A small gallery, without replacing your wallpaper.
Your wallpaper sets the scene; a photo widget gives a few pictures their own space. Use a single image as a quiet focal point, put two together in a diptych, or choose a mosaic for a collection.
Create a gallery from images you pick or connect a folder of pictures. A folder-backed gallery can refresh as the folder changes, so you can update what appears without rebuilding your lock-screen arrangement.
Choose Original or Glassy appearance to suit the surrounding widgets. Small, Medium, Tall and Large sizes are available in the free app. Premium adds wider layouts and additional styling controls.
Make your first photo widget.
- Download WidgetScreen and open it on a Mac running macOS 15 or later.
- In the Photos settings, create a gallery and add images, or choose a folder as its source.
- Add a Photos widget in Layout Studio and select the gallery you want it to show.
- Choose Single, Diptych or Mosaic, pick the appearance and move the widget into place.
- Lock your Mac with Control–Command–Q to check the result at full size. Adjust the framing if an important part of a photo is cropped.
Build a layout around the pictures.
Try one photo beside a small clock if you want a restrained setup. For a more personal arrangement, combine a diptych with Now Playing and keep the rest of the screen clear. A mosaic works best when the images have similar colour or contrast.
Check the layout with the actual wallpaper you use. Leave breathing room around faces and subjects, and keep the macOS sign-in controls easy to see. The customization guide walks through the rest of the setup.
Is this the same as a photo screen saver?
No. A photo screen saver uses pictures as the scene itself. WidgetScreen gives photos their own movable panels alongside other lock-screen widgets. If all you want is a full-screen photo slideshow, macOS already has a built-in photo screen saver.
WidgetScreen’s photo widgets appear on the lock screen and screen saver, then disappear when you sign in. They are not desktop widgets. Pick pictures you are comfortable leaving visible when you step away from your Mac.