lumaXMB Desktop Engine · Alpha 2026-10-25

Install in four steps

No programs to run and nothing to configure. You copy one folder, then pick it in Wallpaper Engine. It takes about two minutes.

Windows 10 or 11Wallpaper Engine (from Steam)

  1. Unzip the download

    Right-click the ZIP file you downloaded and choose Extract All…, then click Extract.

    A folder opens. Inside it you will see this guide and a folder named lumaXMB Desktop Engine. That folder is the wallpaper.

  2. Open Wallpaper Engine's “myprojects” folder

    Open Steam and follow this path:

    Library›right-click Wallpaper Engine›Manage›Browse local files

    A folder window opens. In it, double-click projects, then double-click myprojects.

    On most PCs this folder is:
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\wallpaper_engine\projects\myprojects
    If there is no myprojects folder inside projects, create one with exactly that name (right-click › New › Folder).

  3. Copy the wallpaper folder into “myprojects”

    Drag the lumaXMB Desktop Engine folder from step 1 into the myprojects window.

    When you open it, you should see project.json and index.html straight away:

    myprojects └─ lumaXMB Desktop Engine ├─ project.json ├─ index.html ├─ preview.png ├─ fonts └─ … (all the other files)

    Right: myprojects › lumaXMB Desktop Engine › project.json
    Wrong: myprojects › lumaXMB-Desktop-Engine-Manual-Install › lumaXMB Desktop Engine › project.json  (one folder too deep)

  4. Pick it in Wallpaper Engine

    Open Wallpaper Engine (its icon is in the system tray near the clock). Go to the Installed tab and click lumaXMB Desktop Engine.

    If you have more than one display, choose the display at the top first. Click OK. Done.

    Don't see it? Close Wallpaper Engine completely (right-click its tray icon › Quit) and open it again. It reads the myprojects folder when it starts.

Change the look

  • Move the mouse to the bottom-right corner of your desktop and click the ⚙ gear. Your choices are remembered.
  • Or select the wallpaper in Wallpaper Engine and use the settings on the right. Open live settings panel there opens the same menu on your desktop.
  • The Clock section has the PS3 system clock, its themes, size and glow. Color shifting has the vivid palettes, vibrance and brightness.

Good to know: on the desktop itself, click the menu's arrows and the − / + buttons to scroll and adjust. Mouse-wheel scrolling and dragging inside the menu need the optional helper from the full package; Wallpaper Engine's own settings panel supports both.

Update or remove

  • Update: delete the old lumaXMB Desktop Engine folder from myprojects, copy the new one in, then re-select it in Wallpaper Engine.
  • Remove: choose a different wallpaper, then delete the folder from myprojects.

Something not right?

  • Black screen: the folder is incomplete. Copy the whole folder again; every file inside is needed.
  • Not in the Installed tab: check the folder is directly inside myprojects (step 3), then restart Wallpaper Engine.
  • Slow on an older PC: open the gear menu › Performance and pick Balanced or Eco.

Questions and reports: Discord testing channel · GitHub issues