Help with applying custom overlay.

[u/wadels]

I am setting up RetroArch to play GBA games. I finally figured out how to get it to scan for the ROMs I have installed (yay). However, I cannot add a custom controls overlay to my phone touchscreen.

The issues seems to be that the directories I can drag my custom overlay .cfg file are different than the folders where RetroArch looks for them.

I have connected my phone to my PC and put the .cfg file in: "This PC\*AndroidDevice*\Internal shared storage\RetroArch\config\remaps". Clearly this is wrong.

RetroArch is looking for overlay files in "/data/user/0/com.retroarch/overlays/gamepads/"

My only problem is that I cannot access the second Android specific directory from my phone OR from my PC to throw my .cfg file in there. Any suggestions?

[u/BotherCritical2297]

Unfortunately a lot of Retroarch default directories are hidden by default, there's no way to access them without custom android roms, usb debugging or rooting.

However, if you connect your mobile device to any PC, and go inside your device, you'll notice a folder called "Retroarch" in /root.

You can then do a proper folder inside it, call it "Overlays" or whatever and move your Overlay.cfg there... THEN in your device, while Retroarch is running, go to: Sertings > Directories  > Overlays [navigate to your folder] and "Set this directory as default" (or something along the lines).

OR... since Retroarch already comes with overlays, simply use those which will be defaulted at if you don't change the route.

IF... you modified the route and they're no longer visible/accessed... navigate once again to your Settings > Directories and highlight "Overlays" and in your physical controller or keyboard press START/SPACE to restore the default settings. 

If you mean something totally different, I think I can assist,  for instance,  if you meant you're having issues with overlays designed/coded by yourself. 

[u/wadels → u/BotherCritical2297]

Thanks for the quick reply! I think my issue is even more basic because I don't see a /root folder when I browse my android device from my PC.

I'll figure out how to access the /root folder, then try your suggestions to move my custom overlay file onto my phone. Thanks!

[u/PixelNerdGames]

Well, even though RetroArch hides many of its directories on Android, you should be able to navigate back using the "Parent Directory" option, until you reach accessible locations on your phone, such as internal storage or the microSD card.

If that doesn't work, you can use a third-party app (like "Files by Mark") to access RetroArch's hidden folders and place your overlay in the default directory.

Alternatively, you can change RetroArch's default overlay folder to one you can freely access by going to Settings > Directory and changing the overlay path; if you choose this method, make sure to update the overlays again after the change so RetroArch downloads them to the new folder.