A large TV displays a glowing green game library interface, with a controller on the table in front.
Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring can now choose which side of the screen the Guide opens on. The update also adds rotating Home backgrounds and a separate library category for disc-based games with a claimed digital license. Insiders can have the Guide open on the left or right, and the setting is under Settings > General > Personalization > Guide.

Xbox Wire announced the changes on November 12, 2026. It says Alpha Skip-Ahead members can try them first. Xbox says it will bring them to more Insiders and players over time. It gave no build number, supported-console list or date for general availability, so none of those should be assumed.

A large TV displays a glowing green game library interface, with a controller on the table in front. The movable Guide​

This is a placement preference, not a redesign. Xbox's post describes only a change in which side the Guide opens on. It says nothing about changes to the Guide's contents or behavior. Xbox is also asking players to say whether they're "team left or team right."

The Guide has changed before. A 2020 Alpha Skip-Ahead release introduced a simplified layout. That layout opened the Guide with its tabs in a left-to-right configuration. The new side-of-screen option is a smaller change than that layout rework.

To try it:

  1. Confirm your console is in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring through the Xbox Insider Hub.
  2. Open Settings > General > Personalization > Guide.
  3. Pick left or right.

If the option isn't there yet, the rollout is staged, so the console isn't necessarily unsupported. Xbox says only that availability will expand.

Rotating dynamic backgrounds​

Xbox says Insiders can now save favorite dynamic backgrounds and have them shuffle automatically.

  • Saving a favorite: Go to Settings > General > Personalization > My background > Dynamic backgrounds > Dynamic backgrounds. Choose a background and press X. It appears in a new Favorites category. The doubled "Dynamic backgrounds" wording is how Xbox's post gives the path.
  • Shuffle: Choose Shuffle at the start of any background category. The background can change at each sign-in, hourly, daily or weekly. You can shuffle your favorites or a whole category.
  • Controller-exclusive backgrounds: Xbox says that if you own a controller with an exclusive background, such as the Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition, you can save it as a favorite. You can then use it when the controller isn't connected.

The announcement doesn't say how many favorites you can save. It also doesn't say whether every dynamic background can be shuffled.

Disc-based games with digital licenses​

Xbox says players have been able to claim digital licenses for disc-based games since August. Insiders who have claimed one now see those games in a separate category in their full library.

You can reverse this. Settings > General > Personalization > Games & apps lets you keep those games alongside your other owned games. The same page lets you hide the digital license icon on game tiles.

This is a display and organization change. Xbox's post doesn't say it affects the license, ownership or whether a disc is needed to play. Don't read anything into the interface update beyond that.

Who gets it, and how to give feedback​

Alpha Skip-Ahead is the earliest and least stable end of the Insider ladder. Xbox describes Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead as "invite-only" rings that get builds earlier than other rings, with Skip-Ahead often receiving builds from a future release. Xbox has also said UI changes that appear in other rings may not reach Alpha Skip-Ahead right away. Treat these builds as preview software.

Xbox points feedback to aka.ms/XBOXplayervoice. Insiders who need support are directed to the Xbox Insider subreddit. Players who aren't Insiders can join through the Xbox Insider Hub, which Xbox lists for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Windows PC.

Bottom line​

None of these changes is dramatic. Together they let you customize Home, the Guide and the library layout, and each one has a documented settings path. If you aren't in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring, you'll need to wait for the wider rollout, which Xbox hasn't dated.

 

References

  1. Xbox Insiders can finally move the 'Guide' to either side of their screen Windows Central 2026-11-12T23:00:00+00:00
  2. Three New Console Features Begin Rolling Out Today For Xbox Insiders (November 12) - Pure Xbox Pure Xbox 2026-11-12T23:25:00+00:00
  3. Xbox owners are getting more customizations for backgrounds and the Guide menu - The Verge The Verge 2026-11-12T23:00:00+00:00
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Xbox Insiders have three new console personalization options to try, according to Xbox Wire and Pure Xbox on November 12, 2026. Microsoft says Alpha Skip-Ahead members get the features first, with wider availability to more Insiders and players promised later. None of it changes performance or gameplay. It's housekeeping for your Home screen, your library and the Guide, and some players have asked for exactly that.

