How To Reset Your Xbox One Or Xbox 360
Need to know how to reset your Xbox One or Xbox 360? Here’s how to format your console, hard reset, and factory reset.
Do you need to reset your Xbox One or Xbox 360 console? Perhaps you’re planning to sell your system and want to remove your personal data from it. Or maybe you’ve had an issue with your system and need to troubleshoot the problem.
In this article we cover how to reset your Xbox One and Xbox 360, and look at the differences between the various options.
Prepare Your Xbox One X/s Or Xbox Series X/s
There are a few things youll want to do before you plug the USB drive into your Xbox console:
1. First, unplug the network cable if you are using a wired Internet connection. If your Xbox connects to the Internet over Wi-Fi, you can ignore this step.
2. Shut down the console completely. Dont put it in rest mode turn it off completely .
3. Once your Xbox shuts down, unplug the power cable to make sure your console is totally powered off. Wait for around 30 seconds or so before you plug the power cable back in.
How To Reset Xbox One To Factory Settings
At some point you, the user of Xbox One you’ll have to reset your console, whether due to crashes, screens of death or even to make a sale and hand over your brand-new device to someone else. Whatever your reason, here you’ll learn some reset methods for your console in a completely safe way and recommended by Microsoft itself, still being able to choose between deleting all your games and information or keeping everything you’ve previously saved.
One thing you should be aware of though is that if you do the reset procedures you will delete all accounts linked to the console. Accounts must be added manually again, one by one. After becoming aware of this, let’s start the official Xbox support tutorial. Check it out!
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Reset A Windows 10 Device
Back up any info that you want to save.
Select Start > Settings > Update & Security > Backup > Add a drive, and then choose an external drive.
After you’ve backed up the info you need, select Start > Settings > Update and security > Recovery.
Under Reset this PC, select Get started, and then follow the instructions on the screen. Resetting your device removes your files, settings, and apps, then reinstalls Windows.
Factory Reset Xbox One

When changes made to an Xbox One after it left the factory are reversed, and the console is returned to a state similar to that when it was first shipped, this is called a factory reset.
In other words, all your saved games on your Xbox One will be wiped, but this resetting is quite effective to restore the console to proper working order.
Tip:
To factory reset Xbox One, please refer to the following steps:
Step 1: Press the home button on the Xbox One controller when the console is on. And go to System.
Step 2: Access the Xbox One Settings menu by pressing the gear-shaped icon.
Step 3: Choose System from the left panel and then choose the Console info section.
Step 4: Go to Reset console and choose Reset and remove everything for a full factory reset. Please note there are other two options as the following image shows:
- Reset and keep my games & apps: This is your primary choice when troubleshooting. This option just resets the OS and deletes all potentially corrupted data without deleting your games and apps. In other words, this choice is not the best one when you run into the problems that are caused by the corrupted game files.
- Cancel: Select this option if you dont want to restore your console to the factory state.
Now, wait for a while as the Xbox One restores itself back to its factory settings.
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The Difference Between Resetting Hard Resetting And Factory Resetting
Before you factory-reset your Xbox One, make sure you know about the different types of resets that your console can undergo:
- When you turn your Xbox One off normally, it goes into a low-power mode, so when you turn it back on, that’s just a regular reset or soft reset. The console never actually turns all the way off.
- When your Xbox One powers down all the way and turns back on, that’s called a hard reset. It’s similar to what happens when you shut down a computer, and no data is lost.
- When changes that have been made to an Xbox One after it left the factory are reversed, and the console is returned to a state similar to that when it was first shipped, this is called a factory reset. This process restores the factory settings and permanently deletes all of your games, saved data, and other settings.
Back Up Or Transfer Your Data
Xbox Live members as well as Game Pass subscribers have access to cloud saves, but its a good idea to back up your data regardless. In the Settings menu, follow System > Backup & transfer to open the backup settings. There are two steps to perform here. The first is to select Back up my settings. This option backs up most of your system settings and preferences to external storage, including everything from your accessibility options to your theme settings. Performing this step will allow you to jump back in immediately after resetting your Xbox Series X.
If you plan on deleting your games and apps, go back to the Backup & transfer screen and select Hard drive transfer. Youll need a fast external hard drive, but you can move your games and apps over to external storage so they dont get lost during the reset. As long as you back up your settings and have your saves synced, you can freely delete games and apps and redownload them. If you dont want to stress your internet connection, however, moving them from external storage is still an option.
Finally, you have to deal with your saves. You dont need to do anything special as long as youre signed up for Xbox Live. Note that you just need Xbox Live free, not Xbox Live Gold, to access cloud saves. Make sure to close any games you have running while you have an active internet connection .
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How To Hard Reset Xbox One With Xbox Startup Troubleshooter
For many problems your Xbox One console faces, the ways to reach the solution must be different as well. Cases where you arent able to login to the Xbox platform, we would need to factory reset Xbox One with the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter. Its more like taking help from the outer feature because you arent able to boot the console from within.
1. The prerequisite you need to factory reset Xbox One would be to power off your console and plug out network & power cables . Now you need to plug in the power cable and use below steps:
2. On your console, you can see the Eject & Bind buttons .
3. Since you are holding both the buttons on the console, put your fingers at work and hold down the Xbox button also.
4. Now you can release the pressure from the Xbox button, however keep the pressure on both the Eject & Bind buttons unless you hear two tones altogether.
