How to fix your Xbox One: Learn How to Factory Reset your Xbox One

Performing a factory reset on a device is pretty standard when selling or attempting to fix an error. The process removes all data and personal information leaving behind the operating system of a brand new machine.

Tech likes to misbehave every once in a while and, while it’s rare, your Xbox One may crash mid-game, an error message may surprise you when installing a game, or the universe throws up some other unexpected problem.

Most of the time a problem can be resolved by simply closing down whatever it was you were doing and opening it up again. Sometimes, though, a problem doesn’t go away, and that’s something only the age-old mantra of tech support can solve – “have you tried turning it on and off again?”

Wondering just how to go about doing that? Our guide to fixing your Xbox One woes can guide you through the process.

How to Shut Down or Restart your Xbox One

If your console is still responsive, meaning you can’t even close down the app or game that’s thrown up an error, you can perform a full shutdown or restart through the system software.

To shut down or restart your Xbox One you can long-press the Xbox button on your controller and scroll over to ‘Turn Off Console’ or ‘Restart Console.’ The other methods of shutting down your device (aside from holding down the power button or unplugging it all together which can cause damage) are:

1. Press the Xbox button on the top of your controller to bring up the Guide menu.
2. Scroll right to the System tab.
3. Select Restart console.

A Full shutdown is a bit more involved as it requires delving into the Settings app. A Full shutdown will completely turn the console off, where other methods leave the console in either energy-saving or instant-on power modes.

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to bring up the Guide menu and scroll right to the System tab and open Settings.
2. Head to Power & startup | Turn off or restart.
3. Select Full shutdown.

How to Hard Reset your Xbox One

If your console is misbehaving to the point of not responding to controller inputs, there’s only one thing for it: you have to perform a hard reset of the console. It might not like it, but it’s for the best.

To perform a hard reset, simply press and hold the Xbox symbol power button on the front right of the console for around 10 seconds. On the original Xbox One this is a touch-sensitive button, on the Xbox One S and Xbox One X, this is a pushable button.

The console should chime as it shuts down completely and all fan noise should stop. At this point you can let go and press the button again to turn the console back on.

How to Factory Reset your Xbox One

Performing a Factory reset is a total last-resort for your Xbox One problems. Factory resets are, generally, an extreme move as a troubleshooting step but it’s typically useful if you’ve got a hardware fault and need to send the console in for repair – or if you’re selling your console second hand.

To perform an Xbox One factory reset:

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to bring up the Guide menu and scroll right to the System tab and open Settings.
2. Head to System | Console info and select Reset console.
3. Choose to either Reset and remove everything or Reset and keep my games & apps.

Either choice will restart the Xbox One, during which it will remove all accounts, save data and system settings. If you want to avoid re-downloading huge game files, you may want to pick the second option and keep your games and apps installed.

Depending on which option you’ve chosen you can leave your apps and games. Once you log back into the console, all of your personal data and information will be gone even though the apps remain.

Factory Reset Using a USB

Another method for performing a factory reset is using a USB Flash Drive. The first thing you’ll need to do is load the Reset Program onto a USB flash drive. The software and step-by-step instructions can be found using this link.

Once you’ve prepared your USB Flash Drive, unplug the network cable from the back of your console (if you aren’t on a standalone Wifi network). Turn off your console and disconnect the power cable.

After 30 seconds, plug the power cable in back in and plug the flash drive into a working USB port. Hold the pair button and the eject button on your console (or the pair button then the Xbox button on the One S). Then, press the Xbox button.

When you hear two beeps (after about 15 seconds) you can release the eject and pair button. Your Xbox may take a minute to restart, but once it does you can remove the flash drive and follow the standard setup process.

What To Do If Your Xbox Won’t Reset

Several users have expressed issues with performing the factory reset on their Xbox. Whether it stops midway or something else is happening, there are a few things you can try to get it back up and running again.

Of course, this could be related to a major hardware issue, but it may have a simple fix. According to the Xbox support team, you should start out by holding down the power button, then unplugging the power cable. Wait a few minutes and reverse the process (hold down the power button and plug your console in).

Of course, if that doesn’t work, you can always try booting your console in Safe Mode and checking for any updates. Complete the necessary updates then try to factory reset your Xbox.

Some users have had problems where the Xbox won’t complete the reset process. In the past, this has happened due to a system update so it may resolve itself. On the other hand, if it is a hardware issue, contact Xbox Support.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have more questions, we’ve got you covered! Here are the answers to some more of the most common questions we’ve been asked about an Xbox reset.

Can I factory reset my Xbox remotely?

Whether your device comes up missing or you’ve sold it without performing a factory reset, you may wonder what you can do to keep others from using your information. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to reset your Xbox remotely.

To keep someone from accessing your profile, games, payment information, and more, head over to the Microsoft Account webpage and change your password. This will prevent anyone else from using your account.

You will need to do this for each profile on the Xbox of course. When the individual who has your Xbox turns it on, they’ll be asked for a password. Without it, they can’t access your profile.

How do I recover my information after a factory reset?

If you’ve performed a factory reset and still have the console you’ll want to reload all of your purchases, games, and profile. Getting your data back is easy. Simply sign in using the same profile you used prior to the reset.

All of your games can be downloaded again while your game progress should’ve saved to the cloud. Just keep in mind, if your Xbox wasn’t connected to the internet before you reset it, you may risk losing your game progress because there was no backup performed.