How to Enter Safe Mode to Troubleshoot Your Xbox Series X|S
The Xbox Series X|S is a brilliant machine, but like everything else, it still has its moments of weakness. If your console has been experiencing issues, you may need to enter Safe Mode to troubleshoot before assessing if you need to send it in for repair.
Many things can go wrong with technology, and working through the options in Safe Mode could be enough to get your console working like new once again. If you’re wondering how to enter Safe Mode and what to do once you’re there, follow this guide to learn everything you need to know.
When Would I Need to Use Safe Mode to Troubleshoot My Xbox Series X|S?
If your console has been crashing, skipping frames, freezing, or exhibiting any other sort of graphical errors or glitches, you might need to enter Safe Mode. Most consoles come with this handy troubleshooting feature—there’s even aSafe Mode on the PS5.
Safe Mode offers several options to help clear your console of any system errors it may have developed. you could manually upgrade your console in Safe Mode, turn it off, and even clear your system completely to start fresh.
When your console overheats, it can also cause technical issues. So if this guide doesn’t help, you may want to consider whether yourXbox Series X|S is overheating and how to fix it.
How to Enter and Use Safe Mode on Your Xbox Series X|S
To enter Safe Mode on your Xbox Series X or S, begin by turning your console off. Then hold down both the power and sync buttons for a few seconds until you hear a beep. The sync button on both the Xbox Series X and S is a small circular button just above the USB port on the face of the console.
Once you’ve held down both those buttons for long enough, you will be brought to the Safe Mode menu. There are three options here.
Offline System Update
TheOffline System Updateoption allows you to update your console manually if, for any reason, it cannot update itself like it usually does. To utilize this option, you need a blank USB drive formatted to NTFS with at least 6GB of free space.
Plug your USB device into a PC and download the update file from theXbox Support website. Once the file is on your USB, plug the device into your Xbox Series X or S to download it onto your console.
Reset This Xbox
This option restores your console to the factory default settings. It will wipe any of your customization options, user accounts, games, save data, and anything else that might be on your console. By the end, your console will be in exactly the same state as when you first took it out of the box.
This is an excellent option if you are reselling or gifting someone your console. Otherwise, it should only be used as an absolute last resort in severe troubleshooting cases.
Turn Off This Xbox
This setting is pretty self-explanatory. It turns your console off. It’s an obvious but necessary inclusion in any Safe Mode menu since turning your console off is the only way to exit it safely. You don’t want to force turn your system off by holding down the button or flicking the power off as long as it’s possible to help it.
Hopefully, Your Console Is Now Good as New and Ready to Game
We hope that this guide helped walk you through troubleshooting your Xbox Series X|S and that doing so has solved all of your tech issues.
While Safe Mode is a convenient tool for troubleshooting your system, it doesn’t perform miracles. Some issues can’t be fixed with Safe Mode alone. If your problems persist, you may want to consider power cycling your system or sending it away to a professional to be repaired.
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