UPDATED 1/30: I’m not saying you have to get rid of your Xbox One by any means, but there is a chance that for whatever the reason at one point you’d want to sell it or give it away. If this is absolutely something you have or want to do, Xbox One provides an easy way to erase everything in the console and restore your Xbox to the original factory defaults.
Basically resetting Xbox One to factory defaults means that everything will go back to the day you bought it and before you turned it on for the first time. All settings including accounts, apps, games, and saved games will be gone. Of course that everything in your account synced to Xbox Live will be kept intact.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to reset your Xbox One X, Xbox One S, or original Xbox One to it’s default settings:
How to reset Xbox One to factory default
To reset your Xbox One console to its default settings, use these steps:
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Press the Xbox logo button to open the Guide.
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Select the gear button on the far-right.
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Click on Settings.
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Click on System.
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Select Console info.
Xbox One System settings -
Click the Reset console option.
Xbox One Console info -
Select the reset option that best suites you, including:
- Reset and remove everything.
- Reset and keep my games & apps.
Xbox One reset option settings
Once you’ve completed the steps, confirm your option as necessary and the system will reset to the factory default configuration. If you are having issues with the TV signal, display, or any other problem you may encounter with Xbox One and if everything else you tried didn’t work, restoring to defaults may just solve the issue.
Update November 24, 2017: This guide has been updated to reset the console with the interface changes available with the Xbox One Fall Update.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].