How To Clear the Cache on an Xbox One

Heather July 29, 2022

When it comes to basically any electronic device that’s even tangentially related to a computer, occasionally, you’ll need to clear things out. The same applies if you’re an Xbox One owner. What do we mean? Your hard drive in the Xbox One may become filled with unnecessary items, and those items take up the space and resources needed to keep things running quickly and smoothly. Just as clutter can build up in an old office, clutter can build up in your data, too.

If you’ve noticed longer load times or loss of pep on your Xbox One, the first thing to try is doing a reset. Don’t worry; this isn’t a difficult task. It’s quite easy, so you shouldn’t lose anything in the process. But, if that doesn’t work, it’s time to clear the cache.

Let’s have a look at ways to clear the cache on your Xbox One.

Perform a Restart

Before we dive into the steps to clear the cache on your Xbox, let’s first review a basic restart. Although clearing the cache on your device won’t erase any important information, it will reset all of your settings. If you need to clear the cache to troubleshoot a problem, it’s a good idea to try this first.

Unplug Your Xbox One

One of the fastest methods to perform a hard reset is to unplug the console. This may seem like a simple process, but there are some rules to performing it properly.

Power down your Xbox One console with either the power button on the front of the console or with your Xbox One controller. You can hold the button that looks like the Xbox logo in roughly the top middle of the controller if you decide to go that route.
Unplug the power cord from your Xbox one for at least 10 seconds. It’s important to follow the 10-second rule so that the power supply also gets reset along with your Xbox One console.
After waiting for 10 seconds, re-plug the power cable into the back of your Xbox One.
Then, restart your Xbox One with the power button on the front of the console or with your Xbox One controller.

Now, you can turn your Xbox back on and see if the issues you are having are resolved.

Use Your Xbox One Controller

To restart your Xbox One with your controller, all you should do is:

Press the logo button on your Xbox One controller, then use the left stick to go down to settings, which is the gear icon at 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 go down to Restart Console and press the A button again to choose it.
Move your controller’s left stick to highlight Restart and press the A button. Your Xbox One console will reboot once you’ve done that.
The green Xbox One screen with the white Logo will appear when your console restarts. It’ll take a few seconds, and then you’ll get logged back into your Xbox One, and you’ll land on the home screen on your console.

If a hard reset didn’t do the trick, it’s time to clear the cache.

How to Clear the Cache on an Xbox One

The instructions for clearing the cache on your Xbox One don’t involve going into the Settings like most other devices. Whereas the Xbox 360 lets users clear the cache from the device and storage settings, the Xbox One makes users take a different route. Fortunately, the process is actually quite simple.

Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to clear the cache on your Xbox One:

Start by pressing the Xbox button on your console and powering it off. If the white light is still lit, you have not turned your console off.
Unplug your Xbox by removing the power cable from the console.
Wait 30 seconds, then hold down the power button. Release the button and hold it again. Perform this step a couple of times.
Plug your Xbox back into the power supply and turn it back on when the light turns orange.

Performing these steps may reset your settings, but you won’t lose any important data. Now, you can try playing your game and moving through the Xbox menu to see if the problem has resolved itself. Of course, if you’re still having trouble, you may want to perform a factory reset. A factory reset of your Xbox will wipe all data, settings, and personal information from the console, including the cache.

This is very helpful if your Xbox One is starting to lag on game load screens or otherwise. It’s also a good way to dispose of all the items such as files and data stored in your Xbox One’s cache to regain some resources and get better performance out of your console.

Frequently Asked Questions

There’s always something new to learn about your Xbox One. If you have more questions about clearing the cache, keep reading.

What does clearing the cache do?

Over time your console stores small bits of data and files that can cause your system to run poorly. This is known as cached data. Offloading the cached files can speed your console back up and fix glitches. Fortunately, clearing the cache will not erase any of your saved game progress or important information.

How do I know if the cached data is cleared?

Unfortunately, you won’t see any pop-ups or confirmation notices letting you know that you’ve successfully cleared the cached data on your Xbox. If cached files were the root cause of the issues you’re experiencing and you’ve properly cleared the cache, the problems should be resolved.