diff --git a/drivers/copy/copy_linux.go b/drivers/copy/copy_linux.go
index 1cd16a501..c2156861f 100644
--- a/drivers/copy/copy_linux.go
+++ b/drivers/copy/copy_linux.go
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/idtools"
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/pools"
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/system"
+	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/unshare"
 	rsystem "github.com/opencontainers/runc/libcontainer/system"
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )
@@ -293,6 +294,10 @@ func doCopyXattrs(srcPath, dstPath string) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if unshare.IsRootless() {
+		return nil
+	}
+
 	// We need to copy this attribute if it appears in an overlay upper layer, as
 	// this function is used to copy those. It is set by overlay if a directory
 	// is removed and then re-created and should not inherit anything from the
diff --git a/drivers/overlay/check.go b/drivers/overlay/check.go
index 9a62e7d75..67287b492 100644
--- a/drivers/overlay/check.go
+++ b/drivers/overlay/check.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"syscall"
 
+	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/archive"
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/ioutils"
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/mount"
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/system"
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ func doesSupportNativeDiff(d, mountOpts string) error {
 	}
 
 	// Mark l2/d as opaque
-	if err := system.Lsetxattr(filepath.Join(td, "l2", "d"), "trusted.overlay.opaque", []byte("y"), 0); err != nil {
+	if err := system.Lsetxattr(filepath.Join(td, "l2", "d"), archive.GetOverlayXattrName("opaque"), []byte("y"), 0); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to set opaque flag on middle layer")
 	}
 
@@ -78,7 +79,7 @@ func doesSupportNativeDiff(d, mountOpts string) error {
 	}
 
 	// Check l3/d does not have opaque flag
-	xattrOpaque, err := system.Lgetxattr(filepath.Join(td, "l3", "d"), "trusted.overlay.opaque")
+	xattrOpaque, err := system.Lgetxattr(filepath.Join(td, "l3", "d"), archive.GetOverlayXattrName("opaque"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to read opaque flag on upper layer")
 	}
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ func doesSupportNativeDiff(d, mountOpts string) error {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to rename dir in merged directory")
 	}
 	// get the xattr of "d2"
-	xattrRedirect, err := system.Lgetxattr(filepath.Join(td, "l3", "d2"), "trusted.overlay.redirect")
+	xattrRedirect, err := system.Lgetxattr(filepath.Join(td, "l3", "d2"), archive.GetOverlayXattrName("redirect"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to read redirect flag on upper layer")
 	}
@@ -161,7 +162,7 @@ func doesMetacopy(d, mountOpts string) (bool, error) {
 	if err := os.Chmod(filepath.Join(td, "merged", "f"), 0600); err != nil {
 		return false, errors.Wrap(err, "error changing permissions on file for metacopy check")
 	}
-	metacopy, err := system.Lgetxattr(filepath.Join(td, "l2", "f"), "trusted.overlay.metacopy")
+	metacopy, err := system.Lgetxattr(filepath.Join(td, "l2", "f"), archive.GetOverlayXattrName("metacopy"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, errors.Wrap(err, "metacopy flag was not set on file in upper layer")
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/archive/archive.go b/pkg/archive/archive.go
index 1d21471eb..aa6689593 100644
--- a/pkg/archive/archive.go
+++ b/pkg/archive/archive.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/pools"
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/promise"
 	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/system"
+	"github.com/containers/storage/pkg/unshare"
 	gzip "github.com/klauspost/pgzip"
 	rsystem "github.com/opencontainers/runc/libcontainer/system"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
@@ -1489,3 +1490,14 @@ func TarPath(uidmap []idtools.IDMap, gidmap []idtools.IDMap) func(path string) (
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+// GetOverlayXattrName returns the xattr used by the overlay driver with the
+// given name.
+// It uses the trusted.overlay prefix when running as root, and user.overlay
+// in rootless mode.
+func GetOverlayXattrName(name string) string {
+	if unshare.IsRootless() {
+		return fmt.Sprintf("user.overlay.%s", name)
+	}
+	return fmt.Sprintf("trusted.overlay.%s", name)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/archive/archive_linux.go b/pkg/archive/archive_linux.go
index 4efd5d3d9..f5c69d1c2 100644
--- a/pkg/archive/archive_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/archive/archive_linux.go
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ import (
 	"golang.org/x/sys/unix"
 )
 
