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Does Microsoft use macOS to create Windows wallpapers? Probably!

Does Microsoft use macOS to create Windows wallpapers? Probably!

4 November 2025 22:32

On October 29, Microsoft released a wallpaper to commemorate the eleventh anniversary of the Windows Insider program, and it is speculated that it was created using macOS.

Let us remember that Windows Insider is an official program launched by Microsoft in 2014 that allows users to preview new versions of Windows before their public release .

Subscribers — called “Insiders” — receive experimental updates, in-development features, and pre-release builds of the operating system, contributing feedback and bug reports to improve the software .

The program is open to all users with a Microsoft account and is divided into different channels (Canary, Dev, Beta, and Release Preview), which offer varying levels of stability and new features. Essentially, it’s a global community of testers and enthusiasts who help Microsoft refine Windows, often previewing features that will arrive months later in official releases.

The wallpaper in question, which commemorates the program, was posted on the Microsoft Design X account and is available in two colors— dark and light— and two sizes. There are four wallpapers included in the zip file. You can download them from the Microsoft Design wallpapers page.

However, once I extracted the zip file, a folder called “__MACOSX” appeared, which is generated when a file is compressed using the standard macOS function.

This has led some users to ask, “ Is Microsoft using macOS to create a wallpaper for Windows?”

Microsoft Design tweet celebrating 11 years of “Windows Insider

This “__MACOSX” folder contains data used by macOS to store information about the settings within the folder, which indicates that macOS was used at least for the compression process.

It’s unclear whether macOS was actually used to create the wallpaper, but it’s often used in design and is likely also used by Windows graphic designers to create graphics for Microsoft environments.

Opened ” Windows Insider Program 11th Anniversary ” zip file, downloaded from Microsoft Design website

It would seem a bit ironic if a commemorative Windows wallpaper was created using macOS.

We are not certain of this information, but everything suggests that this is indeed the case.

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The editorial staff of Red Hot Cyber is composed of IT and cybersecurity professionals, supported by a network of qualified sources who also operate confidentially. The team works daily to analyze, verify, and publish news, insights, and reports on cybersecurity, technology, and digital threats, with a particular focus on the accuracy of information and the protection of sources. The information published is derived from direct research, field experience, and exclusive contributions from national and international operational contexts.