A glowing Xbox dashboard displays game artwork on a large screen, with a controller and console in the foreground. What's rolling out, and to whom​

Eden Marie (Principal Software Engineering Lead) and Judy Chen (Senior Product Manager) wrote the Xbox Wire post. It covers three things:
  • Rotating dynamic backgrounds on Home, including favorites and a Shuffle option.
  • A separate library category for disc-to-digital games, with display options.
  • A choice of whether the Guide opens on the left or right.
This is a staged preview, not a general release. The announcement gives no build number, no dates for the next Insider rings or public release, and no console-model list. It also doesn't mention regional or account limits. Treat any of those details as unconfirmed.

1. Favorite and shuffle dynamic backgrounds​

You can now save dynamic backgrounds as favorites and have the console cycle through them automatically.
To save a favorite:
  1. Go to Settings > General > Personalization > My background > Dynamic backgrounds > Dynamic backgrounds.
  2. Highlight a background.
  3. Press X.
  4. Find it afterward in the new Favorites category.
To shuffle: choose Shuffle at the start of any background category. The background can change at each sign-in, or hourly, daily or weekly. You can shuffle just your Favorites or a whole category.
There's a practical detail for controller owners. Some controllers ship with an exclusive background, and Microsoft's example is the XBOX Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition. If you save that background as a favorite, you can keep using it when the controller isn't connected. Before, you'd presumably need the controller attached, but Microsoft doesn't spell out the old behavior.
Microsoft doesn't say whether every background supports every shuffle mode. Expect to test this yourself.

2. Disc-to-digital games get their own library category​

This option makes more sense with some background. Players claim a digital entitlement by inserting a supported disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console and launching the game. After that, they get digital benefits such as Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming where supported, and the disc works as before. Microsoft announced the program on August 26, with Insider testing starting August 31.
Microsoft says players wanted more control over how those titles show up. Insiders who have claimed a digital license from a disc-based game now see those games in a separate category in the full library.
To change the display: go to Settings > General > Personalization > Games & apps.
  • To keep these games mixed in with your other owned titles, switch the separate-category setting back on that page.
  • From the same page, you can hide the digital license icon on game tiles.
This only changes how already-claimed licenses are displayed. It doesn't grant licenses or convert discs. Hiding the icon is cosmetic, and the announcement doesn't say it affects the license itself. The post also doesn't name the new category or say which games qualify. One outside report says each disc can have one digital license, which is revocable. That detail comes from third-party coverage of the August announcement, not from this one.

3. Choose which side the Guide opens on​

Insiders can now pick whether the Guide opens on the left or right side of the screen. Set it at Settings > General > Personalization > Guide. It's a layout preference only. Microsoft doesn't describe any other changes to the Guide.

Why it matters​

None of these is a headline feature, but they're the kind of small change that adds up over daily use. The library option has the clearest practical value. A library with claimed disc games folded in looks different from one where they sit apart. Some players will want the separation and others will want the old combined view, and now both are possible.
Microsoft is also asking for feedback. It points Insiders to the XBOX Insider subreddit for support and to its player voice feedback site. If you want to try these, you'd join the program through the XBOX Insider Hub on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One or Windows PC. Alpha Skip-Ahead membership is what gets you these features first.

Bottom line​

  • Three Insider-only personalization options arrived on November 12, 2026, starting with Alpha Skip-Ahead.
  • Backgrounds can be favorited and shuffled at sign-in or hourly, daily or weekly.
  • Claimed disc-to-digital games get a separate library category, which you can turn off, plus an icon you can hide.
  • The Guide can open on either side.
  • No public release date or device list has been given.
 
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