Making use of external storage on Xbox One is miraculously simple, much like the PlayStation 4 all you need to do is insert an external hard drive via USB to one of the ports on your console. Although the evolution from USB 3.0 to USB 3.1 is well underway, the Xbox One can only connect to external hard drives that support the older USB 3.0 standard. Some high-end external hard drives support USB 3.1 only, so be sure to double-check one last time before you buy. It can't be a flash drive.
Games are getting bigger than ever, but the internal hard drive in your Xbox One is not. With internal Xbox storage ranging from 500GB to 2TB, you'll soon need to invest in an external drive, increasing capacity and making games load faster. We've rounded up our top tips for choosing and getting started with new drives for your console.
Products used in this guide
- An external hard drive: Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable Drive ($47 at Amazon)
- If you want 2TB: WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive ($65 at Amazon)
- A 500GB SSD: Samsung T5 500GB Portable SSD ($90 at Amazon)
- Get a dock: Sabrent USB 3.0 SATA Docking Station ($23 at Amazon)
How to choose an Xbox One external hard drive
© Provided by Windows CentralAll Xbox One games must be installed on the console's hard drive before use, including those purchased on a disc. The Xbox One's built-in hard drive cannot be replaced or upgraded without voiding your warranty, so unless you're into the hardware-mod scene, you're stuck with the stock drive.
Luckily, the console supports the use of external drives, making it easy to expand your storage space for games and other content. External drives must be at least 256GB and support USB 3.0 on Xbox One. Slower USB 2.0 drives are not supported, ensuring data will transfer very quickly between your console and the drive.
When choosing a drive, your first consideration should be storage space. The console has a 16TB limit on external storage size, rendering most drives compatible. For most, 1TB externals provide a welcome boost, ideal for those on a budget. Making an upgrade to 2TB offers more flexibility, while 4TB and 8TB prove overkill for many.
Entry-level 1TB and 2TB drives are an excellent upgrade for first-time buyers.
Budget drive
Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
© Provided by Windows CentralAn affordable upgrade to your Xbox One storage.
Toshiba's 1TB Canvio Basic drives are simple, compact, and among the cheapest Xbox-compatible drives. Tripling storage of entry-level Xbox One consoles, it's the perfect upgrade to pair with internal storage.
More for your money
WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive
© Provided by Windows CentralFor those with more games than storage.
Leap to 2TB with this WD Elements drive, delivering a low-cost storage upgrade for a few extra bucks. It's barebones, cutting surplus software, so it's ideal for simple plug-and-play with Xbox One.
Hard drive speed should also be considered, roughly estimated by the drive's revolutions per minute (RPM). Theoretically, the faster the drive, the quicker games will install, load, and save. For example, 7,200 RPM drives are faster than entry-level 5,400 RPM drives, while 10,000 provide a further boost. Solid-state drives (SSDs) lead the pack, delivering unrivaled speed on Xbox One at a high price.
All Xbox One models, including the Xbox One X, pack a 5,400 RPM internal hard drive. However, limitations of the console's 'SATA II' interface means its full potential is rarely used, making a 5,400 RPM USB 3.0 drive faster in most situations. As for the Xbox One X, which uses high-bandwidth 'SATA III,' internal load times increase as demonstrated in our extensive testing.
For those demanding the best drive speeds, an SSD is the best pick.
Need for speed
Samsung T5 500GB Portable SSD
© Provided by Windows CentralGo faster than light with this SSD companion.
While Xbox-compatible SSDs aren't cheap, Samsung's T5 500GB external drive packs top-tier speed for less than $100. It doubles the storage of the base Xbox One so that you can offload your most-played titles for that extra boost. Encased in a shock-resistant metal finish, it fits stealthily beside any console.
Alternatively, you can pick up an external enclosure and stick an internal hard drive of your choice inside it. It's a good option for people who already have a well-sized spare drive collecting dust. You can also recycle old PC or laptop drives lying around for further savings.
