Saving a screensaver as a .scr file to copy to another PC
Save .scr file in Screensavers by Zaweba writes a screensaver as one file you can keep or copy to another PC. What is inside it and how to use it well.
Sometimes you want a screensaver as a file you can hold on to, rather than only installed on one PC. Save .scr file in Screensavers by Zaweba does exactly that: it saves a screensaver as a single .scr file anywhere you choose. You can keep it as a backup, put it on a USB stick or copy it to another PC.
It sits alongside Use this screensaver in the manager, and it is also offered when you make your own screensaver from a web page folder.
What a .scr file is
Windows screensavers have always been .scr files. In Screensavers by Zaweba, each .scr is one self-contained file made of two parts joined together: a small host program first, then a zip of the screensaver's web files. The host is about 0.93 MB. The screensaver itself lives in the zip, and the host runs it full screen when Windows calls for it.
Because it is all in one file, there is nothing else to copy. That's what makes a .scr easy to move about. You don't need a folder of extra files beside it.
When to save one
The obvious case is a second PC. If you've tuned a screensaver just the way you like it, save the .scr and copy it over. Another is a screensaver you made yourself from a web page folder, perhaps a class project, a looping logo or an animation, which you want to give to someone else. A third is simply keeping a copy of a finished screensaver safe in a folder of your own, in case you change your setup later.
How to do it
Choose the screensaver in the manager and set it up as you want it, using the live preview and Preview full screen to check it. Then choose Save .scr file and pick where to save it and what to call it. A plain, descriptive name helps, especially if you're giving it to someone else. For a screensaver made from a web page folder, the same option appears on the Make your own page next to Build and use.
Every screensaver in the app runs offline, blocked from the network, and draws its pictures with its own code. That's a comfort when you're passing a file to someone, because the screensaver won't reach out to the internet when it runs.
Using a saved .scr on another PC
Screensavers by Zaweba installs screensavers into your own profile rather than into Windows' system folders, so no administrator rights are needed. On the PC where the app is installed, Use this screensaver and Install several take care of that for you, then open Windows' Screen Saver Settings. On another PC, the simplest route is to install the app there too, so you get the same no-administrator setup, the live previews and the settings for each screensaver.
The screensavers run on Microsoft Edge WebView2, which comes with Windows 11, so bear that in mind if the other PC is older.
Where people go wrong
Don't assume a saved .scr will appear in Windows' list just because it's on the disk. Windows only lists screensavers in its own system folder plus the one currently chosen, which is why the app opens Screen Saver Settings for you after building one. Don't rename the .scr to another extension. And if you've made your own from a web page, check it with Preview full screen before you save and share it, since a page that looks fine in a browser can behave differently full screen and offline.
