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.
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:
- Confirm your console is in the Alpha Skip-Ahead ring through the Xbox Insider Hub.
- Open Settings > General > Personalization > Guide.
- 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.