When it comes to any electronic device that's even tangentially linked to a computer, sometimes you'll need to erase things. The same is true if you own an Xbox One. What do we mean? Your hard drive in Xbox One can fill up with unnecessary items, and these items take up space and resources to keep things running smoothly and quickly. Just as clutter can accumulate in an old office, clutter can also accumulate in your data.
The first thing to try if you've noticed longer loading times or a loss of pep on your Xbox One is to do a factory reset. Don't worry, it's not a difficult task. It's pretty easy, so you shouldn't lose anything in the process.
Let's see how to clear the cache of your Xbox One.
Hard reset your Xbox One
You might want to perform a hard reset on your Xbox One if you recently updated or suffered a power outage and things freeze up. Maybe a game is stuck on a loading screen or you're having connection issues.
- Hold down the power button on your Xbox One console for 10 seconds when powered on.
- Then your Xbox One turns off.
- When it's completely off, press the power button again and your Xbox One console will turn back on.
After the reset, your files and data remain intact, but the cache has been cleared. You've probably done this tons of times yourself without even knowing it was what you were doing.
Unplug your Xbox One
Another way to clear cache and reset your power on your Xbox One is to unplug it.
- Turn off your Xbox One console with the power button on the front of the console or with your Xbox One controller. You can hold down the button that looks like the Xbox logo, roughly at the top middle of the controller, if you decide to go that route.
- Unplug your Xbox One's power cord for at least 10 seconds. It is important to follow the 10 second rule so that the power also resets with your Xbox One console.
- After waiting 10 seconds, reconnect the power cable to the back of your Xbox One.
- Next, restart your Xbox One with the power button on the front of the console or with your Xbox One controller.
So, now you have reset your Xbox One power and cleared the cache as well.
Use your Xbox One controller
To restart your Xbox One with your controller, all you need to do is;
- Press the logo button on your Xbox One controller, then use the left stick to access the settings, i.e. the gear icon in the bottom left of your screen.
- Next, select "settings" with the A button on your Xbox One controller.
- Use the left stick on your controller again to move down to "restart console" and press the A button again to choose it.
- Move the left stick on your controller to highlight "Restart" and press the A button. Your Xbox One console will restart once you do.
- The Xbox One green screen with the white logo will appear when your console restarts. It will take a few seconds and then you will reconnect to your Xbox One and land on your console home screen.
So, you can now reset your Xbox One console and clear its cache. You can also reset the power connected to your Xbox One.
This is very useful if your Xbox One starts to lag on game loading screens or otherwise. It is also a good way to get rid of all things like files and data stored in your Xbox One's cache to reclaim resources and get better performance from your console.
