Aerial for MAC
Free, open-source Apple TV aerial screensaver and live wallpaper for Mac, with clock and weather overlays and your own videos.
Aerial Overview
Aerial plays Apple's aerial videos, from cities and deserts to the view from the International Space Station, as your Mac's screensaver and as a live wallpaper. It brought the Apple TV screensaver to the Mac in 2015, and it goes well beyond what macOS offers on its own: you choose exactly what plays and when, put a clock, the weather or location captions on top, stretch one video across all your displays, add your own videos, or watch a live camera feed instead. The whole Apple TV catalogue is available at native quality, including the 4K 240 fps set.
Aerial is free and open source under the MIT license, with no telemetry. It was started by John Coates and is now developed by Guillaume Louel as a one-person passion project. Version 4.1.8 needs macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later and runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs; for macOS 15 (Sequoia), Aerial 4.0.16 is still available on the download page. After installing, open Aerial once and a setup assistant takes care of the rest.
Key Features
Aerial turns Apple's aerial videos into a screensaver and a wallpaper you control.
- Apple TV aerials: the whole catalogue at native quality, including 4K 240 fps.
- Live wallpaper: an optional native macOS wallpaper that pauses when covered by windows.
- Overlays: drag the clock, weather, location captions and more into place.
- Multi-display: one video per display or one video stretched across them all.
- Your own videos: drop any .mov or .mp4 into a folder and Aerial picks it up.
- Live feeds: play an RTSP camera, an HLS stream or a YouTube live URL.
- Playlists and expansions: build ordered playlists and install community video packs.
- Light on your Mac: low CPU use, with automatic pausing in Low Power Mode.
What’s New in Version 4.1.8
Aerial 4.1.8 brings back the music overlay and adds display options.
- The Music overlay is back and supports all audio apps, like the Now Playing widget
- New options to use different screensaver settings with or without external monitors
- Code review and a better threading model
Aerial FAQ
Is Aerial free?
Yes. Aerial is free and open source under the MIT license, with no telemetry. You can buy the developer a coffee if you like it.
Which macOS version does Aerial need?
Aerial 4.1.8 needs macOS 26 (Tahoe) or later. Aerial 4.0.16 is the last version for macOS 15 (Sequoia), and older Macs can use the previous Aerial Companion 1.5.2, which is no longer maintained.
Does Aerial run on Apple Silicon?
Yes. Aerial runs on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
How is Aerial different from the aerials built into macOS?
macOS can play an aerial as a screensaver, but Aerial lets you choose exactly what plays and when, add overlays like the clock and weather, span displays, use your own videos and live feeds, and use a live wallpaper.
Can Aerial be my wallpaper?
Yes. On macOS 26, Aerial can also be a native live wallpaper that appears in System Settings and pauses automatically when windows cover it.
Can I use my own videos with Aerial?
Yes. Drop any .mov or .mp4 file into Aerial's folder, then give it a title and location, tag the time of day or add it to a playlist.
Does Aerial use a lot of battery or CPU?
It is designed to use little CPU, and it pauses automatically on thermal pressure, in Low Power Mode or when the camera is in use. These settings can be changed.
How do I install Aerial?
Download the zip, drag Aerial.app into the Applications folder and open it. A setup assistant asks how you want to use it and sets up the screensaver and wallpaper.
Can I install Aerial with Homebrew?
Yes. Run brew install aerial. The cask installs the right build for your version of macOS.
Where does the Aerial download on aerial.FULLMAC.app come from?
The download button leads to the official Aerial download page at https://aerialscreensaver.github.io/download/. aerial.FULLMAC.app does not change or repackage the app.
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