Simple Screens
Tired of staring at the same dull loading screen every time you boot up Minecraft? Simple Screens is a lightweight mod that lets you swap out the default loading screen background for any image you like. Whether you want a screenshot of your latest build, a piece of fan art, or a seasonal wallpaper, this mod gives you full control over what you see while the game loads.
The mod was developed by Jaredlll08 and Darkhax for Kehaan, and it works across a wide range of Minecraft versions on the Forge loader. Because it relies on Minecraft's built-in resource pack system rather than injecting textures directly, it stays clean and compatible with most modpacks.
What Simple Screens Actually Does
At its core, Simple Screens changes the background image shown on two types of loading screens: the main game loading screen you see when you first launch Minecraft, and the world loading screen that appears when you enter a save. You can set a different image for each, or use the same one for both.
You are not limited to a single image either. If you define more than one texture for a loading screen, the mod will randomly pick one each time. This is a great way to keep things fresh, especially if you have a folder full of wallpapers you want to cycle through. Duplicate entries in the config let you weight certain images so they appear more often than others.
Image Requirements and Recommendations
- Images must be in PNG format
- Any resolution works, but 1920x1080 or another 16:9 aspect ratio looks best
- Textures are loaded through resource packs, not from a standalone folder
How to Install Simple Screens
Getting started is straightforward. First, make sure you have the correct version of Minecraft Forge installed for your game version. Then place the Simple Screens mod file into your mods folder and launch the game once. On that first run, the mod generates a configuration file called simplescreens.json inside your config directory.
If you prefer a smoother setup, the foxygame.net launcher offers one-click installation for Simple Screens, handling the mod file placement and version matching automatically so you can skip the manual steps entirely.
Once the config file exists, open it with any text editor. You will see two main sections: one for game load screen textures and one for world load screen textures. Add the resource pack paths to your PNG files here. The format uses the standard resource pack notation, so an entry like simplescreens:/textures/gui/title/load_screen_background.png points to that path inside a resource pack's assets folder.
Remember that Simple Screens does not load resource packs for you. If you are running a modpack, you may need an additional mod such as Open Loader to enable your resource packs automatically. Without it, your custom images will not appear.
A Quick Config Example
Here is a simple example that assigns three different backgrounds to each loading screen type, pulling from a custom resource pack:
- game_load_screen_textures: mypack:textures/gui/loading_screens/game_one.png, game_two.png, game_three.png
- world_load_screen_textures: mypack:textures/gui/loading_screens/world_one.png, world_two.png, world_three.png
With this setup, the mod randomly selects one image from each list every time the corresponding screen appears.
Common Questions and Fixes
Why do I see purple and black squares?
Purple and black squares mean the game cannot find the image you specified. This usually comes down to a typo in your config file or a resource pack that is not loaded correctly. Double-check your paths and confirm your resource pack is active.
How does the random texture selection work?
When you list more than one texture, the mod picks one at random with equal probability. You can add duplicate entries to make a specific image more or less common. Random selection is entirely optional, and the mod works perfectly with just one texture.
Why do I still see the red loading screen briefly?
That early screen appears before mods are loaded, so Simple Screens cannot modify it. This is a shared limitation among loading screen mods and is not realistically fixable at this time.
Final Thoughts
Simple Screens is a small mod with a big visual impact. It is easy to configure, supports any PNG resolution, and gives you creative freedom over one of the most overlooked parts of the Minecraft experience. If you want your loading screens to reflect your style, this mod is well worth adding to your setup.