How To Hard Reset Xbox Series X and Xbox One (Power Cycle Guide)

Even the most modern consoles are not safe from freezing and other random failures. Even the Xbox Series X and Xbox One suffer from these same issues. Of course, these issues are completely different from the Red Ring of Death era of the Xbox 360, with many of them being solvable by power cycling the system. Sometimes, that’s not enough and you really need to hard reset the console instead. Put your finger on your console’s power button because I’m going to explain how to hard reset and power cycle both your Xbox Series X and Xbox One!

Hard Resetting an Xbox Series X and Xbox One

Before moving on, a hard reset entails reformatting your console to factory settings. I recommend moving down to the next headline if you’re just looking to power cycle your consoles. To hard reset an Xbox Series X or Xbox One, follow these instructions:

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the dashboard guide.
2. Press the Profile and System option.
3. Select the Settings option.
4. Select the System option.
5. Select the Console Info option.
6. Select the Reset Console option.
7. The new window will have three options for you to choose from depending on what it is you’re trying to do.
   • Reset and remove everything.
   • Reset and keep my games and apps.
   • Cancel

Power Cycling an Xbox Series X and Xbox One

To power cycle your Xbox Series X, you need to:

1. Hold down the Xbox Power button for ten seconds.
2. Wait until the Xbox powers down completely.
3. Wait 30 seconds.
4. Press the power button on either the console or the controller to restart the Xbox.

You’ll only know if this was done correctly if your console restarts with the Xbox splash screen as opposed to jumping directly into your dashboard. To ensure that it was done correctly, power the console off as you normally would, then unplug it completely for ten seconds. Then, wait an additional 30 seconds and plug it back in.

To simply restart the Xbox Seris X or Xbox One:

1. Press and hold the Xbox button on the controller and wait for the menu to pop up.
2. Choose the Restart Console option.
3. Restart the console.