5. Following this command, the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter will appear on your screen where you need to navigate yourself to the Settings section.
6. Under Settings, look for the Reset This Xbox feature and go ahead with the resetting your Xbox to factory settings. Simple as that!!
Completing The Usb Reset
After you press the Xbox button to turn the system on, continue holding Bind and Eject for 10-15 seconds. Listen for two power tones while you do this you can release the buttons after you hear the second sound. If you don’t hear two tones within 15 seconds, or you hear a power-down sound, the process has failed.
When the console restarts, you can remove your flash drive. After it completes the process, your Xbox One will be completely reset.
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Types Of Reset Options & What They Do
Reset Using A Pendrive
On the computer, if you cannot restore the factory default settings because you have no screen image or cannot access the menu settings, you can perform this action using a file loaded on a USB flash drive.To use a USB flash drive to restore the console to factory defaults, you will need:
- A Windows-based computer with an Internet connection and a USB port
- A USB flash drive with a minimum space of 4GB and formatted as NTFS
It is important to note that most USB flash drives come formatted as FAT32 and will need to be reformatted to NTFS. Formatting a USB flash drive in this procedure erases all files on it.
After formatting the drive to NTFS, follow the steps below.
on console:
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Several Xbox Series X Owners Have Been Facing Issues With Their Xbox Series X Controller How To Fix Xbox Series X Controller Issues Scroll On For Details
The release of the Xbox Series X was one of the biggest events in the gaming industry. The next-generation gaming console has received much love and positive reviews from the gaming community. It offers a solid 12 teraflops of computing power and comes with a wide array of other interesting features. However, the Xbox Series X has also been plagued with a bunch of minor issues and bugs that have cropped up for a number of early adopters.
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Several Xbox Series X owners have complained that they encountered certain issues with the gaming unit, where most of the issues were centered around the consoles disc drive. While that has been fixed for most users, another common issue faced by users has to do with Xbox Series X controller.
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If Your Console Has Frozen Or You Want To Start Anew On The Xbox Series X Or Xbox Series S Heres What You Need To Know About Performing A Hard Restart And Hard Reset

Regardless of how revolutionary the hardware within the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S is, we all know that, at some point, a hard restart will be necessary to escape a locked or frozen console.
Equally, many players will also find that down the line, the Xbox Series X|S will become so stuffed with content that resetting to factory settings with a hard reset is the best course of action.
To perform a hard restart of your Xbox Series X or S, you need to:
Its essential that you press and hold the button down until the console has switched off when trying to hard restart releasing it too soon may just activate sleep mode on the Xbox Series X or S.
To perform a hard reset of your Xbox Series X or S, you need to:
Opting to hard reset your Xbox will remove all of your information, games, and apps from the console.
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What To Do If Your Xbox Wont 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 .
Of course, if that doesnt 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 wont 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.
How To Soft Reset Your Xbox One
A soft reset is what youre likely going to use for fixing a number of bugs like freezes or minor glitches. It should affect your data and is essentially just a simple restart of the console. You can do this with your controller if the screen hasnt frozen, or directly on the console.
How to soft reset an Xbox One with a controller:
How to soft reset an Xbox one on the console:
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How To Soft Reset An Xbox One
To perform a soft reset that should jog a glitchy Xbox One back to proper function, simply turn it off, wait a few seconds, then power it back on.
You can turn off an Xbox One by pressing and holding the Xbox button on the controller, then choosing either “Restart console” or “Turn console off.”
To turn the Xbox One off using the console itself, simply press and release the power button on the front of the unit.
Best Xbox Game Pass Games For Xbox One
Pick up the best Xbox One games included with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.
There are some scenarios where your Xbox One might have a few problems signing into Xbox Live, specifically when Xbox Live is active as opposed to offline which are best addressed by performing a hard reset on the console.
Usually this problem occurs after a period of Xbox Live service outage or after youve installed or updated a game. The result is you cant sign-in to Xbox Live even though the service is up, OR alternatively you get games hanging on the title screen.
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Unable To Factory Reset A Bricked Xbox One
I know nothing about Xbox in particular so bear with me here.
My brother sent his unit to me. “Doesn’t work, please fix”. Indeed it didn’t work, no reaction at all on my TV when I press the power button. The “start up-beep” is there, but then it’s dead as a doornail.
I found a FAQ/KB on xbox.com that explained how to factory reset the unit. I followed the instructions, downloaded the … update? … and put on an NTFS-formatted pendrive, put it in the Xbox, held EJECT and the button on the left and then power button.
According to the guide, the unit should give two “beeps” within a couple of second. If it takes longer than 15 secs, the reset didn’t work .
This unit beeps only once, so the reset failed.
Is this Xbox bricked / FUBAR?
EDIT: I’ve opened the unit to make sure the HDMI-port is whole, and it is
EDIT 2: When powering up, the PSU goes white and the unit’s fan starts. Also tried another PSU, same error .
DVDs can be loaded and ejected without any problems, so the Xbox is atleast alive a bit.
EDIT 3: Found the error – the HDD was dead.