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Use Wallch Wallpaper Changer in Ubuntu 14.04

Last updated: June 17, 2014

Wallch Ubuntu 14.04

Wallch is an automatic wallpaper changer for Ubuntu Linux. It features random image, Unity indicator, Live Earth wallpaper, wallpaper clocks, and Picture of The Day (wikipedia).

Wallch is a free and open source app that works on Gnome, Unity, LXDE, Xfce and Mate. This quick tutorial will show you how to install and get Wallch working in Ubuntu 14.04 LTS.

See the pictures:

Wallch automatically change desktop background with selected Picture folder

Wallch displays a Live picture of earth updated every 1/2 hour

Wallch displays a wallpaper with real time clock

Control wallch via an Unity indicator

Install Wallch in Ubuntu 14.04:

Wallch is available in Ubuntu repositories, you can click the link below to bring up Ubuntu Software Center and click install it:

Download and click install the wallch_4.12-1trusty_*.deb from the link below. You may check your OS type 32-bit = i386 or 64-bit =amd64 by going to System Settings -> Details.

Once installed, open it from Unity Dash search results.

UPDATE: Below bugs are fixed by Wallch 4.12!

NOTE 1. Due to bug, Wallch does not work after you installed it. Go to menu or indicator Edit -> Preferences -> Integration. Change the theme from Autodetect to Ambiance, and choose your desktop environment will fix the issue.

NOTE 2: Wallch in Ubuntu 14.04 is a little buggy. When you click on Start changing wallpapers, it crashes sometimes. Just restart the app and do it again, it will be working good once it starts changing your desktop background.

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    I'm a freelance blogger who started using Ubuntu in 2007 and wishes to share my experiences and some useful tips with Ubuntu beginners and lovers. Please comment to let me know if the tutorial is outdated! And, notify me if you find any typo/grammar/language mistakes. English is not my native language. Contact me via ubuntuhandbook1@gmail.com Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/ubuntuhandbook1 |

    7 responses to Use Wallch Wallpaper Changer in Ubuntu 14.04

    1. Sebastian June 17, 2014 at 4:05 am

      Thanks! Your publication was very useful!

    2. wesamuels June 21, 2014 at 10:40 pm

      Thanks for the great post; it was very helpful.
      As of 2014-06-20, Wallch is in the Ubuntu Softaware Center.
      Cheers!

      • Ji m June 22, 2014 at 4:13 am

        Wallch version 4.0 is available in Ubuntu Software Center, but it’s recommended to install the latest 4.12 which fixed various bugs in Ubuntu 14.04

    3. ron August 10, 2014 at 4:25 pm

      good advice again! thank you!

    4. Jon November 21, 2014 at 7:11 pm

      Do you happen to know if there’s any way to set Wallch as the default background manager? I set this up for my parents, and they’re very confused by the fact that the “right click + set desktop background” leads them to something completely different that doesn’t seem to work (the default wallpaper manager that came with Ubuntu).

      Can Wallch be made to completely replace the bulit in wallpaper manager?

      • Victor December 30, 2014 at 2:03 am

        That’s a really good question. I can see how this would be confusing for beginners…

      • Shadow April 13, 2015 at 2:12 am

        In Gnome (at least for me) the right-click option to set the background is not available. One possible solution might be a simple shell script (haven’t tested this):

        #!/bin/bash
        #Wrapper script for background
        if [ “$1” == “Background” ]
        then
        wallch
        else
        /usr/bin/unity-control-center
        fi

        …name it unity-control-center and place it in /usr/local/bin/…

        …in my case I use a similar setup to launch the unity-control-center instead of the gnome-control-center