Quick Start

Quick Start

This page takes you from a fresh install to a live wallpaper on your desktop in a few minutes. Sucrose ships a set of Showcase sample wallpapers that are auto-imported into your Library on first run, so you can apply a wallpaper immediately — or browse the in-app Store for thousands more. Below: open the Portal, pick a wallpaper, apply it with Use, optionally customize it, and set Sucrose to start with Windows. If you have not installed yet, start with Installation.

Steps

1. Open the Portal

Launch Sucrose Wallpaper Engine from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut. This starts the Launcher, which lives in the system tray. The Launcher opens the main settings/management window — the Portal — and automatically restores your last wallpaper on every boot, so you only set it once.

If Sucrose is already running, double-clicking the shortcut (or the tray icon's Open) just brings the Portal window forward; it does not start a second copy. See Portal Interface Tour.

📷 Screenshot needed: The Portal main window on the Library page right after first launch, showing the auto-imported Showcase wallpapers.

2. Pick a wallpaper

Use the top navigation to choose a source:

• Library — your installed wallpapers, including the auto-imported Showcase samples (e.g. Neo Matrix, Fluid Simulation, Music Tunnel). See Managing Library.
• Store — browse, search, and install community wallpapers. See Using Store.

You can also drag-and-drop your own files onto the Library: a .zip package, a .url shortcut, a GIF/video/web/app file, or a plain URL. Sucrose imports or opens the Create Wallpaper dialog as appropriate.

3. Apply it with "Use"

Right-click a wallpaper card and choose Use. Sucrose sets it as the active wallpaper and (re)starts the correct render engine for its type:

Type	Default engine
Gif	MpvPlayer
Video	MpvPlayer
Web	CefSharp
Url	CefSharp
YouTube	CefSharp
Application	Aurora

A brief flicker when applying is normal — the engine restarts to load the new wallpaper.

4. Customize (optional)

For wallpapers that support it (Web wallpapers with properties, and Gif/Video/YouTube on an engine that supports a property panel), right-click the card and choose Customize. This opens the property editor where you can adjust visual filters and behavior — for example brightness, contrast, blur, saturation, mute, and playback speed. Changes re-apply live. See Customizing Wallpaper.

5. Adjust audio and display (optional)

• Volume: Open Settings → General and set Engine Volume (WallpaperVolume, default 100). You can also mute on the desktop or when other audio is active. See Settings General.
• Multiple monitors: Use the Display Preferences dialog from the top toolbar to choose a per-display, span, or duplicate layout. See Multi-Monitor.

6. Start with Windows (recommended)

Open Settings → General → Application Startup (RunStartup, default 0 = None) and choose how Sucrose launches at logon:

Value	Mode
0	None
1	Normal (current-user Run key)
2	Priority (elevated)
3	Scheduler (Task Scheduler task Autorun for Sucrose)

Because the wallpaper auto-restores on Launcher start, enabling startup means your wallpaper comes back automatically after every reboot. See Theme, Tray & Startup and Settings General.

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What next?

• Explore the different kinds of wallpapers: Wallpaper Types.
• Set up a rotating slideshow: Wallpaper Cycling.
• Tune battery/CPU/GPU behavior: Performance Rules.
• Make your own wallpaper: Create Overview.

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See also

• Installation — install Sucrose first.
• Portal Interface Tour — a guided tour of the main window.
• Managing Library — import, use, and organize wallpapers.
• Using Store — find and install community wallpapers.
• Customizing Wallpaper — adjust a wallpaper's look and behavior.
• Settings General — language, startup, volume, and library settings.