Flow Documentation

Flow Documentation

Set up, rotate, and troubleshoot Flow on macOS.

Flow runs dynamic wallpapers from video, GIF, and PNG media directly from your Mac menu bar. Use this page for setup, supported media, wallpaper rotation, background recovery, Lock Screen Still, and common fixes.

Get Started Troubleshooting Back to Documentation

Getting Started

Flow lives in the menu bar and gives you fast wallpaper controls without opening a full desktop interface.

  • Open Flow from your Applications folder.
  • Click the Flow icon in the menu bar to open the control panel.
  • Accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before first use.
  • Use Choose Wallpaper to select a supported file from your Mac.
  • Use Stop Wallpaper to restore your normal desktop wallpaper.

Supported Media

Flow works best with standard local media files stored directly on your Mac.

  • Video files: .mov, .mp4, .avi, and .mpeg.
  • GIF files: .gif.
  • Image files: .png.
  • Unsupported files display an alert before being applied.

Wallpaper Rotation

Flow can rotate through multiple wallpapers automatically using selected files or an entire folder.

  • Open Wallpaper Rotation from the main panel.
  • Use Choose Files or Choose Folder to build your rotation source.
  • Choose a rotation interval and optionally enable shuffle.
  • Missing or unreadable files are skipped automatically.
  • Folder changes can refresh the rotation list in the background.

Settings & Info

Settings & Info includes background options for startup, battery protection, and Lock Screen behavior.

  • Open at Login starts Flow automatically when you sign in.
  • Low Battery Protection can pause video wallpaper activity.
  • Lock Screen Still uses a still image from the current wallpaper.
  • The Legal section shows your policy acceptance status.

Automatic Recovery

Flow includes background checks that help keep wallpapers running smoothly.

  • Flow can reopen the last wallpaper when the app launches.
  • Open at Login can resume the last selected wallpaper.
  • Saved wallpaper files are checked before restoration.
  • Playback can recover after sleep, wake, stalls, or display changes.
  • Wallpaper videos remain muted and looped.

Stopping & Cleanup

Flow is designed to leave your desktop clean when you stop using an active wallpaper.

  • Stop Wallpaper restores your previous desktop wallpaper.
  • Quitting Flow restores the wallpaper before the app closes.
  • Temporary Lock Screen still images are removed automatically.
  • Duplicate wallpaper entries are avoided during restoration.

How to Use Flow

If you are using Flow for the first time, this is the fastest path to getting a wallpaper running.

1. Open the Flow menu Click the Flow icon in the menu bar to open the main control panel.
2. Accept the required policies Accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before using wallpaper controls.
3. Choose a wallpaper Select a supported video, GIF, or PNG file from your Mac.
4. Configure rotation if needed Load multiple files or a folder and choose the timing behavior.
5. Adjust background settings Manage Open at Login, Low Battery Protection, and Lock Screen Still.
6. Stop or relaunch later Stop Wallpaper restores your normal desktop. Flow can resume the last wallpaper later if the file still exists.

Lock Screen Still

Lock Screen Still creates a temporary still image from the current wallpaper and uses it for the Lock Screen. When the setting is turned off, the wallpaper is stopped, or Flow quits, Flow restores the previous wallpaper and removes temporary still files.

  • Video wallpapers use a still frame from the current media.
  • Image wallpapers can use the selected image directly.
  • Wallpaper rotation can update the still with the active wallpaper.

Low Battery Protection

Low Battery Protection helps reduce activity when your Mac is running low on battery. When enabled, Flow can pause video wallpaper activity at 20% while on battery and resume when conditions improve.

Troubleshooting

  • Confirm that the wallpaper is a supported local media type.
  • Make sure the original wallpaper file still exists.
  • Check the rotation interval, shuffle setting, files, or folder.
  • Missing or broken rotation files should be skipped automatically.
  • Flow attempts to recover playback after sleep or wake.
  • Toggle Lock Screen Still off and on if it does not update.
  • Connect power if Low Battery Protection pauses playback.

Need More Help?

If you still need help with Flow, return to the documentation hub to browse the rest of the Cherrium help pages.

Privacy and Legal

Review the policies that apply to Flow and other Cherrium software.