As with all tech, there’s always a chance that they can become faulty thus needing to be factory reset to hopefully solve any problems you’re experiencing. Moreover, you might simply want to do a factory reset due to buying second hand so you can have that fresh, out of the box experience. This is similarly true with games consoles, more specifically the Xbox One. You might need to know how to factory reset an Xbox One because of the above reasons or maybe you’re prepping to remove all of your data on the console and selling thanks to the next-gen Xbox Series X.
Usually, there’s a pretty straightforward process to factory resetting devices, going into settings and deleting all your data. With the Xbox One, there are actually a number of ways to factory reset the console no matter if you own the original Xbox One, Xbox One S, or Xbox One X. One of these methods requires no on-screen menuing so those of you that have an Xbox One in a sorry state, you should be able to factory reset no matter what.
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How to factory reset Xbox One
A complete factory reset will delete all of your data and fully reset your Xbox One as it was from being manufactured. However, you can customize this factory reset to keep some of your installed files etc. but we’ll get onto that in the methods below. If you don’t want to perform a full factory reset and are just looking to restart your console to see if that solves your issues, a soft reset may be your answer. To do this, simply hold down your Xbox One’s power button for 15 seconds and wait for it to be fully off
Now, let’s into the actual factory resetting steps.
How to factory reset Xbox One from the dashboard
If your Xbox One is in a working state and just experiencing slight glitches or you’re just looking to factory reset your console to remove personal data, you should be able to perform the factory reset from your dashboard. Here’s how:
- Sign into your account associated with your Xbox
- Press the Xbox button on your controller to bring up you guide
- Head over to the System menu, the one with the gear icon, and select Settings
- Hit System, then Console info
- Choose Reset console
- You will now have the option to either keep your already installed games and apps or completely factory reset your console and get rid of everything. Choose your desired option
- Your Xbox One console will now perform the factory reset
How to factory reset Xbox One with a USB flash drive
Before attempting to factory reset your Xbox One with a USB flash drive, you’ll first need to make sure it’s compatible. You’ll need a USB flash drive that has at least a 4GB capacity and is completely empty. You’ll also have to format your flash drive to NTFS which you can do in File Explorer. Once that’s all prepped, let’s get into the steps.
- Download the official reset file from Microsoft’s website
- Extract the file and copy “$SystemUpdate” to the root of your USB flash drive
- Once this has completed, eject your flash drive safely and go to your Xbox One console
- Ensure your Xbox One console is powered off, wait 30 seconds and remove power/network cables
- Plug the power cable back in and insert your USB flash drive
- Hold down the Sync and Eject buttons on your Xbox One console and turn it on
- Continue holding the Sync and Eject buttons for a further fifteen seconds until you hear two power-up sounds
- Once you hear the two sounds, the factory reset process should begin on your Xbox One console
- If you didn’t hear the two sounds, there may be a problem with your flash drive. Try reformatting and putting the file on there again and retrying the process.
That’s all there is to factory resetting your Xbox One console. You now know how to factory reset your Xbox One via the dashboard and with a USB flash drive. If you encounter any problems along the way, you may want to contact Microsoft support to see if there may be an issue with your Xbox One console.
If you enjoyed this article, we also have a bunch more guides to help you out with any more Xbox One issues you may have. Here are some examples:
- How to sync Xbox One controller
- How to clear cache Xbox One
- How to appear offline on Xbox One
