An Additional 1tb Or More At Your Fingertips
Both the Xbox One and PS4 come with a 500GB as standard, while the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro offer 1TB. When you first get your console 500GB might seem like plenty, but with AAA game install sizes reaching the 40GB mark for the huge open-world titles, that hard drive will soon fill up.
As digital gaming and being able to get whatever you want from the internet has started to overtake physical media as the way to play, the idea of deleting some of your favourite games to install new titles seems like a big problem, especially how long it takes to reinstall games on most connections.
So, you might be wondering whats the best way to upgrade the external storage on your Xbox One.
Well, unlike the PS4, where youll need to get your screwdriver out, Microsoft has made the Xbox One compatible with external hard drives instead.
Its a quick and easy process that were going to help you through with our Xbox One HDD upgrade guide.
Heres what will happen on your Xbox One UI as you install:
How To Expand Xbox One S Storage Using External Hard Drive
Earlier this month, Microsoft launched Xbox One S, which is a redesigned version of Xbox One. The updated model has an enhanced design, along with some slight hardware modifications to support the HDR10 as well as 4K video playback.
The Xbox One S is available in three models – 500 GB, 1 TB, and special edition 2 TB version. On August 2, the 2 TB model was released, with 1 TB and 500 GB models to be released on August 23, 2016.
In terms of gaming devices, one thing that players always find lacking is the ‘storage’. Interestingly, Xbox enables players to use and add-on an external hard drive. The gamers need to have an external USB 3.0 HDD if they want to extend the storage space. The HDD can be used for unused files, however, when correctly formatted, the external drive can also be used to play games directly from it.
In some conditions, the addition of an external device can also help in reducing the loading time of the game, as the USB 3.0 set-up is excellent in transmitting data at a much faster pace than the Xbox One S’s internal hard drive.
How to select a Storage Upgrade:
To successfully upgrade the storage of the Xbox One, the user needs to look for these elements in the external hard drive: a USB 3.0 connection, 256GB minimum storage space, 5400RPM drive speed.
How to install an External Storage device:
1. Switch on the Xbox One and plug-in the external storage device into one of the three USB 3.0 ports given on the console.
- Most Popular
How To Move Xbox One Games To An External Hard Drive
With your external drive installed and formatted, existing game installations can be moved. This allows games to take advantage of performance benefits without redownloading over Xbox Live. We recommend transferring all but the lowest-priority games.
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How To Expand Xbox Series X & Series S Storage With An External Drive
Xbox Series X and Series S introduce significant changes to system storage, adopting custom solid-state drives under the hood. Microsoft has positioned this high-speed storage as fundamental to next-generation gaming, helping deliver shorter load times with support for complex game worlds. This SSD requirement guarantees the best from the latest Xbox consoles but can make storage expansions a little more complicated. You now have a few options when adding space to your Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versus Xbox One, and it’s essential to understand which works best for you.
Best Xbox One External Hard Drives
Reasons to avoid
Our top pick for best Xbox One external hard drive belongs to the Western Digital 4TB My Passport series. We used to recommend a 2TB drive , but with Xbox One X ownership rising and the increased size of 4K games, this is the best way to future proof yourself. In terms of features, this USB 3.0 compatible hard drive offers 256-AES encryption and cloud storage, along with WD’s own backup software. In reality, all you really need to know is that this hits the sweet spot of size, speed and affordability. This 4TB external hard drive will store up to 40 Xbox One X games , and up to 100 or so regular Xbox One games. Basically, it’s a monster, and with a three-year limited warranty, there’s every reason to buy with utmost confidence. It’s available in a 2TB option, too, but 4TB feels like maximum value. What’s more, the new design is excellent, stylish and keeps all that is good in a sleek new aesthetic.
Reasons to avoid
Reasons to avoid
The WD Black P10 hard drive is a superb portable option for expandable storage. And while not listed as an armored or ‘rugged’ hard drive, we found it to have a really sturdy build-quality with the metal topside giving it a bit of a shipping container aesthetic. We also noticed the hard drive runs cool , even with back to back-to-back 16-hour days for a couple of weeks.
Reasons to avoid
If you’re not worried about official branding, this Seagate 4TB drive at Walmart is currently $40 off at $89.
