custom backgrounds and animated GIFs for Claude Desktop · Codex Desktop · T3 Code.

download for Windows x64 · quick setup · settings & troubleshooting

Windows 10 / 11 · free & open source · portable · runtime included

Real Claude Desktop, with a soft animated wallpaper. The demo uses an empty chat and an unsent sample prompt. Watch the video · Demo details

one app for three workspaces

app	what Backdrop adds
Claude Desktop	your own image or GIF behind the main chat and Code workspace
Codex Desktop	the same wallpaper controls for the official desktop app
T3 Code	wallpaper support for stable and nightly builds

make it yours

• Use your own wallpaper. Pick a still image or an animated GIF.
• Keep text readable. Soften the background with wash and blur; use calm to fade detail behind text and controls.
• Control each app. Enable Claude, Codex, and T3 Code separately from one tray icon.
• Keep your apps as they are. Backdrop uses a click-through overlay. It does not inject into or restart them.

Setup

1. Download the ZIP and extract it to a folder you want to keep.
2. Run Backdrop.exe and choose an image or animated GIF. A sample wallpaper is included.
3. Open Claude Desktop, Codex Desktop, or T3 Code.

Right-click the Backdrop tray icon for settings. Double-click it to choose another wallpaper.

No SDK, separate .NET installation, account, or administrator rights are needed for the portable release. You can enable Start with Windows from the tray menu.

Supports Claude Desktop (including its Code workspace), the official Codex Desktop app, and T3 Code stable/nightly. Requires Windows x64, Windows 10 build 19041 or later; Windows 11 is recommended.

Wallpaper controls and app toggles · Migration guide

Compatibility, privacy, and known limitations

• Releases are unsigned. Checksums are included with each release.
• PNG, JPG, BMP, TIFF, and animated GIF wallpapers are supported. MP4 and WebM wallpapers are not.
• One main window per app is supported.
• The overlay is one display frame behind the app and hides during window dragging or resizing.
• Alt-Tab and taskbar thumbnails show the original app without the wallpaper.
• Pixel-based detection can also tint regions of chat images that match the app's background color.
• Everything renders locally. Normal use keeps captured windows in memory and sends nothing over the network.

Full limitations and troubleshooting

Upgrading from Codex / Claude / T3 Backdrop

Disable Start with Windows in the old standalone app, quit it, then start Backdrop. On first use, the unified app imports an existing standalone configuration. Migration details.

This is the shared home for all three apps. The original Codex and Claude Git histories are included in this repository. The superseded standalone repositories have been retired; use this project for downloads, updates, and issue reports.

Build from source

Requires the .NET 9 SDK.

git clone https://github.com/okisooo/backdrop.git
Set-Location backdrop
.\install.ps1

Contribute · Verification and release tooling · How the renderer works · MIT license

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Not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic, OpenAI, or T3 Tools.