You can make a vision board on a Mac with apps you already have. Collect your images in a folder, lay them out in Keynote, Pages or Freeform, export the result as an image, and set it as your desktop wallpaper. Each step takes a few minutes, and nothing needs to be installed.
The harder part is keeping it in view once windows cover the wallpaper. This guide covers making the board, then a few ways to make sure you still see it in March.
Step 1: Decide what the board is for
Before you collect a single image, write one sentence about the goal. A board about "a better life" turns into a pile of pretty pictures. A board about "running a half marathon in May" gives you a filter for every image you consider.
If you have several goals, consider one board per goal. Small boards read better on a screen. What to put on a vision board has ideas if you're stuck.
Step 2: Collect images in a folder
- Make a folder on your desktop called Vision Board.
- Drag images in from Safari, Photos or anywhere else.
- Use your own photos where you can. A picture you took yourself keeps its meaning.
- Add a few words if they help, like a date or a short line.
- Aim for five to ten images. Fewer is often better on a screen.
To export from Photos, select the images and drag them into the folder.
Step 3: Lay it out
Any of these apps work. Pick the one you're most comfortable with.
- Keynote. Make a new presentation and choose a blank theme. In the Document panel, set the slide size to match your screen, such as 16:9. Drag images onto the slide, resize them, and add text boxes.
- Pages. Start a blank document, switch it to page layout, and drag images in. Good if you'd like to print it too.
- Freeform. An open canvas, which is handy for a loose, collage style board. Drop images in and arrange them freely.
- Preview. Fine for a single image. Open a photo, use the Markup toolbar to add text, and save.
Leave a little empty space. A board crammed to the edges is hard to read at a glance.
Step 4: Export it as an image
- In Keynote, choose File, then Export To, then Images, and pick PNG or JPEG.
- In Pages, choose File, then Export To, then PDF.
- In Freeform, choose File, then Export as PDF.
- A PDF works as a printout. For wallpaper, open the PDF in Preview and choose File, then Export, then PNG.
Save the exported file back into your Vision Board folder.
Step 5: Set it as your wallpaper
- Open System Settings, then Wallpaper.
- Click Add Photo or Add Folder and choose your board.
- Pick Fill Screen so it covers the whole display.
You can also right-click the image in Finder and choose Set Desktop Picture.
Keeping the board in view
A wallpaper board has two weaknesses. Windows cover it for most of the day, and after a few weeks you stop seeing it even when it's visible. A few things help.
- Use Show Desktop. A trackpad spread or a hot corner lets you glance at the board between tasks.
- Put it on your phone too. The lock screen is the screen you look at most. We wrote a guide to putting a vision board on your lock screen.
- Print one copy. A physical board by your desk catches your eye when the screen is off.
- Give it a finish line. A board that changes as you progress holds attention longer than one that stays the same.
Tips for a screen board
- Match your screen. A board made at your display's shape won't get cropped. Most Mac screens are close to 16:10.
- Keep the middle clear. Desktop icons and windows land in the middle. Put the most important image near a corner you can see.
- Pick a calm background. A plain color behind the images makes each one stand out.
- Update it each season. A fresh board in spring catches your eye again.
A board that changes on a Mac
Reveal the Dream is a native Mac app built around that last idea. You pick one photo of your goal. It starts covered, divided into one piece per day of a journey of 7 or 30 days. Each check-in uncovers a piece, until the whole photo is there. Miss a day and that piece stays covered. Nothing resets.
On a Mac the widget comes in small or medium size and sits in Notification Center or on the desktop, so the photo is there without opening the app. The app and the widget also count down to your next check-in, and you can pick the text color over your photo. It runs on macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, from the Mac App Store or our site.
Classic runs one journey at a time with the Petals style and one widget, and each Mac backs up its own journeys through iCloud. Premium adds several journeys at once, custom lengths, App Lock with Touch ID, seven cover colors and sync with an Android phone or a Windows PC. The Mac page has the details.
A quick checklist
- One sentence about the goal
- Five to ten images in a folder
- A layout in Keynote, Pages or Freeform
- Export as an image
- Set as wallpaper
- One more place you'll see it every day