On Apple TV 4K, open Settings > Screen Saver > Current Selection and choose a screen saver category. To change when it appears, open Settings > Screen Saver > Start After and select an idle delay.
Choose a screen saver
Apple TV 4K offers several kinds of screen savers, though available choices can depend on the device and region. In Settings > Screen Saver > Current Selection, select the category you want:
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- Aerials: Moving footage of places and landscapes.
- Memories & Slideshows: Photos from Memories, Favorites, or selected albums.
- Music Albums: Album artwork, configured under Memories & Slideshows.
- Portraits: A screen saver featuring selected subjects; available on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later).
- Snoopy: Available on Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later).
Apple’s Apple TV 4K screen saver guide describes the current selection controls. For the full device and regional availability caveats, see Apple’s screen saver compatibility information.
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Set when the screen saver starts
Open Settings > Screen Saver > Start After, then choose how long Apple TV should remain idle before showing the screen saver. Apple describes the screen saver as appearing after the display has been idle for a preset number of minutes.
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To control whether it appears while audio is playing, go to Settings > Screen Saver and switch Show During Music and Podcasts off. Apple’s screen saver settings guide covers the idle delay and playback behavior.
Personalize Aerials, photos, and other options
Filter Aerials and set downloads
Open Settings > Screen Saver > Aerials to choose which themes appear and how often new Aerials download. Themes include Cityscape, Earth, Landscape, and Underwater. While an Aerial is playing, you can skip between locations, but Apple’s documented settings do not let you pin one specific location as the fixed Aerial.
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Choose a photo memory or album
Under Settings > Screen Saver > Memories & Slideshows, choose from options such as all Memories, Favorites, Activity, or a particular shared or personal album. You can also start from the Photos app: select an album, choose Set as Screen Saver, and confirm. For photo albums, select a transition style in Memories & Slideshows.
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Go to Settings > Screen Saver > Memories & Slideshows, select Music Albums, and choose a style.
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Adjust Portraits
Choose Portraits in Screen Saver settings, then select whether to include people, pets, nature, and cities. Use Change Every under Update Frequency to adjust how often the featured Portrait changes. Portraits requires Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later).
Apple’s screen saver setup guide describes these personalization controls.
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Start the screen saver manually
On the Apple TV 4K Home Screen, move to the leftmost app icon in the top row and press Back or Menu. In an app, press Back or Menu repeatedly until the screen saver starts.
What to check if an option is missing
Screen saver choices vary by Apple TV model and region. In particular, Aerial screen savers are not available on Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation), while Portraits and Snoopy require Apple TV 4K (2nd generation or later). Apple’s support documentation, available as of October 7, 2026, also notes that features and content are not available on every hardware model or in every region.
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