+func getOverlayOpaqueXattrName() string {
+	return GetOverlayXattrName("opaque")
+}
+
 func GetWhiteoutConverter(format WhiteoutFormat, data interface{}) TarWhiteoutConverter {
 	if format == OverlayWhiteoutFormat {
 		if rolayers, ok := data.([]string); ok && len(rolayers) > 0 {
@@ -39,13 +43,13 @@ func (o overlayWhiteoutConverter) ConvertWrite(hdr *tar.Header, path string, fi
 
 	if fi.Mode()&os.ModeDir != 0 {
 		// convert opaque dirs to AUFS format by writing an empty file with the whiteout prefix
-		opaque, err := system.Lgetxattr(path, "trusted.overlay.opaque")
+		opaque, err := system.Lgetxattr(path, getOverlayOpaqueXattrName())
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		if len(opaque) == 1 && opaque[0] == 'y' {
 			if hdr.Xattrs != nil {
-				delete(hdr.Xattrs, "trusted.overlay.opaque")
+				delete(hdr.Xattrs, getOverlayOpaqueXattrName())
 			}
 			// If there are no lower layers, then it can't have been deleted in this layer.
 			if len(o.rolayers) == 0 {
@@ -114,7 +118,7 @@ func (overlayWhiteoutConverter) ConvertReadWithHandler(hdr *tar.Header, path str
 
 	// if a directory is marked as opaque by the AUFS special file, we need to translate that to overlay
 	if base == WhiteoutOpaqueDir {
-		err := handler.Setxattr(dir, "trusted.overlay.opaque", []byte{'y'})
+		err := handler.Setxattr(dir, getOverlayOpaqueXattrName(), []byte{'y'})
 		// don't write the file itself
 		return false, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/archive/archive_linux_test.go b/pkg/archive/archive_linux_test.go
index c0ab010eb..58b7ee080 100644
--- a/pkg/archive/archive_linux_test.go
+++ b/pkg/archive/archive_linux_test.go
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ func setupOverlayTestDir(t *testing.T, src string) {
 	err := os.Mkdir(filepath.Join(src, "d1"), 0700)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	err = system.Lsetxattr(filepath.Join(src, "d1"), "trusted.overlay.opaque", []byte("y"), 0)
+	err = system.Lsetxattr(filepath.Join(src, "d1"), getOverlayOpaqueXattrName(), []byte("y"), 0)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	err = ioutil.WriteFile(filepath.Join(src, "d1", "f1"), []byte{}, 0600)
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ func setupOverlayTestDir(t *testing.T, src string) {
 	err = os.Mkdir(filepath.Join(src, "d2"), 0750)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	err = system.Lsetxattr(filepath.Join(src, "d2"), "trusted.overlay.opaque", []byte("y"), 0)
+	err = system.Lsetxattr(filepath.Join(src, "d2"), getOverlayOpaqueXattrName(), []byte("y"), 0)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	err = ioutil.WriteFile(filepath.Join(src, "d2", "f1"), []byte{}, 0660)
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func setupOverlayLowerDir(t *testing.T, lower string) {
 }
 
 func checkOpaqueness(t *testing.T, path string, opaque string) {
-	xattrOpaque, err := system.Lgetxattr(path, "trusted.overlay.opaque")
+	xattrOpaque, err := system.Lgetxattr(path, getOverlayOpaqueXattrName())
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	if string(xattrOpaque) != opaque {
diff --git a/pkg/archive/changes_linux.go b/pkg/archive/changes_linux.go
index ea1dae052..a3addebe6 100644
--- a/pkg/archive/changes_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/archive/changes_linux.go
@@ -349,7 +349,7 @@ func overlayDeletedFile(layers []string, root, path string, fi os.FileInfo) (str
 		return "", nil
 	}
 	// If the directory isn't marked as opaque, then it's just a normal directory.
-	opaque, err := system.Lgetxattr(filepath.Join(root, path), "trusted.overlay.opaque")
+	opaque, err := system.Lgetxattr(filepath.Join(root, path), getOverlayOpaqueXattrName())
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}