Wallpaper Rotator

Appealing pictures you come across over the web most likely end up as your desktop wallpaper, but then again, you might want a different one after a while. Windows already came up with a solution to this, but there are also various third-party alternatives like Wallpaper Rotator which aim to make things more comfortable.

First of all the application requires no installation in order to properly function. This allows you to take it, as well as your collection of pictures on a USB flash drive to have wallpapers rotated on both your home, and work computers. The only need you need to consider is whether or not the target PC is fitted with .NET Framework, but it’s a default features in modern Windows iterations.

All the application has to offer can be found in a pretty compact main window. On the one hand, this prevents it to take up a lot of precious space so you can clearly see the new wallpaper. On the other hand, the list makes it difficult to view added items, and with no preview area, you need to completely rely on the application for the new picture.

Customization options regarding time values aren’t that abundant, but sufficient in number, and variety. As such, a new picture can show up on your desktop every minute, every 5, 15 minutes, 1, 2, 12 hours, or every day. There’s the possibility to set order to random, for a surprise every time.

Unlike the Windows default feature, this application doesn’t allow you to create multiple albums, in case you only want specific pictures in a period of time. You need to add all of your pictures, and this is simply done by dragging an entire folder over the main window, with subdirectories automatically targeted.

Last but not least, it needs to be manually added to the startup folder in case you want pictures to rotate every time Windows starts. When all configurations are done, the application quietly sits in the tray area, with an option to instantly change.

Taking everything into consideration, we can say that Wallpaper Rotator comes with good intentions, but having it compared to features Windows already puts at your disposal, it leaves a lot more to be desired. There’s no preview area for items, no support for multiple galleries, and lack of startup option for more comfort.