How to Disable Xbox Live

Evan Gower September 24, 2019

Xbox Live has been Microsoft’s online gaming and platform for Xbox since its release in 2002. It has seen many iterations and refinements over the years. Unlike its main competitor, PlayStation Now, Xbox Live requires a monthly subscription in order to play online and to access the majority of the provided services.

Microsoft has also made repeated attempts to incorporate PCs into the Xbox Live ecosystem over the years. Previous efforts like the now defunct Gamers for Windows – LIVE platform were generally poorly received. This particular project failed mainly due to the initially expensive subscription fee, as well as the forced integration with games downloaded from other content providers like Steam.

How to Disable Xbox Live on Xbox One

If you want to disable Xbox Live on your console, you only really have one option, which is to set your Xbox into the offline mode. If you do so, you’ll still be able to play all games that don’t require an internet connection, provided your Xbox is set as your home console or you have the game disc. You will also still be able to earn achievements and change the majority of the settings, apart from Family and Profile settings.

To set your Xbox One offline, you’ll need to take the following steps:

Press the Xbox button on your controller.
Select System.
Select Settings.
Select Network.
Select Network Settings.
Select Go offline.

To go back online, simply repeat the above process and choose Go online when you get to step 6.

Taking your Xbox One offline means that you will no longer have access to games that require an internet connection to play, so you won’t be able to play multiplayer games with your friends. All of the social aspects of Xbox Live will also be disabled, so you won’t be able to message or talk to your friends. Plus, you won’t get game updates.

How to Disable Xbox Live on Xbox 360

As they come from the previous generation of games, where playing games online was less prominent than it is today, most 360 games will work just fine offline. Of course, multiplayer options and chatting with your friends won’t be possible.

To set you Xbox 360 offline, and turn off your connection to Xbox Live in the process, you’ll first need to set it as your home console, and then turn off your network connection. To do so, you’ll need to do this:

Press the Xbox button on your controller.
Select the Settings button in the top right corner (it looks like a cog wheel).
Select Personal
Select My Home Xbox.
Press B to return to the Settings menu.
Select Network.
Select Network Settings.
Select Go offline.

To restore internet connectivity, just choose Go online when you get to step 8.

Turn Off Xbox Live Auto Sign-in on Xbox 360

If you want to keep your 360 connected to the internet but want to stop Xbox Live from automatically signing you in when you turn the console on, you can take these steps:

Sign in to Xbox Live.
Press the Xbox button on your controller.
Select the Settings cog wheel.
Select Settings.
Select Profile.
Select Sign-in Preferences.
Select Auto Sign-in.
Switch it off.

Disable Xbox Game Bar on Windows 10

The latest version of Windows has an integrated Game Bar that allows you to record your games and to connect to the Xbox app. Game Bar has caused stuttering with various games in the past. Also, it can take up valuable RAM on lower-end systems. To disable it, take the following steps:

Right click on the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Click on Settings.
Click on Gaming.
Click on Game Bar.
Under Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar, click the toggle switch to turn the option off.

Xbox Dead

While you’ll never be able to fully extract yourself from the Xbox Live ecosystem if you have an Xbox console or a Windows PC, you can use the steps provided in this article to disconnect yourself from their services. if you’ve found any other ways to get rid of Xbox Live, feel free to let us know in the comments section.