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The Xbox Series X and S consoles have been around for a while now, but if you're just getting yours you might be wondering how some of its troubleshooting features work. You have some control over what you can get your Xbox to do, from clearing out unnecessary files from your cache to diving into your preferred network and Wifi settings.
With the exception of one thing here, all of these troubleshooting actions can be performed in the same way across both the Series X and S consoles. Familiarise yourself with the Xbox's home button on your controller, you'll be using a lot to get into the system settings.
How To Clear Your Cache On Xbox Series X|S
From the dashboard, push the Xbox Home button on your controller to bring up the side menu. In this side menu, go to the far-right tab that will be the icon of your Gamer Profile and select "Settings".
- Once in the main settings menu, head to the Devices & Connections tab and then click on the Blu-Ray tile on the right.
- Select the "Persistent storage" option and then "Clear Persistent Storage". This will clear your cache.
You'll probably want to clear your cache simply because many games will store data and information on your console, which will quickly begin to clog things up and slow your machine down if you let it accumulate.
Your Xbox will send you a warning on the dashboard if your cache storage starts to clutter.
Xbox Series S
You need to follow different instructions to clear your cache on an Xbox Series S. The method is different with the Series S console since it is all digital. Press the Home button on your controller to bring up the side menu, and navigate to the far-right tab to find "Settings". Once there, navigate to the following pages:
- System > Console Info > Reset Your Console.
- Choose the option which reads 'Reset and keep my games and apps'.
- This method should clear out any lingering files that don't need to be there, helping free up some space.
If this option doesn't do it for you, then go back to the Reset Your Console tab and select the first option "Reset and remove everything".
This will fully wipe your console and you will have to set it up again from scratch.
How To Clear Local Saved Game Data On Xbox Series X|S
Sometimes your storage will be taken up by a lot of different saved data from your games. While they don't take up much space individually, they will accumulate over time and even games you uninstall from the Xbox will still have their local save data there. Here's how to remove it.
- On the Xbox home screen, press the Home button on your controller to bring up a side menu, navigate to the far-right tab and go into the 'Settings' option.
- From here, navigate to the System tab and then find the Storage Devices tile on the right.
- This will bring up a new page where you can configure storage options for your console.
- The menu you want to click on is "Clear local saved games", which is the middle option of the three shown to you.
- You'll be prompted if you want to clear the data, confirm and let the Xbox do its thing.
This action will delete your local save files but won't remove any you may have stored on the Xbox cloud.
After doing this, your Xbox will restart.
How To Perform A Hard Reset On Xbox Series X|S
There's a difference between a hard reset and a factory reset with the Xbox consoles. If you're encountering consistent freezing problems, one of these options could help solve them.
- A hard reset is where you hold the power button until your Xbox is forced to switch itself off.
- A factory reset will delete all data on the console, and you'll have to set it up again as if you've just unboxed it for the first time.
You should only do a hard reset if your console appears to freeze while loading a game or everything becomes unresponsive. A factory reset will probably be the safest option to avoid corrupting any data; this will take a bit longer to perform since you have to re-initialise it upon completion, but it is by far the best option to try and fix any issues your Xbox might be having if you're willing to sit through downloading and installing all your games again.
How To Check Network Status On Xbox Series X|S
If you're trying to connect to the internet or you're wondering why your console isn't connecting to your Wifi, you need to go to the following settings menu:
- Push the Xbox Home button on your controller to bring up the side menu and navigate to the far-right tab to find the Settings option.
- On the "General" tab, which is the first option, select Network Settings.
- In Network Settings, you can test your internet speed, see your current connection, set up a new network, and if you're feeling adventurous, you can fiddle with more advanced IP settings for your console.
In this section, you can also disconnect from your wireless router and switch to an ethernet connection if you have one plugged into your Xbox.