Abstract: The layout of drip tapes under mulch has changed in Xinjiang, China, with the development of machine-harvest cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) planting technology. This study aims to demonstrate the effects of drip tape modes on soil hydrothermal conditions, cotton yield, and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) of machine-harvest cotton under mulch in Xinjiang. A field experiment was conducted to set up two machine-harvest cotton planting patterns (T1: the cotton planting model with one film, two drip tapes, and six rows; T2: the cotton planting model with one film, three drip tapes, and six rows), and a conventional planting mode (T3: the cotton planting model with one film, two drip tapes, and four rows) as a control. Our results showed that the heat preservation and warming effects of T1 and T2 treatments were better than that of T3. Soil temperature under the mulching film quickly increased and slowly decreased, which was beneficial to the early growth and development of cotton; Under the mechanical harvesting mode, the wide film had a good effect of increasing temperature and heat preservation in the early growth stage of cotton, while in the late growth stage of cotton, the effect of film width on soil temperature was weakened. In general, the average soil water contents of 0-100 cm soil layer under T1 and T2 modes were 6.24%, 5.00%, 2.19%, and 7.44% higher than under T3 in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The mean soil moisture content of the 0-60 cm soil layer in T2 was significantly higher than that in T1 and T3 at the middle and late stage of cotton growth. Moreover, the water holding capacity of the middle and upper part of the tillage layer in T2 was the best. At the late growth stage of cotton, the soil moisture content of T1, T2, and T3 treatments had little difference. At the medium cotton growth stage, the main root layer in T2 formed a desalination zone. At the late cotton growth stage, the soil salinity under three modes of the 0-60 cm soil layer was T2