscape, underwater, and earth. Each theme has several videos that show different locations and scenes, such as the Grand Canyon, New York, Hong Kong, Iceland, Hawaii, Patagonia, Greenland, Yosemite, coral reefs, whales, sharks, satellites, and more. These videos are high-quality and high-resolution, and they can play in slow motion or normal speed, depending on your preference.
The live wallpapers can be used as your desktop background or screen saver, and they can also be shuffled or matched to create a varied and fresh look for your Mac. You can also set them to show as both your desktop and screen saver, and they will transition seamlessly from the lock screen to the desktop when you log in to your Mac. This creates a moving wallpaper effect that looks amazing and realistic.
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How do I download the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma?
The live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma are not stored on your Mac by default. Instead, you need to download them from Apple’s servers when you select them in the System Settings app. To do that, follow these steps:
- Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select Screen Saver or Wallpaper in the sidebar of System Settings.
- Choose a theme under the Shuffle Aerials heading on the right side, or click Shuffle All to have your Mac randomly cycle through all the themes.
- Click a video thumbnail under the selected theme, and then click the Download button at the top. You will see a progress indicator as the video file is downloaded to your Mac. The file size may vary depending on the resolution and quality of the video, but it can be anywhere from 100 MB to 1 GB or more.
- To set the video as your desktop background, enable the Show as wallpaper option at the top. To set the video as your screen saver, click the Screen Saver tab at the top and choose the same theme and video as your wallpaper.
- To see the live wallpaper in action, choose Lock Screen from the Apple menu, and then log in to your Mac. You will see the video playing on your lock screen and transitioning to your desktop.
How do I delete the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma?
If you want to delete the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma and free up some disk space, you need to find and remove the video files from your Mac’s file system. To do that, follow these steps:
- Open the Finder app and click the Go menu at the top.
- Choose Go to Folder and enter the following file path exactly: /Library/Application Support/com.apple.idleassetsd/Customer/
- Click Go to jump to that folder location. You will see several subfolders with names like 4KSDR240FPS, 4KHDR240FPS, 4KSDR60FPS, and so on. These are the folders that contain the live wallpaper video files, and the names indicate the resolution and frame rate of the videos.
- To find the video files that you have downloaded, you can either sort the folders by size or date modified, or you can open each folder and look for the files with large sizes. The video files have random hexadecimal names like 2AFBC98D-8B4-40FAD8421241029-2BAR2481AB93C.mov, and they have no preview or icon. You can use the Quick Look feature by selecting a file and pressing the Spacebar to preview the video and see if it is the one you want to delete.
- To delete a video file, select it and drag it to the trash, or right-click it and choose Move to Trash. You may need to enter your administrator password to confirm the deletion. Repeat this step for any other video files that you want to delete.
- To empty the trash and permanently delete the video files, right-click the trash icon in the Dock and choose Empty Trash. Alternatively, you can open the trash and click the Empty button at the top.
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How do I restore the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma?
If you change your mind and want to restore the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma, you can do so by downloading them again from the System Settings app. To do that, follow these steps:
- Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select Screen Saver or Wallpaper in the sidebar of System Settings.
- Choose a theme under the Shuffle Aerials heading on the right side, or click Shuffle All to have your Mac randomly cycle through all the themes.
- Click a video thumbnail under the selected theme, and then click the Download button at the top. You will see a progress indicator as the video file is downloaded to your Mac. The file size may vary depending on the resolution and quality of the video, but it can be anywhere from 100 MB to 1 GB or more.
- To set the video as your desktop background, enable the Show as wallpaper option at the top. To set the video as your screen saver, click the Screen Saver tab at the top and choose the same theme and video as your wallpaper.
- To see the live wallpaper in action, choose Lock Screen from the Apple menu, and then log in to your Mac. You will see the video playing on your lock screen and transitioning to your desktop.
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Conclusion
macOS Sonoma’s live wallpapers are a great way to add some dynamism and beauty to your Mac’s desktop and screen saver. However, if you don’t like them or want to save some disk space, you can easily delete them from your Mac and restore them later, if you want. We hope this article has helped you learn how to do that in a few simple steps.
FAQs How to Delete MacOS Sonoma Live Wallpapers
- Q: How much disk space do the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma take up?
- A: The disk space that the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma take up depends on the resolution and quality of the videos, and the number of videos that you have downloaded. Each video file can be anywhere from 100 MB to 1 GB or more, so the total disk space can add up quickly if you download many videos. You can check the disk space that the live wallpapers take up by going to the /Library/Application Support/com.apple.idleassetsd/Customer/ folder and looking at the size of the subfolders.
- Q: How can I change the speed or theme of the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma?
- A: You can change the speed or theme of the live wallpapers in macOS Sonoma by going to the System Settings app and selecting Screen Saver or Wallpaper. To change the speed, click the Options button at the bottom and choose Slow Motion or Normal Speed from the menu. To change the theme, choose a different theme under the Shuffle Aerials heading on the right side, or click Shuffle All to have your Mac randomly cycle through all the themes.
- Q: How can I stop the live wallpapers from transitioning from the lock screen to the desktop in macOS Sonoma?
- A: You can stop the live wallpapers from transitioning from the lock screen to the desktop in macOS Sonoma by disabling the Show as wallpaper option in the System Settings app. To do that, go to System Settings and select Screen Saver or Wallpaper. Then, uncheck the Show as wallpaper option at the top. This will make your Mac use a static image as your desktop background instead of the live wallpaper.
- Q: How can I use a custom video or image as my desktop background or screen saver in macOS Sonoma?
- A: You can use a custom video or image as your desktop background or screen saver in macOS Sonoma by adding it to the Photos app or the Screen Saver folder. To do that, open the Photos app and import the video or image that you want to use. Then, go to System Settings and select Screen Saver or Wallpaper. Choose Photos under the Source heading on the left side, and then choose the album or folder that contains the video or image that you want to use. Alternatively, you can copy the video or image file to the /Library/Screen Savers/ folder, and then choose it from the Screen Saver or Wallpaper section in System Settings.
- Q: How can I get more live wallpapers for my Mac?
- A: You can get more live wallpapers for your Mac by using third-party apps or websites that offer dynamic and moving wallpapers for the Mac. Some of the popular ones are:
- Aerial: A free and open-source app that brings the Apple TV’s aerial screen savers to the Mac. It has hundreds of videos from different locations and themes, and it can also show the time and weather on your screen saver.