If you have a spare hard drive, an external enclosure is an easy way to save.
Recycle
- An external hard drive: Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable Drive ($47 at Amazon)
- If you want 2TB: WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive ($65 at Amazon)
- A 500GB SSD: Samsung T5 500GB Portable SSD ($90 at Amazon)
- Get a dock: Sabrent USB 3.0 SATA Docking Station ($23 at Amazon)
How to choose an Xbox One external hard drive
© Provided by Windows CentralAll Xbox One games must be installed on the console's hard drive before use, including those purchased on a disc. The Xbox One's built-in hard drive cannot be replaced or upgraded without voiding your warranty, so unless you're into the hardware-mod scene, you're stuck with the stock drive.
Luckily, the console supports the use of external drives, making it easy to expand your storage space for games and other content. External drives must be at least 256GB and support USB 3.0 on Xbox One. Slower USB 2.0 drives are not supported, ensuring data will transfer very quickly between your console and the drive.
When choosing a drive, your first consideration should be storage space. The console has a 16TB limit on external storage size, rendering most drives compatible. For most, 1TB externals provide a welcome boost, ideal for those on a budget. Making an upgrade to 2TB offers more flexibility, while 4TB and 8TB prove overkill for many.
Entry-level 1TB and 2TB drives are an excellent upgrade for first-time buyers.
Budget drive
Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
© Provided by Windows CentralAn affordable upgrade to your Xbox One storage.
Toshiba's 1TB Canvio Basic drives are simple, compact, and among the cheapest Xbox-compatible drives. Tripling storage of entry-level Xbox One consoles, it's the perfect upgrade to pair with internal storage.
More for your money
WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive
© Provided by Windows CentralFor those with more games than storage.
Leap to 2TB with this WD Elements drive, delivering a low-cost storage upgrade for a few extra bucks. It's barebones, cutting surplus software, so it's ideal for simple plug-and-play with Xbox One.
Hard drive speed should also be considered, roughly estimated by the drive's revolutions per minute (RPM). Theoretically, the faster the drive, the quicker games will install, load, and save. For example, 7,200 RPM drives are faster than entry-level 5,400 RPM drives, while 10,000 provide a further boost. Solid-state drives (SSDs) lead the pack, delivering unrivaled speed on Xbox One at a high price.
All Xbox One models, including the Xbox One X, pack a 5,400 RPM internal hard drive. However, limitations of the console's 'SATA II' interface means its full potential is rarely used, making a 5,400 RPM USB 3.0 drive faster in most situations. As for the Xbox One X, which uses high-bandwidth 'SATA III,' internal load times increase as demonstrated in our extensive testing.
For those demanding the best drive speeds, an SSD is the best pick.
Need for speed
Samsung T5 500GB Portable SSD
© Provided by Windows CentralGo faster than light with this SSD companion.
While Xbox-compatible SSDs aren't cheap, Samsung's T5 500GB external drive packs top-tier speed for less than $100. It doubles the storage of the base Xbox One so that you can offload your most-played titles for that extra boost. Encased in a shock-resistant metal finish, it fits stealthily beside any console.
Alternatively, you can pick up an external enclosure and stick an internal hard drive of your choice inside it. It's a good option for people who already have a well-sized spare drive collecting dust. You can also recycle old PC or laptop drives lying around for further savings.
If you have a spare hard drive, an external enclosure is an easy way to save.
Recycle
Sabrent USB 3.0 SATA Docking Station
© Provided by Windows CentralSpare hard drive? This is all you need.
This multi-size enclosure converts your existing storage into an external hard drive. With support for both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch drives, it guarantees compatibility and ease-of-use.
How to use an external hard drive on Xbox One
© Provided by Windows CentralWith a drive in-hand, it's now time to connect it to Xbox One. Connect the drive to a vacant USB port using the included cable. Once automatically detected, follow the on-screen prompts, permitting the drive to be formatted. https://mobi-free.mystrikingly.com/blog/www-games-com-fortnite. By using the external hard drive on Xbox One, all prior data is erased.
