It's time for Microsoft to refresh the screensaver experience in Windows 11

Summary

Back when CRT monitors reigned supreme, screensavers were necessary to counteract the effects of display burn-in.
These days, there’s less of a need for screensavers, but they remain a vestigial part of most modern operating systems.
Microsoft hasn’t refreshed its Windows screensaver selection or interface picker in years, and I think that’s a shame.

One of the more underappreciated components of any operating system is its selection and implementation of screensaver tech. Screensavers aren’t as popular as they once were, but they can be a fun way to instill some personality into your computing experience, while providing gorgeous, ambient visuals in the process. Screensavers automatically enable after a designated period of inactivity, filling your screen with any number of patterns, designs, photos, or landscapes.

While some platform holders have done a good job when it comes to curating a pleasant selection of screensavers within their operating systems, the same can’t be said about Microsoft. The company has failed to appropriately nurture its Windows screensavers over the years, and this negligence continues to stick out like a sore thumb in the Windows 11 era.

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Windows 11 stands to benefit from a rejuvenated screensaver experience

Microsoft has failed to modernize this essential component of the Windows operating system

Simply put, Windows 11 is in a rough state when it comes to screensavers. Microsoft has yet to transition the main selection and customization screen over to the modern Windows Settings app, and so we’re left with a legacy Control Panel applet that doesn’t support dark mode, doesn’t work well with touch, and isn’t discoverable unless you know where to look for it.

Worse still, the actual selection of screensavers on Windows leaves something to be desired. All-time classics like 3D Pipes, 3D Flower Box, and Flying Through Space have been ripped out of the OS, and newer options like Mystify utilize an unappealing gray backdrop as opposed to an OLED-friendly black.

One of my favorite Windows screensavers, Bubbles, has experienced degradation over the years. Where it once displayed bouncy bubbles right on top of your existing desktop environment in Windows 7 and 8.1, these days it hoists you into a dull gray void. Some Reddit users have developed workarounds, but it should never have come to this point in the first place.

…Microsoft needs to modernize its Windows 11 screensavers at a system level.

The current selection of default Windows screensavers is neutered to such a degree, that I exclusively rely on third-party solutions to get the job done. There are plenty of legacy options that still tap into the Windows screensaver applet, but I take a different approach: on my PC, I switch between the lovely Mica™️ app and the equally excellent Lively Weather. The former displays Microsoft’s own translucent Mica material on screen with pulsating effects, and the latter offers DirectX weather visuals with built-in parallax.

While both of these third-party solutions offer a high-quality full-screen experience, it doesn’t take away from the fact that Microsoft needs to modernize its Windows 11 screensavers at a system level. As a testament to how neglected the experience currently is on Windows 11, the applet displays an old-fashioned tube monitor in the preview section — a rather hilarious callback.

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Screensavers have a storied past

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Back in the days of Cathode-Ray Tub (CRT) computer monitors, which suffered from display burn-in when left with idle content on screen for extended periods of time, screensavers did exactly as their name would imply — they saved your screen from taking damage.

As Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) flat screens took over the computing world at the turn of the century, the need for screensavers dissipated. LCDs don’t suffer from the same burn-in problems as CRTs, which means that you can leave a static image on screen for hours at a time without the worry of it leaving a permanent mark.

Even if the popularity of screensavers waned throughout the 2000s, they never actually disappeared. Rather, modern operating systems of both the desktop and mobile variety continue to offer a selection of screensavers, though exact implementations vary by platform.

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Once seen as a vestigial relic of a bygone era, screensavers have recently made something of a comeback. Apple refreshed its screensaver experience with the introduction of macOS 14 Sonoma, which brought gorgeous new aerial views and motion effects to the table. As Editor-in-Chief of Pocket-lint Patrick O’Rourke points out, the Apple TV is also home to some stellar and downright mesmerizing screensavers in all their 4K HDR glory.

While the iPad has yet to implement a modernized screensaver experience, I suspect that Apple will port over its excellent StandBy feature from the iPhone in due course. StandBy functions in an adjacent manner, displaying content on screen during times of device idle.

Android, too, is increasingly embracing screensavers. Debuting in 4.2 Jelly Bean in 2012 in the form of ‘Daydream,’ Google later rebranded the feature to better convey its screen-saving capabilities. The Pixel Tablet features a dedicated Hub mode for extending the functionality of screensaver mode, and Pixel phones work in tandem with the Pixel Stand to unlock a StandBy-like experience of their own.

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Everything comes full circle

With OLED displays hitting critical mass, screensavers once again serve a practical purpose

Most modern smartphones (and increasingly, tablets and laptops) utilize OLED display tech in lieu of LCD, which actually brings us full circle. OLED is susceptible to burn-in, not unlike the older CRT technology of yesteryear.

As more OLED Windows PCs hit the market in the coming years, it’d be a great idea for Microsoft to jump on the screensaver bandwagon sooner rather than later. Aside from the lovely ambient computing experience they can provide, Windows screensavers now have a very real OLED call to action.

Like so many others, I have a nostalgic attachment to old-school Windows screensavers. I’d love to see Microsoft honor the legacy of its flagship desktop OS by investing in the overarching screensaver experience, and giving it the love that it so clearly deserves. Apple, for its part, has gone ahead and celebrated its past with a bespoke Macintosh screensaver, and it’s high time Microsoft followed suit and waved the Windows flag high in the sky.