Linux has always been about customization, but Komorebi (Hidamari) takes it to a whole new level. While modern desktop environments have become more streamlined in 2026, the desire for a beautiful, “living” workspace is stronger than ever.
While the original Komorebi project is a classic, the modern standard for video wallpapers on Linux is now Hidamari. It is built with modern technologies, supporting both X11 and Wayland sessions with much better performance.
Komorebi is an awesome, fully customizable wallpaper manager for any Linux distribution. It allows you to use videos, web pages, and even interactive shaders as your background.
Key Features:
- Video Wallpapers: Supports almost any video format.
- Web Backgrounds: You can set a live website or a local HTML/JS animation as your desktop.
- Integrated Clock: Beautifully designed date and time overlays.
- Performance: Optimized to pause animations when you have windows covering the desktop to save CPU/GPU cycles.
Installation and Setup
While the original project saw many forks, the community-maintained version remains the most stable for modern Wayland and X11 sessions.
For most users, you can find the .deb or .rpm packages on the official GitHub releases or install via Flatpak:
apt install flatpak flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo flatpak update flatpak install flathub io.github.jeffshee.Hidamari
How to Create Your Own Living Wallpaper
- Open the Komorebi Wallpaper Creator (usually included in the package).
- Choose a name for your wallpaper.
- Select the source (Video, Image, or Web Page).
- Customize the font, position of the clock, and opacity.
- Hit “Apply” and watch your desktop come to life.
2026 Tip: Battery Life
If you are on a laptop, remember that video wallpapers can impact battery life. We recommend using the “Pause on battery” setting in Komorebi’s preferences to ensure your productivity doesn’t suffer for the sake of aesthetics.
