Before starting, please view the notes at the bottom of this post.
Hi there! I recently figured out how you can change your Xbox wallpaper without using a USB! For those of you who really want a custom background and don’t have a PC or USB (nor do you want to use an uneditted Xbox screenshot or Achievement Art), this is for you!
There are three methods. The first is the Xbox Only Method, which utilizes Microsoft Edge and My Files Explorer (yes I know most of you have problems with this, but trust me, it works). The second is the Xbox and Phone Method, where you can use pictures from your phone. The third is the Cropped Screenshot Method, where you can upload your Xbox screenshots and crop them on your phone. They all have their own benefits, which I will list out under each method.
Before I get into both methods, make sure you install OneDrive (free) and My Files Explorer (there is a free 24-hour trial, then you have to pay $2.59 to own it) on your Xbox. From there, you need to add a file to My Files Explorer called UserMgr0 (please note that the number is irrelevant, you might have a 1 or a 2 or an 8, but it’s all the same). Here’s how you can add the UserMgr file:
- Open My Files Explorer
- Navigate to the 3-Dot Button (...), it should appear in the upper-right corner; if you don’t see it, the pop-up menu might be blocking it, so click A on the blank space.
- Find “Add folder to library” and click A; this will bring up what is left of the old File Exlorer
- On the left hand side, navigate to the Xbox-looking button and click it
- This is important: DO NOT SELECT ANY FILES; instead, go all the way down to the “select” button and click it, this will create a new file called “UserMgr0” (or UserMgr1, or UserMgr2, the number is irrelevant)
Once you add the UserMgr file, you are all set to go!
XBOX ONLY METHOD
Benefits of the Xbox Only Method:
- Only need your Xbox
- Can use a web image for your background
This method requires the following apps:
My Files Explorer
Microsoft Edge
Here are the following steps:
- Go into Microsoft Edge and look for an image to set as your wallpaper; once you find an image, select it.
- Navigate over the now-enlarged image and click the Three Bars button on your Xbox controller.
- Click “Save picture as”
- Navigate to the Xbox-looking button and click it
- Select the “Pictures” file, then the “Saved Pictures” file
- Rename the image if you like, then click “Save”
- Open My Files Explorer
- Navigate to the “UserMgr0” file (or 1, or 2, etc.)
- Locate the “Pictures” file and click it
- Locate the “Saved Pictures” file and click it
- Locate the image you just saved and click it
- Once the file is open, look to the top navigation bar; there should be a button that says “Set as Wallpaper.” Click it
- Once you click the button, you can exit out of My Files Explorer and see your beautiful new background
XBOX AND PHONE METHOD*
Benefits of this method:
- Can use images saved from your phone’s camera roll
- Can use cropped images
This method requires the following apps:
My Files Explorer
OneDrive
Microsoft Edge
Here are the following steps:
- On your phone, find an image in your camera roll that you would like to set as your Xbox background. If you want an image from online, look for an image, then save it to your camera roll.
- Do all of your photo editing on your phone before uploading to OneDrive
- On your phone, go to onedrive.live.com and log into your Microsoft Account
- On the top bar, select the Three-Dots Button (...)
- For iPhone
- Click “Upload”, then click “Files”, then your “Camera Roll” or “Photo Library”
- Find the image that you want to set your Xbox wallpaper as, then hit “Done”
- For Android: I own an iPhone and therefore do not own an Android phone. If you do not know how to upload photos from your camera roll, please look this up.
- For iPhone
- Now, go to your Xbox and open OneDrive
- Locate the image you just uploaded from your phone and select it
- On the top bar, locate the “Share” button
- Locate the “Get a link” button and select it
- Next to the link, click the “Copy” button. This will copy the link to your clipboard
- Open Microsoft Edge
- In Microsoft Edge, click the + button to add a new tab
- Hovering over the search bar, press the Three Bars button on your Xbox controller
- Select “Paste and go.” This should bring you to your image
- In the top bar, look for the “Download” button and click it
- When the prompt pops up, click the “Save as” button
- Navigate to the Xbox-looking button and click it
- Select the “Pictures” file, then the “Saved Pictures” file
- Rename the image if you like, then click “Save”
- Open My Files Explorer
- Navigate to the “UserMgr0” file (or 1, or 2, etc.)
