About Afterglow
Afterglow is a free, independent project that rebuilds classic screensavers to run in your browser — no download, no account, no tracking unless you opt in. Every saver is written from scratch in plain web code.
Why we built it
Screensavers were a small daily joy: the moment a desktop went idle and turned into flying toasters or warp-speed stars. Most of the originals were native programs for operating systems that have moved on. Afterglow brings the effects back as modern, open web pages that anyone can open instantly.
How it's made
Each screensaver is hand-written in vanilla HTML, CSS and JavaScript and drawn on an HTML5 canvas — no frameworks, no game engines, no pre-recorded video. That keeps every page tiny and fast, and means the same code runs on any modern browser. The animations are original re-creations inspired by the classics, not copies of the original binaries.
Our principles
- Free and open: nothing to buy, download or sign up for.
- Privacy first: analytics and ads load only if you accept cookies, and you can decline.
- Accurate: each page explains how the effect actually works, so it's useful as well as nostalgic.
Spotted a bug or have a saver you'd love to see? Get in touch — we read everything.
Frequently asked questions
- Who makes Afterglow?
- Afterglow is an independent project run by a small team of web developers who grew up with these screensavers and wanted them back in a modern, open form.
- Are these the original screensaver files?
- No. They're original re-creations written in web code, inspired by the classics. That's what lets them run safely in any modern browser with no download.