How to tame
your desktop pet
From downloading and installing to daily companionship, adopting new friends from the shop, and crafting a one-of-a-kind pet from a few photos — every way to play with DeskSprite, in one guide.
Last updated: September 2026
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01 / GETTING STARTED
Quick start
Two minutes to install, and a little creature appears in a corner of your desktop
The first launch automatically installs your first pet, Taotao, who immediately appears in a corner of your desktop. The download, the built-in pet, and every free pet in the shop are all free.
DeskSprite runs on Windows and macOS. Open the download page or use the “Free Download” button on the home page, pick the installer for your system, and double-click to install.
- Open the app — on first launch, Taotao appears automatically in a corner of your desktop, and the control panel opens with it.
- Say hello — left-click your pet and it responds with a little animation.
- Give it a new spot — hold and drag it anywhere on the screen; where you drop it is where it lives.
- Learn to open the control panel — right-click the pet, or right-click the DeskSprite icon in the system tray and choose “Open control panel.”
- Look around the panel — the home tab has four sections, top to bottom: My Pet (switch pets, adopt new ones), Display (size, opacity), Behavior (focus timer, walks), and System (launch at login, language).
- Want more pets? — adopt shop pets from “My Pet,” or create your own with AI — see the chapters below.
02 / INTERACTIONS
Daily interactions
Your mouse is the language it speaks
Every pet comes with its own set of reactions. Taking the starter pet Taotao as an example, try these:
| What you do | What happens |
|---|---|
| Left-click it | Says hello: a flip, a little speech bubble. |
| Hover the cursor over it | A small reaction, like being petted. |
| Hold and drag | It gets picked up and dangles; drop it and it falls — then settles wherever you leave it. |
| Double-click it | Starts a focus countdown (25 minutes by default): it lies down to sleep while you work, then wakes up when time is up to remind you to take a break. |
| Move the mouse nearby | Its eyes follow your cursor. |
| Leave it alone | After a minute it starts dozing with “Zzz”; from time to time it takes a stroll or mutters to itself. |
Other pets work exactly the same way — only their animations and temperaments differ. If a pet ignores everything you do, it's usually a toggle issue; jump to the FAQ to troubleshoot.
03 / DISPLAY & BEHAVIOR
Looks & behavior
Tune it in the control panel until it feels right
Display settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Scale | 50%–300% — make your pet bigger or smaller. |
| Opacity | 50%–100% — lower it and the pet blends into your wallpaper. |
| Always on top | When on, the pet floats above all other windows. |
| Mouse passthrough | When on, clicks pass “through” the pet to the window underneath — perfect for when you don't want to be disturbed at all. |
| Reset position | Moves the pet back to its default spot — the cure for a pet that wandered off. |
Behavior settings
Two global habits survive pet switches: the focus timer duration (minutes, 25 by default — the pomodoro you start by double-clicking your pet) and the walk interval (seconds, 30–60 by default — your pet takes a stroll across the desktop at random intervals).
The tray menu: quick toggles within reach
Right-click the DeskSprite icon in the system tray (Windows notification area / macOS menu bar) — the common toggles live here, no need to open the panel:
| Menu item | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open control panel | Opens the full settings panel. |
| Asset packs | View the current pet, or import a .petpack file someone shared with you. |
| Show pet | Temporarily hide / re-show the pet window. |
| Lock dragging / Mouse passthrough / Always on top / Pause interactions | Common toggles, one click away. |
| Scale / Opacity | Quick presets for size and transparency. |
| Reset position | Find a pet that ran off-screen. |
| View logs / About / Quit | Troubleshoot, check the version, exit the app. |
04 / ADOPT MORE PETS
Get more pets
“My Pet” is your pet hub: adopt, switch, and update in one place
Open the control panel — the “My Pet” area at the top manages all of your pets: installed ones come first, and when you're online it automatically pulls the cloud shop catalog so you can adopt directly. Each card's button tells you the current state:
| Button | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Current | This one is live on your desktop. |
| Switch | Installed — click to bring it to the desktop (the current one steps aside; each keeps its own settings). |
| Get | In the cloud catalog but not installed yet: one click downloads, installs, and brings it to the desktop. |
| Update | A new version is out — click to upgrade. |
- Open the control panel and browse the cards under “My Pet.” Pets marked Free can be adopted instantly with “Get.”