Reasons to avoid
Reasons to avoid
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Beast Storage Solutions For Nintendo Switch Xbox One And Playstation 4
Gaming in todays world, you are going to need more system storage to keep up with all the games to which youll have access. Upgrading your PlayStation 4 or Xbox One S storage is essential. This also includes the Nintendo Switch, as well.
There are usually three types of gamers: those who purchase physical copies only, those who have moved on to digital, and those who purchase whichever one is most convenient. The rise in digital gaming and Indie Games on consoles likely wont be stopping anytime soon. Even physical-only gamers buy Indie Games, and most of those are only offered digitally.
Even if you could stay physical, more storage is necessary. Games on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One install to the hard drive. An average AAA game can take 30-50GB of hard-drive space. This eats away at internal storage quickly on a 500GB PS4 or Xbox One system. Throw in Day One patches and updates to the games, and you are looking at more storage being consumed. The Nintendo Switch will have game cards that do not install to the internal memory, but will also have to deal with patches, updates, and more.
Managing Your Saved Game
Proper management will allow you to continue playing your game the way you want. Plus, using cloud storage should help you avoid mishaps, such as unintentional deletion or power loss.
Your Xbox will sync your save to the cloud whenever you exit a game, but you dont need to worry about space, as each game on Xbox One has its own storage. As a users game library grows, the cloud does, too. In short, Xbox One users get unlimited cloud storage for saved files.
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How To Use An External Hard Drive On The Xbox Series X And S
Most external hard drives and SSDs come with a USB-A cable attachment, so all you need to do is plug the drive in to your Xbox Series X or S USB port. The Xbox will immediately detect the external storage and will pop-up a prompt on screen to let you know so.
If you have previously used the drive with another Xbox console, such as the Xbox One, then you can bring your pre-installed games over without any other changes required. If the drive is new, or has been used on another platform, the Xbox Series X and S may wish to format the drive before use. Make sure to backup any important data on it before doing so, as you’ll lose that during the format process.
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How To Add More Storage To Your Xbox One
Every Xbox One comes with a 500 GB hard drive, but with game sizes bulking up to 60 GB and beyond, youre probably going to run out of space sooner rather than later. And that goes double for Xbox Live Gold members, who get free digital games each month.
To see how much hard drive space you have left, select My Games & Apps from the home screen. On the left, youll see exactly how much space you have left on your Xbox Ones internal hard drive.
If youve downloaded a handful of big games, youre probably starting to run low. Thankfully, youre not stuck with that tiny hard drive. You can expand your storage capabilities to your hearts content, and its so easy even a technophobe can do it. Heres how.
Install External Storage On Xbox One
When you install the disk for the first time it will give you two choices the first is to use the disc to save multimedia files such as pictures, videos and music, in this case you will not be able to download games and applications to this disc. In addition, this option does not require you to perform a format of the disk and keeps what it is if you want to keep its files.
The second option is Format Storage Device. It removes all the files and data on the disk and configures it to work on the Xbox One platform and is able to receive game files and applications for the device as well as make it a default storage disk. In explaining this we are of course focusing on the gaming problem so choose Format Storage Device.
Attention: You must take a backup of the files on the disk because they cannot be restored in normal ways if it is configured by the device.
After you select Format Storage Device, the disk is formatted and then moved to another page asking if you want to make this disk the Default Storage Install new things here, or do you want to keep your internal storage disk as the default storage Keep current location.
After you have completed these options, everything is ready. You can enter the Storage Settings to see the two disks on the device and you can get several options if you press the Menu button on the Xbox One joystick:
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Copying To And From External Drives
There are two USB 3.1 gen 1 Type-A ports on the back of the Xbox Series X and S. These should be used to connect any external drives youre thinking of using. First, turn on your Xbox, and then attach the drive. You should then see an on-screen prompt directing you to format the drive, which will delete its contents and prepare it to be used by the system.
After the drive is formatted, you can then use it to store data. By default, all new games will install to the internal NVMe drive . From there, youll have to copy your games to the external drives via the file management tools.