- Connect your external hard drive to an Xbox One USB port. An on-screen pop-up will display.
- Select Format storage device.
- Enter a name for the drive using the on-screen keyboard.
- Select Install new things here to automatically install future games on this drive.
- Select Format storage device.
Now configured for Xbox One, future games, and apps automatically install to your external drive.
How to move Xbox One games to an external hard drive
© Provided by Windows CentralWith your external drive installed and formatted, existing game installations can be moved. This allows games to take advantage of performance benefits without redownloading over Xbox Live. We recommend transferring all but the lowest-priority games.
- Open the Settings app on Xbox One.
- Navigate to the System tab.
- Select Storage.
- Scroll over to the right to select the drive to move content from.
- Select Transfer.
Select items you plan to transfer. If moving all items, choose Select all. High roller slots.
© Provided by Windows Central- Choose Move selected to move the items between the console and drive.
- Choose the external drive.
- Press Move to initiate the transfer.
After you're done moving your games, the 'My Games & Apps' menu will now display the total combined free storage and percentage of used storage on the left side of the screen.
Summary: Is your Xbox One won't recognize external hard drive, looking for the ways out? Then to get your Xbox One to recognize your external hard drive, first, restart your Xbox console, remove and then reconnect your external hard drive, and connect it to another USB port on Xbox to check if it is detecting the external drive or not.
Moreover, if you are still wondering how do I get my Xbox one to recognize my external hard drive? Then in this guide, I'll help out to troubleshoot the Xbox One can't detect external hard drive problems.
The Xbox One is the 3rd console on the Xbox seriesof gaming consoles and according to Microsoft it is an 'all-in-one entertainment system'.
Well, this eighth-generation home video game console and the successor of the Xbox 360 console is highly advanced and popular among the gamers.
The Xbox One console installs every game to the hard drive and some games are very huge and as a result, fill up the 500GB hard drive in no time. Luckily, there is an option to connect the external hard drive to the Xbox One for extra storage.
But recently many gamers complained that the Xbox One won't recognize the external drive.
So, if you are also wondering how do I get my Xbox One to recognize my external hard drive, then follow the solutions listed below to fix the problem. But first, it is important to examine the requirements required for an external hard drive for saving games and apps from Xbox One.
External Storage Drive System Requirements:
- The external storage drive must have 128 GB or more storage capacity
- The external storage drive uses a USB 3.0 connection and if using a USB hub then it should be 3.0 or later
- At the same time, you can't connect more than three storage devices to the console.
- Storage drive must have a partition; the drives commonly come with preformatted partition.
Well the external storage devices such as hard drives, flash drives, CD, etc. that doesn't meet these requirements are treated as media storage and this is what causing the problem like Xbox One can't detect external hard drive problem.
Now if everything looks fine then it is confirmed there is no hardware problem now follow the solutions given wisely.
Please Note: The Xbox One reformat the hard drive, so before setting up the hard drive with Xbox One, check you don't have any essential information stored on the hard drive
What to do if Xbox One Won't Recognize External Hard Drive?
Fix 1: Quick Tweaks
As said above to fix Xbox One stopped recognizing external Hard Drive issues, very first you need to try the easy quick tweaks. This not only saves your time but also help you to fix the problem easily.
- Always remember very first restart your Xbox One console, a simple restarting your device spares you from plenty of difficulties.
- Take out and again connect your external storage device
- Connect the device to the different USB port on your Xbox One console.
- Connect the external hard drive on your PC or laptop and check if it recognized.
Now if still, the Xbox One can't detect the external hard drive, then head to the next solution.
Fix 2: Update your Xbox One
Check if some of the recent Xbox One updates are pending then update your console firmware manually. This may works for you to solve your problem.
