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6 ways to make Xbox One games download faster

6 ways to make Xbox One games download faster

Chrissy Montelli

You can make games download faster on your Xbox One in several ways, like downloading only one game at a time or rebooting your internet.
If your Xbox download speed is slow, you should close out of other apps or restart your console.
You can also try connecting your internet router and Xbox One with an Ethernet cable for a faster connection.

On an Xbox One, you need to download games into your game library before you can actually play them.

This is a relatively straightforward process, but sometimes the download speed can be slow, especially if the game itself is large and requires a lot of memory.

Fortunately, there are a few ways you can speed up your Xbox One downloads.

Why is my Xbox download speed slow?

There are a number of reasons for a slow Xbox download speed, like downloading too many games at once, poor connectivity issues, or a slow internet connection.

Try these troubleshooting tricks to speed up your downloads and get to playing your games faster.

Close out of games and apps

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The Xbox One conveniently lets you play other games or use apps while a game is downloading, but this sometimes results in the download taking more time than usual. This especially goes for other games that use the internet.

If you close out of any other games and apps while your game is downloading, your Xbox One will run faster, and so will your download.

To close a game or app, press the Xbox button, highlight the game or app you want to close in the left sidebar, and press the "Menu" button (it's the button that looks like three horizontal lines). In the menu that appears, select "Quit."

Put less pressure on your internet connection

Quickly and easily test how fast your internet is with Google's free test. Kittichai Boonpong;EyeEm/Getty Images

You might have noticed that your Wi-Fi connection runs slower when many devices are connected to Wi-Fi at the same time. The same is true for your Xbox One.

If you disconnect other devices from your Wi-Fi, like your phone or laptop, it will strengthen your Xbox One's Wi-Fi connection and allow for faster download speeds.

Reboot your internet router

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Sometimes download speeds don't have anything to do with your Xbox One itself and have more to do with your internet router.

You can try rebooting your router by disconnecting it from the wall. Wait a few moments, then plug the router back in.

This can help the internet connection and improve your overall download speed.

Restart your Xbox

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If your game is downloading slower than usual or has stopped downloading entirely, try restarting your Xbox One console, which may solve a potential connectivity issue.

1. Go to the Guide by pressing the Xbox logo button on your controller.

2. Use the joystick to scroll right to the System menu.

3. Navigate to "Restart console" and press A to select it. Your console should now turn off and on again.

Pause other Xbox downloads

You can plug your Xbox One controller in to charge. Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Download speed will often be significantly slower if you're downloading multiple games at once.

To pause a download:

1. Go to the Guide by pressing the Xbox logo button on your controller.

2. Use the joystick to scroll to "My games & apps" and press A to select it.

3. Press A to select "See all."

4. On the left side, scroll down to "Queue."

5. Highlight the download you want to pause and press "Menu" on your controller.

6. Press A to select "Pause."

Use an Ethernet cable

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If you have an Ethernet cable, you don't have to rely on fickle Wi-Fi connections to improve your download speeds.

Simply connect the Ethernet cable to your internet router and to your Xbox One. Once the Ethernet cable is connected, your internet connection will be stronger and your downloads should speed up considerably.

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