To do this, turn on your Xbox, and then press the Xbox button on the controller. Move across to the Profile & System tab using the LB and RB buttons, and then select Settings. Scroll down to the Settings tab, and then select Storage. Here, youll see any attached drives and their total capacity select your drive, and then choose Move or Copy.
Select the game you want to move . Make sure the destination under Transfer to is correct if you have more than one external device.
Finally, choose Move Selected to begin the process. You can copy games back to the internal drive via the same processjust select the external drive instead of the internal.
What Are The Best External Hard Drives For Ps4 And Xbox One
The good news is that you dont need a specialized external hard drive for a PS4 or Xbox One just about anything will work. As such, what you should look for in the best external hard drives for PS4 and Xbox One is exactly the same as what you should look for in a hard drive, in general. You want the appropriate amount of storage space, a fast read speed, a small profile and a reliable brand name, just in case something goes wrong.
As such, our top pick is the Western Digital Elements 4 TB Portable External Drive. If youre familiar with WD, youll know that the company has been in the storage game for a while, and generally makes durable, high-quality products that work exactly as theyre supposed to. With 4 TB storage, youll be able to store dozens of games, and at less than five inches across, it wont take up too much space in your entertainment center.
If you want something a little more stylish, and you have an Xbox One, consider the Seagate Game Drive for Xbox. This hard drive distinguishes itself from a lot of the competition by coming in a white chassis with an Xbox logo, just like an Xbox One console. Combined with its fast read speed, you could place the Seagate Game Drive for Xbox right next to your console, and itd look good as a permanent fixture in your living room.
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How To Expand Your Xbox Series X
Tim Brookes is a technology writer with more than a decade of experience. He’s invested in the Apple ecosystem, with experience covering Macs, iPhones, and iPads for publications like Zapier and MakeUseOf. Read more…
The Xbox Series X comes with a 1TB internal drive, while the Series S includes a modest 500GB instead. After downloading a few games, you might find your console is already low on space. Here are several ways you can add more space, with a solution for every budget.
Plug It Into Your Xbox One
The Xbox One has three USB ports that you could attach your shiny new external hard drive to. We opted for one of the rear ones so we could tuck the hard drive out of sight.
When your Xbox One is turned on, plug the hard drive into one of the USB 3.0 ports. The Xbox One will notify you that the external hard drives been connected.
Although you might be tempted to interact with the pop-up, to quickly and easily format your new hard drive, go to the settings menu.SEE ALSO: Xbox One vs Xbox 360
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Stage : Pick An Internal Hard Drive
What kind of internal hard drive is idealfor Xbox One?SSD is the top choice! In terms of speed, SSD is far better than HDD , which means that the game will start and load faster between levels and maps if you pay for an SSD for your Xbox One.
One user shared his experience of upgrading to an SSD in reddit.com:
I was successful in installing a 1 TB WD Blue SSD. After installing I immediately noticed that the console only took about 10 seconds to boot up. So far, so good! So, I moved on to gaming: With BO4, I immediately noticed how the first start up menu wasn’t a completely black screen . It loaded the 3D character models _immediately_…
Note:
The Best Xbox One External Hard Drives For 2021
ByRob Dwiarpublished 23 November 21
Black P10 1-5TB Game Drive
2TB/4TB Xbox One Game Drive
Extreme Portable
If you get the best Xbox One external hard drive for your setup now, in the year 2021, you are still making an excellent purchase. Extra storage is always a worthwhile, though not sexy, acquisition but even more so on the last generation of consoles. And that is particularly because the Xbox game library is just massive. Stretching across multiple console generations, there’s more choice than ever, and it’s highly likely that Xbox One players will have a burgeoning, bursting at the seams game collection that needs to be stored somewhere, somehow.
And you’re not just backing yourself up and strengthening your last-gen position: these drives on the new Xbox consoles to store the next-gen titles to shift them over to the internal SSD when you want to play them. This is way quicker than having to re-download them if you fill up the console’s own SSD and have to shift things around.
WD BLACK P10 Game Drive | 5TB |
Plus, you can move over your existing Xbox One content when you upgrade too. We’ve already tested a bunch on the new Xbox, so if you’d like to see what works best on those, head on over to our best Xbox Series X external hard drive guide.
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