System updates on your Xbox Series X are an important part of good maintenance of your console. Updates are often designed to optimise software, fix bugs, and keep everything working as it should. But if your console doesn't update successfully, you could find yourself dealing with an Xbox Series X update error. You may find the console won't start correctly after the update, or you may start receiving an error message.
If you find yourself trapped in an Xbox Series X update error nightmare, read this article. There's quite a lot to cover, so we'll get to it.
What to do if your console gets stuck during startup
If your console gets stuck on a startup animation screen (for example, with the Xbox logo displayed) then a simple power cycle may be enough to rectify the problem. But if you complete a power cycle and the startup animation persists for longer than 10 minutes, you may need to perform an offline system update. Microsoft offer a detailed guide for this here.
On the other hand, if your screen is completely black, leave it on for 10 minutes or so, and see if anything happens. This is to allow the console time to complete a system check, which can sometimes take a while. If it stays stuck, then the offline system update is the thing to do.
If, after 10 minutes, the console transitions to another screen, Microsoft recommend resetting to factory defaults. You can do this and still keep your games and apps. If the reset is unsuccessful, then you may need to have your console repaired, by contacting Microsoft.
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Xbox Series X update error E-numbers
Error codes can sometimes pop-up during a failed update. Depending on the code, will influence the course of action for you to follow. If you receive an error message stating that, "something went wrong" then check to see if there is an error code beginning with an E. If there is, you can check this page for how to handle it.
Generally, solutions will boil doesn't to one of a few option - restart your console, reset to factory defaults, perform an offline system update, or get your console repaired. It's well worth working your way through each step.
If you see a different error code, you can search for it by clicking this link, and getting some additional help and support from Microsoft.
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Xbox is almost full
If you receive the message that "Your Xbox is almost full", then this means that your Xbox lack sufficient space on the hard drive, to download and install the update. The remedy is pretty simple. All you have to do, is free up some space on your console. To do this:
- Select Go to my games & apps.
- Choose any content you no longer want, like an old game, then press the Menu button on your controller.
- Select Manage game/app, select the saved memory file you want to remove, and select Uninstall.
- Try again to launch the game or app associated with the content update. The update process should start again.
If you get a repeat of the memory full message, then repeat the process to delete more content, until you have enough room for the update.
If nothing we've recommended works, then it's probably time to reach out to Microsoft for additional help and support. It's possible you'll need to have your console repaired.
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