How to switch wallpapers automatically with light and dark mode
Use a day version and a night version of the same wallpaper, and make your phone or computer switch between them on its own.
By Umair Sheikh · Updated October 22, 2026 · 2 min read
Dark mode changes your apps when the sun goes down, but most devices leave the wallpaper exactly as it was. A bright wallpaper at midnight is jarring. A wallpaper pair solves it: the same artwork drawn twice, once lit for the day and once for the night. Here is how to set them up so the switch happens by itself.
What a wallpaper pair is
Every design in the Light and Dark category has a light version and a dark version with the same composition. The lamp on the desk switches on, the window lights up, the sun becomes the moon. Because the layout matches, the change feels natural instead of like a different wallpaper appearing.
iPhone: use a Shortcuts automation
- Save both versions of the pair to Photos, ideally in their own album.
- Open the Shortcuts app, go to Automation and create a new personal automation.
- Choose a trigger such as Time of Day, with Sunset for the dark version.
- Add the Set Wallpaper action, choose the dark image, and turn off Ask Before Running if your iOS version offers it.
- Create a second automation at Sunrise that sets the light version.
The exact menu names change between iOS versions, so if an option is missing, search the Shortcuts actions for wallpaper.
Android
Android has no single built-in way to switch between two images. Some phones dim the wallpaper automatically in dark mode, which you will find under the dark mode or wallpaper settings. For a true switch, automation apps such as the routines feature built into some phones, or a third-party automation app, can change the wallpaper at set times.
Windows
Windows does not switch wallpapers with the theme by default. The free, open-source Auto Dark Mode app, available in the Microsoft Store, switches between light and dark themes on a schedule and can apply a different wallpaper for each.
Mac
macOS can change the desktop picture with the time of day using dynamic wallpapers, but setting your own two images usually needs a third-party wallpaper app. Alternatively, set the dark version only, and enjoy it in both modes: most pairs are designed so the night version still works in daylight.
TipNo time to set up automations? Use the dark version on your lock screen and the light version on your home screen. You still get both, and it looks deliberate.