How to Get M1 iMac Wallpapers on Other Macs

Do you want those beautiful wallpapers that are bundled with Apple’s new M1 iMac? If you already own a Mac, even if it’s an Intel-based Mac, you don’t have to browse for them and get the image files, because they’re already on your Mac running the latest versions of Big Sur – they’re just hidden.

Apple has introduced a bunch of new wallpapers to compliment the look and colors of the new M1 iMacs. You’d think they’re exclusive to the new devices, but they aren’t. In fact, Apple has bundled these new wallpapers with the macOS Big Sur 11.3 update. But, you’ll not be able to find it the usual way since they’re tucked away for whatever reason, similar to the Hello screensaver.

How to Get M1 iMac Wallpapers on Other Macs

First of all, you need to make sure that your Mac is running macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later. Assuming that is the case, here’s what you need to do:

1. Click on the  Apple menu at the top-left corner of your screen and then choose “System Preferences” from the dropdown menu to get started.
   
   
2. Next, click on “Desktop & Screen Saver” from the System Preferences panel to proceed.
   
   
3. Here, you’ll find that the new wallpapers aren’t available with the rest of them. That’s why you’ll need to open “Desktop Pictures” from the left pane by double-clicking on it.
   
   
4. This will open a Finder window and take you to the Library folder. Here, scroll down and double-click on the “Desktop Pictures” folder.
   
   
5. Now, if you scroll down here, you’ll see the new hello wallpapers that were made for the M1 iMacs. Find the one that you like and want to use.
   
   
6. Right-click or Control-click on the wallpaper to bring up the context menu and then choose “Set Desktop Picture” which is located at the very bottom.
   
   

There you go, now you have the M1 iMac wallpapers on your own Mac.

To make these wallpapers easier to access and use, you can drag and move these new wallpapers to a different location on your Mac, or copy them to another location.

Each of the new wallpapers have Light Mode and Dark Mode variants that automatically switch to match your system setting. This wouldn’t be the case if you downloaded the image files from the web as JPEG files.

Having said that, if the other Mac doesn’t support macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later, you won’t be able to get these wallpapers unless you manually save the images to your Mac from the web or elsewhere online.

Considering you were interested in the new wallpapers for the M1 iMac, you may also be keen on using the new Hello screen savers that were designed for the new iMacs. Just like the wallpapers, the new screensaver is hidden in the Library folder too.

Enjoy using all these new wallpapers on your existing Mac! Which is your favorite wallpaper of the bunch? Have you checked out the new hidden Hello screen saver as well? Do you think Apple should’ve showcased them along with the other wallpapers? Share your thoughts with us and sound off in the comments section down below.