If slow Xbox One download speeds are keeping you down, you’ve come to the right place. With so many household appliances running on WiFi, it’s sometimes hard to figure out why some devices don’t perform as quickly as they ought to. In the case of Xbox One slow download speeds, many of these problems are caused by background software. As luck would have it, learning how to fix or avoid slow download speeds is a matter of simple console upkeep. Here’s how to fix slow download speeds on Xbox One.
Xbox One Slow Download Speed | How to fix slow downloads
There are a couple of things that Xbox One owners can do to speed up downloads. For the most part, slow downloads are often caused by software running in the background. These problems can usually be solved by closing software or restarting the system.
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Restart your Xbox One
If you’re experiencing slow download speeds on the Xbox One, the first thing you should do is restart your system. This solution speeds up downloads for the majority of users, and it’s so simple that it should be the first order of business.
Here’s how to restart your Xbox One console:
- Press and hold the Xbox button on your controller.
- When the menu pops up, select Restart Console.
- Select Restart one more time. The system will suspend any downloads, shut down, and then boot back up.
- Once the Xbox One has booted back up, check to ensure that your downloads have resumed on the My Games & Apps screen.
Close All Running Software
Assuming that a system restart has no effect on download speeds, the second solution is to close any and all running software. Since both game software and streaming applications pause all system-level background downloads, this step ensures that there’s nothing preventing software from downloading at full speed.
Here’s how to close games and software on the Xbox One:
- Navigate to the console’s Home screen.
- Highlight the game or software that is running, then press the Menu button on the Xbox One controller.
- In the pop-up menu, select Quit to close the software.
- Once the software is closed, double check your download speed.
Cancel and Restart Downloads
There’s one last solution for Xbox One users who suffer from slow download speeds despite applying the fixes above. It involves canceling the software download or installation entirely, then restarting it. This is far less likely to work than the aforementioned fixes, but it’s worth trying if nothing else has worked.
- From the Home screen, open My Games & Apps.
- Select Queue, then highlight the software being downloaded.
- Press the Menu button on the Xbox One controller, then select Cancel.
- Once the download has been canceled, the software can be downloaded again from the Microsoft Store or by re-inserting the game disc.
My downloads are still slow. Now what?
Assuming none of these solutions work, it may be time to analyze network traffic. Some games download slowly simply because loads of users are trying to download them at once. This happened recently when players experienced slow Halo Reach download speeds. If the game or update was just released, the download may be slow simply due to network congestion.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that slow Xbox One download speeds are the result of your own in-house network. Unfortunately, these issues are much harder to address. By and large, however, it couldn’t hurt restarting your modem or router. It’s also possible to check download speeds through other devices running on the network using tools such as SpeedTest.net. If your mobile phone or PC is also suffering from slow downloads, the problem is likely not with your Xbox One.
Slow Xbox One download speeds may seem like a persistent problem. Thankfully, the most helpful solutions are also the most simple: Restart your console and close any background software. Giving the system a chance to breathe and catch up should be all that most players need to see their download speeds get back to acceptable levels.
If you’re downloading over Wi-Fi, you can purchase an extender to help boost the strength and range of the signal. Here’s our recommended product on Amazon. If that’s sold out, the AC1200 is also a great choice.
