xwallpaper

Lightweight X11 wallpaper setter

TLDR

Set wallpaper centered

$ xwallpaper --center [image.jpg]

Set wallpaper zoomed to fill

$ xwallpaper --zoom [image.jpg]

Stretch to fit screen

$ xwallpaper --stretch [image.jpg]

Tile wallpaper

$ xwallpaper --tile [image.png]

Set for specific output

$ xwallpaper --output [HDMI-1] --zoom [image.jpg]

Different wallpapers per output

$ xwallpaper --output [HDMI-1] --zoom [wall1.jpg] --output [eDP-1] --center [wall2.jpg]

Run as daemon for output changes

$ xwallpaper --daemon --zoom [image.jpg]

SYNOPSIS

xwallpaper [options] [mode] file...

xwallpaper is a wallpaper setting utility for X11. It supports JPEG, PNG, and XPM formats with various scaling modes to fit different display configurations.The tool supports multi-monitor setups through RandR, allowing different wallpapers per output. In daemon mode, it monitors output changes and redraws wallpapers automatically when displays are connected or resized.Wallpaper atoms are set to support semi-transparent backgrounds in compatible applications.For Wayland, consider using swaybg or wbg instead.

PARAMETERS

--center file

Center image without scaling.

--zoom file

Zoom to fill, cropping if needed.

--maximize file

Scale to fit without cropping.

--stretch file

Stretch to fill, ignoring aspect ratio.

--tile file

Tile image from upper left.

--focus file

Focus on selection with --trim.

--output name

Target specific output (use xrandr to list).

--screen screen

Target specific X screen.

--trim WxH[+X+Y]

Trim input image.

--daemon

Redraw on output changes.

--clear

Clear wallpaper.

--no-randr

Disable RandR support.

--no-atoms

Don't set wallpaper atoms.

--debug

Enable debug output.

--version

Display version.

INSTALL

sudo apt install xwallpaper

sudo pacman -S xwallpaper

sudo apk add xwallpaper

sudo zypper install xwallpaper

nix profile install nixpkgs#xwallpaper

CAVEATS

X11 only; won't work under pure Wayland. Daemon mode requires RandR support. Image formats depend on build configuration. Some window managers may override wallpaper.

HISTORY

xwallpaper was created by Tobias Stoeckmann as a lightweight, dependency-minimal wallpaper setter for X11. It focuses on correctness and minimal resource usage compared to larger tools like feh.