How-to
Wallpaper stops when I open a fullscreen app
This is totally expected — it's not a bug.
When you go fullscreen, macOS creates a separate Space for that app. Your desktop is hidden, and LumaSpace pauses wallpaper playback to save resources. This is called Smart Pause.
Getting your wallpaper back
- Exit fullscreen (swipe or press Esc) — the wallpaper resumes automatically.
- If it doesn't resume, click the desktop to bring it to focus, or toggle playback from the menu bar.
[Menu bar showing wallpaper playback toggle controls]
Tip: If you use Stage Manager or keep apps in windowed mode, the desktop stays visible — and so does your wallpaper.