Purpose: Waywallen is a dynamic wallpaper solution for Linux desktops.
Origins: The project started as a Wallpaper Engine plugin for KDE.
Install options: The README lists prebuilt AppImage binaries, Flatpak, and building from source.
Desktop support: The README lists integrations for KDE Plasma, GNOME, Hyprland, Niri, Wayfire, COSMIC, and Sway.
Wallpaper types: Built-in plugins support image and video wallpapers, and a Wallhaven plugin is listed.
Video playback: Video wallpapers support hardware decoding through Vulkan and VA-API, with automatic fallback to software decoding.
Third-party plugins: The README describes Open Wallpaper Engine support for scenes and web wallpapers, installed from a ZIP archive in the UI.
Plugin security: The README warns that third-party plugin code runs in the daemon with the user's privileges and can access files and the network.
Known limitation: The README says web wallpapers on NVIDIA GPUs require disabling shared_texture_enabled in web renderer settings.
Support: The project README links to a Discord community.
License: The repository identifies its license as MIT.
Display behavior: Mouse input is supported for all listed desktops; automatic pause is supported except for Sway.
Third-party plugin: The README lists open-wallpaper-engine as a third-party plugin with scene and web support.
Plugin installation: Third-party plugins are installed by downloading a ZIP and adding it through the plugins page in the UI; Waywallen can notify users of updates and install them.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Desktop Wallpaper Software in 2026#20 of 35

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Sources

github.com/waywallen/waywallen· checked 8 Oct 2026
github.com/waywallen/waywallen/releases· checked 8 Oct 2026