- Pets tagged members-only need a membership: if you're not signed in you'll be guided to log in first; without a membership you'll be taken to the pricing page to get one.
- Once you're a member, back in the panel click “Get” — seconds later it's on your desktop.
Pet pack updates are free for members: when new pets or new animations ship, an “Update” button appears on the card — one click and you're current.
05 / AI CUSTOM PET
Create a one-of-a-kind pet with AI
Upload a few photos and create a pet that exists nowhere else
This is a members-only feature: activating a membership for the first time (subscription or lifetime) includes 1 custom-pet credit. There are two ways in: the “Generate your pet” card in the “My Pet” area of the control panel, or the custom pet page on this website — both require signing in with the same account as the desktop app.
- Open the customize page — click “Customize on the web” in the panel; your browser opens already signed in.
- Upload 1–3 photos — PNG / JPEG / WebP, up to 30MB each. Pick clear, well-lit photos with a single pet per shot; different angles help the AI keep the look consistent.
- Name your pet — names must be unique within an account; if it's taken, pick another.
- Pick a species — dog, cat, or little monster. You'll see which animations will be generated (idle, happy, head tilt, greeting, play).
- Click “Generate my pet” — this consumes 1 custom-pet credit; generation usually finishes within a few minutes.
- Wait for generation — the page walks through: designing the look from your photos → generating each animation (with progress) → packaging the pet pack → publishing it to your account. Closing the page midway is fine — reopen it and the progress continues.
- Bring it to your desktop — the finished page previews every animation. Then open the DeskSprite app and sign in with the same account, and it appears under “My Pet” — click “Get” to bring it to your desktop.
About custom-pet credits
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where do credits come from? | Your first membership activation includes 1; renewals and re-subscriptions don't add more. |
| What if I run out? | Buy extra credits on the customize page — pay per use, and credits never expire. |
| What if generation fails? | A failed run automatically refunds the credit; fix the photos or your connection and try again. |
| Photo rejected? | Photos pass a content-safety check; if one is blocked, swap it out and re-upload as instructed. |
06 / ACCOUNT & MEMBERSHIP
Account & membership
When you need to sign in, and what membership actually includes
Account: only three things need it
Downloading and installing, playing with the built-in pet, and adopting free shop pets all work without an account. Only three things need one: becoming a member, claiming members-only pets, and AI customization. Sign-in uses your Google account: click “Sign in” at the top right of the panel and a browser window opens for authorization; the website (shop, customize page, account page) and the desktop app share the same account.
Once signed in you can open the account page, which has four sections: Profile (avatar, email), Membership (status, remaining custom-pet credits, manage subscription), My pets (owned and custom pets), and Orders (order history).
Membership pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | $29.90 / year | Auto-renews; cancel anytime on the account page. |
| Lifetime | $49.90 | One payment, valid forever. |
| Extra AI custom credits | $19.90 each | Buy per use once the included credit runs out; never expires. |
Live prices are always on the pricing page.
Free vs member
| Capability | Free | Member |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in pet “Taotao” | Free forever | ✓ |
| Free shop pets | Adopt freely | ✓ |
| Members-only shop pets | — | All unlocked |
| AI custom pet | — | 1 credit included, extra credits per use |
| Pet pack updates | Free pets keep updating | All free |
What happens when membership ends?
The most-asked question, so here's the direct answer: your data is never deleted. The moment membership ends:
- The pet you're using keeps working — it stays on grace until you switch away;
- other installed member pets and custom pets are locked for now, with their cards marked “Membership ended”;
- renewing restores everything automatically — no re-downloading, no re-customizing;
- the built-in pet and every free pet you've adopted are completely unaffected.