- Locate the “Pictures” file and click it
- Locate the “Saved Pictures” file and click it
- Locate the image you just saved and click it
- Once the file is open, look to the top navigation bar; there should be a button that says “Set as Wallpaper.” Click it
- Once you click the button, you can exit out of My Files Explorer and see your beautiful new background
CROPPED SCREENSHOT METHOD*
Benefits of this method:
- Can use cropped versions of Xbox Screenshots as your Xbox wallpaper
- Useful for eliminating GUIs and HUDs from screenshots
This method requires the following apps:
My Files Explorer
OneDrive
Microsoft Edge
Here are the following steps:
- If you already know how to take a screenshot on Xbox, skip to step 4. Find a scene or image in your game. To take a screen shot, press the Xbox button on your controller
- Navigate to the “Capture and Share” section
- Locate “Capture screenshot” and click it to take a screenshot
- Under the same section, locate “Recent captures”
- Select the screenshot you just took
- Scroll down to “See all sharing options” and then select “OneDrive”
- Click the “Upload to OneDrive” button
- On your phone, go to onedrive.live.com and log into your Microsoft Account
- Look for the file named “Pictures” and click it, then select “Xbox Screenshots”
- Select the screenshot you just uploaded
- In the top bar, select the Three Dots (...) button, then select “Download”
- Once you download the image, save the image to your Camera Roll
- For iPhone
- When you select download, a pop-up will appear, select “View”
- Select the Share button, then scroll down and tap “Save Image”
- For Android: I do not own an Android phone and do not know how to download and save images on an Android. If you do not know and have an Android, please look this up.
- For iPhone
- Edit the photo on your phone
- On your phone, go to onedrive.live.com and log into your Microsoft Account
- On the top bar, select the Three-Dots Button (...)
- For iPhone
- Click “Upload”, then click “Files”, then your “Camera Roll” or “Photo Library”
- Find the image that you want to set your Xbox wallpaper as, then hit “Done”
- For Android: I own an iPhone and therefore do not own an Android phone. If you do not know how to upload photos from your camera roll, please look this up.
- For iPhone
- Now, go to your Xbox and open OneDrive
- Locate the image you just uploaded from your phone and select it
- On the top bar, locate the “Share” button
- Locate the “Get a link” button and select it
- Next to the link, click the “Copy” button. This will copy the link to your clipboard
- Open Microsoft Edge
- In Microsoft Edge, click the + button to add a new tab
- Hovering over the search bar, press the Three Bars button on your Xbox controller
- Select “Paste and go.” This should bring you to your image
- In the top bar, look for the “Download” button and click it
- When the prompt pops up, click the “Save as” button
- Navigate to the Xbox-looking button and click it
- Select the “Pictures” file, then the “Saved Pictures” file
- Rename the image if you like, then click “Save”
- Open My Files Explorer
- Navigate to the “UserMgr0” file (or 1, or 2, etc.)
- Locate the “Pictures” file and click it
- Locate the “Saved Pictures” file and click it
- Locate the image you just saved and click it
- Once the file is open, look to the top navigation bar; there should be a button that says “Set as Wallpaper.” Click it
- Once you click the button, you can exit out of My Files Explorer and see your beautiful new background
NOTE 1: THE TWO METHODS WITH AN ASTERISK (*) WERE ACCOMPLISHED USING AN IPHONE RUNNING IOS 13.3.1
NOTE 2: ALL METHODS WERE COMPLETE USING AN XBOX ONE X RUNNING OS VERSION 10.0.19041.1927 (rs_xbox_release_2004.200415-0000)
NOTE 3: METHODS WERE COMPLETE USING ONEDRIVE VERSION 19.23.9.70 AND MY FILES EXPLORER VERSION 1.1.271.70
NOTE 4: THESE METHODS ALL WORK AS OF MAY 1, 2020.