How to Add Shaders to Your Minecraft Game on Xbox

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Follow this complete & easy guide to set up Minecraft shaders on Xbox
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Have you seen TikTok videos showcasing beautiful shaders in Minecraft for Xbox but you're not sure how to add them yourself? If so, this is the article for you! Shaders for Minecraft on Xbox One and Series X|S currently only work on Minecraft Preview, and getting them to work can be a little tedious—but it's not difficult at all, especially with our step-by-step guide. Keep reading to learn more.

Installing Shaders in Minecraft for Xbox

Currently, deferred rendering shaders only work in Minecraft Preview. In order to install shaders, you'll need to download the shader on your Xbox and add it to your Minecraft files. Then you can enable the shader on a Minecraft world and import that world into Minecraft Preview to test out the shaders.

Part 1
Part 1 of 5:

Before You Begin

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  1. There are a few apps required to install shaders in Minecraft on your Xbox. These apps are as follows:
  2. To do this, open Adv File Explorer and select the Xbox button on the left-hand side. Then, select any of the unauthorized drives. A pop-up will appear letting you know that you need the FullTrust version of the app to access these drives. Click Open the Microsoft Store to be taken to the FullTrust version of Adv File Explorer, then install it.
    • You will be using the FullTrust version of Adv File Explorer for the rest of this guide.
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  3. While it's not required, using a USB mouse and keyboard when downloading shaders makes the process much easier.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 5:

Downloading Shaders

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  1. Make sure to open the browser you downloaded, not the built-in browser (Microsoft Edge).
  2. You can add any deferred rendering shader for Minecraft on your Xbox. If you don't know what shader you want to use, check out this list or use Google (or your favorite search engine) to find one.
    • If you don't want to browse on your Xbox, you can also find a shader while browsing on your computer or phone, then manually type in the URL to the shader download page in the Internet Browser app on your Xbox.
  3. After you click the download button, there are a few steps you need take to properly save the file:
    • Click Save after you click the download button.
    • Once you see the "download completed" pop-up, press the button with two rectangles on your Xbox controller.
    • Select the three-dot button to the right of the URL bar.
    • Click Downloads .
    • Select the file you just downloaded, then select the three-dot button on the right.
    • Click Save as… .
    • Select the Xbox icon on the left-hand side (under the clock icon).
    • Select your Downloads folder, then click Save .
    • Close out of Internet Browser completely.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 5:

Adding the Shader File

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  1. Make sure you're selecting the FullTrust version of the app (it says it in the name).
  2. You can do this by selecting the button with three vertical rectangles (under the star button), then selecting Downloads. The shader file you downloaded should be in this folder.
  3. Don't actually click on the file. Once you press the three-line button, a contextual menu will open on screen.
  4. Using Cut is preferable over Copy so you don't leave extra files in your Downloads folder, but you can select Copy if you prefer. Both options lead to the same end result.
  5. It's the button directly above the three vertical boxes icon that you clicked earlier.
  6. It's the top option in the contextual menu.
  7. You may not be able to see all of the Minecraft folder name, so just look for Microsoft.Minecraft .
    • If you don't see this folder in your Packages directory, click the button of a folder with a plus sign at the bottom of the screen and add a new folder with the name Microsoft.MinecraftUWPConsole_8wekyb3d8bbwe . Make sure you type the folder name exactly how it appears in this article, or your game won't be able to find the file. [2]
    • After adding the Microsoft.Minecraft folder, move on to the next step to learn what additional folders you need to create.
  8. In the com.mojang folder, you should see a number of folders. The folder that you need to place your shader file in is resource_packs .
    • If you had to add a Microsoft.Minecraft folder or you don't see some or all of the folders in this step, add them as follows (writing the names exactly as described) by using the button of a folder with a plus sign at the bottom of the screen:
      • In the Microsoft.Minecraft folder, add a folder named LocalState .
      • In the LocalState folder, add a folder named games .
      • In the games folder, add a folder named com.mojang .
      • In the com.mojang folder, add a folder named resource_packs .
  9. To do this, hover any open space and press the three-line button on your controller and select Paste .
    • Once you've moved the shader file into your Minecraft files, close out of Adv File Explorer completely.
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Part 4
Part 4 of 5:

Applying the Shader

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  1. To apply the shader, you must uninstall Minecraft and then reinstall it from an older version. However, doing this can very rarely cause some of your worlds to become corrupt.
    • If you want to back up your world, you can do so with Minecraft Realms. [3]
  2. Open the add-on's store page by clicking on it.
  3. It's near the bottom of the page, so keep scrolling until you see it.
  4. The button should also say "You own this".
    • If the install button is grayed out, reinstall regular Minecraft, then boot the game and let it run for a few seconds before closing it completely. Then, return to the Minecraft SpongeBob store page, select the Minecraft tile from this page, and you should see the Install button. [4]
      • While this Minecraft version is installing, return to your home screen and uninstall the version of Minecraft that you installed a few moments ago (the one that isn't installing currently).
    • If pressing the install button does nothing, you'll need to factory reset your Xbox. This won't delete your games or game progress, but it will clear out your Minecraft folders and you'll have to sign back into your Xbox account. [5]
      • To do this, open your Xbox settings and go to System > Console info > Reset console > Reset and keep my games & apps . After your Xbox resets, you'll need to repeat the steps above to add the shader pack back into your Minecraft files before you can continue.
  5. This Minecraft version should install pretty quickly.
  6. It's at the top of your queue.
  7. Your Xbox will prompt you that Minecraft needs to update. After clicking Update and installing the update, you'll see two Minecraft tiles under "Recently installed." These two tiles will merge into one and you'll get a notification that Minecraft is ready to play.
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Part 5
Part 5 of 5:

Using the Shader

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  1. Shaders only work in Minecraft Preview, but you must create a new world in the standard Minecraft game and transfer it to the Preview version for it to work.
  2. Load into the world and walk around for a few seconds, then open the menu and select Save & Quit to return to the main menu.
  3. This will open the world's menu.
  4. In the Resource Packs menu, expand My Packs , select the shader pack you added to your game files, and select Activate .
    • Once you do this, you can exit out of regular Minecraft.
  5. As of right now, shaders only work on Minecraft Preview.
  6. This is at the bottom of your world list. If you've never made a world in Minecraft Preview, this list will be empty save for the button to import worlds.
  7. It should be at the top of the list, but you can use the date to confirm that you're selecting the correct world.
  8. After Minecraft Preview converts your world, it will ask if you want to play it right away. Select No .
  9. This will open the menu.
  10. Enable the following settings:
    • Go to Resource Packs under Add-Ons, then expand My Packs . Click on your shader pack and select Activate .
    • Go to Game under Edit Settings, then toggle on Render Dragon Features for Creators under the Experimental heading.
  11. After enabling Render Dragon Features for Creators, Minecraft Preview will create a copy of your world. Load into the copy of that world to continue.
  12. In the video menu, change Graphics Mode to Deferred Technical Preview . This option is at the bottom of the menu.
    • After changing this setting, once you exit the menu and return to your world, shaders will be enabled.
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      • Minecraft shaders currently only work with the Xbox version of Minecraft Preview. However, more consoles and Minecraft versions may work with shaders in the future.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://help.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/articles/4423653831821-How-to-Install-Minecraft-Preview
      2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZuEAzXrUw0
      3. ↑ https://help.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/articles/4409165790605-How-to-Transfer-Your-World-to-Another-Device-in-Minecraft-Bedrock-Edition
      4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5IF-Kyq0xY&t=3s
      5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB-z7CvtRj8&t=295s

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