Managing your subscription & refunds
On the account page under “Membership → Manage subscription” you can cancel auto-renewal yourself — no support ticket needed: cancelling stops the next charge, and your benefits keep working until the end of the period you already paid for. See the refund policy for details.
07 / SYSTEM & CARE
System & care
Launch at login, updates, feedback, and where your data lives
Everyday settings
In the “System” section of the control panel: launch at login (your pet clocks in automatically at boot) and language (Chinese / English). Changes take effect as soon as you click “Save” — no app restart needed.
Staying up to date
At the bottom of the “System” section there's a “Check for updates” button: when a new version is available it shows the version number and release notes, and takes you to the download page. New versions install right over the old one — pets and settings are preserved.
Problems or ideas?
Click “Feedback & suggestions” in the “System” section — it opens the feedback page on this website, where you can report bugs or share ideas, anonymously if you like. Before submitting, it's worth scanning the FAQ below.
Where your data lives
Pet assets and settings are all stored locally in the app's data directory — normal use doesn't require a network connection and nothing is uploaded. Once you sign in, only account-related content (orders, membership status, custom pets) lives in the cloud; photos uploaded for customization are used only to generate your pet.
08 / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Start here when something's off
Is DeskSprite free? Do I need an account?
The download, the built-in pet Taotao, and every free pet in the shop cost nothing, and no account is required. A membership (subscription or lifetime — live pricing on the pricing page) unlocks members-only shop pets and includes an AI custom-pet credit; without a membership you can keep using DeskSprite forever.
Will my pets disappear when my membership ends?
No. Everything is kept: the pet you were using at that moment keeps working (until you switch away), while other member pets and custom pets are locked and marked “Membership ended.” Renew and everything is restored automatically — no re-downloading or re-customizing. Free pets and the built-in pet are unaffected.
How do I download pets from the shop?
Everything happens in the desktop app: open “My Pet” in the control panel and, when online, the shop catalog appears automatically — click “Get” and the pet downloads, installs, and lands on your desktop. The web shop is for browsing intros and animation previews only; it doesn't offer file downloads.
What are the photo requirements for AI customization? How long does it take?
1–3 photos as PNG / JPEG / WebP, up to 30MB each. Clear, well-lit photos with a single pet per shot work best; multiple angles help the AI keep the look consistent. Generation usually finishes within a few minutes, with live progress on the page; if you close the page midway, reopening picks up where it left off.
If customization fails, do I lose the credit?
No. A failed run automatically refunds your custom-pet credit. If a photo was blocked by the content-safety check, swap the photo and resubmit as instructed.
My pet doesn't react and can't be dragged.
“Mouse passthrough” is probably on — clicks pass through the pet to windows underneath. Right-click the tray icon and turn off “Mouse passthrough”; also check that “Lock dragging” and “Pause interactions” aren't enabled.
My pet ran off-screen and I can't find the window.
Right-click the DeskSprite tray icon → “Reset position”, and the pet returns to its default spot; if it's hidden, use “Show pet” in the same menu to bring it back. If the control panel won't open, “Open control panel” in the tray menu always works.
Do I need to restart the app after changing settings?
No. Display, behavior, and system settings take effect as soon as you save; switching pets and fetching new ones are instant too.
How do I cancel auto-renewal? Can I get a refund?
Cancel yourself on the account page under “Membership → Manage subscription” — no support ticket needed. Benefits stay active until the end of the period you've already paid for; renewal simply stops after that. See the refund policy for the rules.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
Pet assets and settings stay on your machine — DeskSprite works fully offline. Cloud data only exists after you sign in: orders, membership status, and your custom pets; photos uploaded for AI customization are used only to generate your pet.
How do I update to a new version?
Click “Check for updates” in the “System” section of the control panel. When a new version is available you'll see the release notes and a link to the download page — install right over the existing one, and pets and settings are preserved.