Profiles Switcher Profiles Switcher › Automations › A wallpaper for every place
Change your wallpaper automatically for every place
Create a profile per place, recognize each by its Wi-Fi network or location, and add a Set desktop wallpaper action with a different image. Your desktop tells you at a glance which setup you are in.
- When
- Home Wi-Fi
- Then
- Sunset photo
Last updated
How to set it up
- Create a profile per place. For example Home and Office, each with a Wi-Fi network or location rule.
- Add Set desktop wallpaper. Pick from Apple wallpapers, wallpapers you downloaded in System Settings, aerial wallpapers (set as a high-quality still) or Choose Image for your own photo.
- Grant folder access once, if asked. For downloaded and aerial wallpapers, the picker asks once for access to the folder where macOS keeps them.
- Add a time-based variation. For an evening wallpaper, add an Evening profile with a Time of day rule and give it the priority you want.
Get Profiles Switcher on the Mac App Store, for macOS 13 or later
What macOS can do by itself
macOS can rotate wallpapers from a folder on a timer, and some Apple wallpapers change with the time of day. What it cannot tell is where you are. A wallpaper that changes by place is surprisingly useful: it is the fastest way to see which setup your Mac is in, and it separates work and home visually.
Ways to trigger a wallpaper
| Trigger | Example |
|---|---|
| Wi-Fi network | A calm photo at home, a plain one at the office |
| Location | A travel photo when you are at the holiday flat |
| External display | A wide panorama when the big monitor is connected |
| Time of day | A darker image from 20:00 |
| System appearance | A dark wallpaper whenever Dark mode is on |
When several match at once, the profile with the higher priority wins, so you decide whether “Office” or “Evening” takes precedence.
Which wallpapers you can choose
The picker shows Apple’s wallpapers, including those macOS lists in System Settings and downloads on demand, the aerial wallpapers as sharp still frames, dynamic day and night wallpapers you have downloaded, and your own images. Pick one per profile, and changing place changes the desktop.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my own photos?
Yes. Choose Image lets you pick any image file, including photos from cloud folders such as Google Drive, which are copied into the app so they keep working.
Does it change every display?
Yes. The wallpaper is set on every connected display.
What about dynamic wallpapers?
Dynamic day and night wallpapers you downloaded in System Settings can be chosen, and aerial wallpapers are set as a high-quality still frame.
Related automations
Set it up in a few minutes
Profiles Switcher is a menu bar app for Mac (macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel) that switches your Mac's setup automatically. You build profiles from 19 triggers, such as the Wi-Fi network you join, a place, headphones or a display, and 18 actions, including running any of your Shortcuts. Everything runs on your Mac; it is available on the Mac App Store.
Download on the Mac App Store