How to update Xbox One

Updates are the bane of the modern gamer, keeping you from your games and with the scant consolation of a loading bar that’s crawling across the screen. And it’s not just individual games that need patches: as consoles also receive regular updates.

Since the Xbox One’s release in 2013, Microsoft have released several major overhauls to the system software, known as the Dashboard. The latest of these, the Fall Update, came out in October just ahead of the Xbox One X’s release with a new design that lets you customise the games, friends, groups and activity feeds that you follow.

Here’s how to get the latest system software for your Xbox One.

Automatically update your Xbox One

Your Xbox One will keep itself up to date automatically by default. You can check that this is the case and turn this feature on or off by going to the Settings app.

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to bring up the Guide menu, scroll right to the System tab and open Settings.
2. Head to System | Updates.
3. Check the box marked Keep my console up to date. 
4. Optionally also check the box marked Keep my games & apps up to date.

With these settings ticked, your console will automatically look for and download system updates. These will then be installed either after you’ve finished playing and turned off the console, or overnight if set to instant-on power mode.

You can switch between energy-saving and instant-on power modes in Settings under Power & Startup | Power mode & Startup.

Manually update your Xbox One

If you have automatic updates turned off, you’ll still want to keep your console up to date in order to get online. Xbox updates don’t have to be installed right away, but once updates are labelled Mandatory, you’ll need to install it if you want to sign in to Xbox Live. The console will prompt you to do so when you turn it on.

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to bring up the Guide menu, scroll right to the System tab and open the Settings app.
2. Head to System | Updates.
3. If a console update is available, select Update console.

Be an Xbox Insider

An Xbox Insider is a beta tester that gets advance access to system software updates for the Xbox One. However, there’s a reason these aren’t all being pushed out to all users, and these often include unfinished features, bugs and other issues that are still being ironed out by Microsoft.

If you simply have to be on the cutting edge, anyone can join the programme by downloading the Xbox Insider Hub app from the Microsoft Store. You’ll start off in the Omega ring, which receives system updates only a short time before they’re released to everyone, but over a few months and depending on how actively you participate with testing, answering surveys and more, you can go up through Delta and Beta rings, potentially even joining the invite-only Alpha ring.