Follow the steps to update Xbox One manually:
- To open guide > press the Xbox button
- Then choose System> Settings
- Now select System>then go to Updates
Call xbox live. Check if there is any update available then install it, and as you install the update > go to Settings >System >Storage > and check if the Xbox One detects the external hard drive or not.
Fix 3: Power Cycle your Console
This solution worked for many users, so it is best to perform a hard power cycle of your Xbox One console.
Follow the steps to do so:
- Press and hold the Xbox button on the console for at least 10 seconds to turn off the console.
- And when it turned off, turn back your console by press the Xbox button on the front of the console or Xbox button on your controller
Please Note: When the console restarts, if you won't see the green boot-up animation, then repeat the steps described above. Now be sure to press the power button till the console complete shutdown.
Fix 4: Adjust the Power Management for Storage
If still, the Xbox One won't recognize the external hard drive, then make sure to check your power settings. Is roulette a fair game.
Follow the steps to do so:
Xbox One External Hard Drive Requirement
- Press Xbox button > to open guide > choose System
- Now go to Settings> Power & startup
- Choose Power mode & startup > confirm that your Power mode is set to Instant-on
- Then un-select the When Xbox is off, turn off storage option
Now restart your Xbox and go to Settings > choose System > Storage and check if your external device appears in the list.
If not then resetting your Xbox One may work for you to fix the problem.
Fix 5: Reset the Xbox One
There is a possibility the problem is might be with your Xbox One consoles OS and due to this, the Xbox One won't recognize your external storage drive.
Adobe acrobat 9 requirements. So, the only option left is trying to reset your Xbox One without deleting the games or apps.
Please Note: Make sure you have the account login information, as all the accounts were removed when you perform resetting the console.
Follow the steps to do so:
- First, open guide by pressing the Xbox button > choose Settings
- Then choose All settings> System
- Now go to Console Info & updates> choose Reset Console
- And as prompted you want to reset your console > choose Reset and keep my games & apps.
Hence the Xbox One console operating system will reset delete potentially corrupted data without deleting the games or apps.
Many gamers confirmed there Xbox One won't load games or apps if so then read the guide to fix Xbox One Wont Load Games & Apps.
Xbox One: Frequently Asked Questions:
1. How to Detect your External Storage?
To verify if your console detects the external hard drive, follow the steps given:
- Press Xbox button > to open the guide.
- Then choose System> Settings > System > Storage.
- Check if your storage device appears on this list or not.
2. What format does an External Hard Drive require for Xbox One?
FAT32 is the file system required for most of the game consoles. Well, many external hard drives are formatted to NTFS, but the Xbox One requires a FAT32 system. So if in case your external hard drive is not FAT32 then formats your external hard drive to FAT32.
3. Why won't my external hard drive show up on Xbox One?
It might happen the external hard drive won't meet the system requirements needed for Xbox One to save games or apps.
Or your external hard drive is not formatted to FAT32 and therefore Xbox One won't detect it.
4. How to manage storage on Xbox One?
It is very important to manage the Xbox One storage, so if your Xbox fill-ups, then uninstall the games or apps, you are not using, remove the leftover add-ons, you can also shrink the games and remove the 4K assets. Or else transfer the items from internal to external storage.
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Now It's Your Turn
Well, here my job is done, I tried my best to list down the complete information to fix Xbox One Won't Recognize External Hard Drive problem.
Now is your turn to follow the solutions, we hope that one of our solutions helps you to solve the issue and your Xbox One start detecting the external hard drive.
Make sure to follow the solutions listed carefully, it is estimated the article works for you and hopefully, now you have more space to save your games.
If there is anything that I missed out or have any suggestion then feel free to write to us and also don't forget to give a big thumbs up on Facebook and Twitter
Good Luck.!
Hardeep Kaur
Hardeep has always been a Windows lover ever since she got her hands on her first Windows XP PC. She has always been enthusiastic about technological stuff, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI) computing. Before joining PC Error Fix, she worked as a freelancer and worked on numerous technical projects.