How To Clear The Cache On Xbox Series X

The Xbox Series X is among the most popular gaming consoles available in the market. While users around the world enjoy their favorite titles like "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" and "Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War" on the console, Microsoft keeps improving the software via updates. Like most gaming PCs, the Xbox Series X is quick and responsive, at least in the beginning, offering gamers a fairly seamless experience. 

However, with time and as you play more and more games on the console, it can slow down due to the cache growing in size. Some gamers might even get a notification saying that they need to address the storage on their Xbox Series X in order to carry on loading games. In such a situation, clearing the cache is a wise option. While there's no one, simple button to press to do that, there are three different ways in which you can clear your Xbox Series X's cache. 

A modern-day gaming console like Xbox Series X is — behind the stylized casing — very similar to a computer, with a powerful graphics processing unit and on-device storage. Just like a computer stores some information in its cache for accessing it quickly, then, so too does the Xbox Series X. Generally, that can include data about games, user profiles, and other information that might come in handy while loading a particular title; however, as you run more games on your console, that process eventually fills up the cache completely.

Once the cache on your Xbox Series X is full, you may notice that the console's performance degrades. And, while some of the data in the cache might be useful, there is a good chance that it also contains redundant information. First, the console will start taking longer to boot than it did before. Then, games that once loaded in a few seconds might take as long as a complete minute or even more to be ready to play. If your console is not working properly and you are facing trouble opening games, it might be the right time to clear the cache on your Xbox Series X: that instantly frees space on the device, and should improve its performance equally quickly.

As in the case of computers and smartphones, prolonged use of your Xbox can impact its efficiency and game loading times. If you're someone who does not switch off their Xbox Series X, restarting the console might give it the break it needs (via Gamespot). It also has the benefit of clearing the cache, refreshing the console's memory. 

1. Press the Xbox button at the center of the controller
2. Scroll to the right and open 'Profile & System'
3. Here, locate the 'Power' option and switch off the console 
4. Once the console is off, unplug its cable from the power source and keep it disconnected for a couple of minutes
5. Plug the console back into the power source, and switch it on by pressing the power button 

Following all the steps given here should clear the cache on Xbox Series X. You might notice a difference in the loading time of your console, which should decrease once the cache is cleared. It's important to choose the right moment to reboot, however. While giving the device a systematic restart will improve the performance, disconnecting it while playing a game can damage the system resource files and cause bigger problems. 

One of the easiest and safest ways to clear the cache on the Xbox Series X is to wipe the device's Persistent Storage. Some Blu-ray discs download related content, which is used to execute game-related processes: they store that in what Microsoft calls Persistent Storage, which can be considered the cache (via Lifewire). Microsoft suggests users might need to clear their Persistent Storage so that they can use related content from other discs. 

1. Press the Xbox symbol in the center of the controller to open the Home menu 
2. Scroll all the way to the right to open the 'Profile & System' options
3. Scroll down and select 'Settings' with the controller
4. In the menu that opens, scroll and select 'Devices & Connections'
5. Out of the seven options that appear on the right side of the display, select 'Blu-ray'
6. Now, select 'Persistent storage' and in the following menu, 'Clear Persistent Storage' 

If you've tried the methods mentioned above and yet your console is still not showing any signs of improvement, there's another way that might help. Resetting the Xbox Series X restores the console's storage to its factory condition, complete with a totally empty cache. However, doing this will log you out of the account on the device, Microsoft warns, so if you're planning to reset your Xbox Series X, keep your Xbox account details ready. 

1. Press the Xbox button at the center of the controller and scroll right to open the 'Profile & System' menu
2. Select 'Settings' and scroll down to open options in the 'System' menu
3. From the available options, hit the select button on 'Console info' 
4. Scroll down and select 'Reset controls' and in the menu that opens, select 'Reset And Keep My Games & Apps'
5. Once the device is reset, log in with your Xbox account details to check if the performance has improved

Make sure you select 'Reset And Keep My Games & Apps.' Otherwise, the 'Reset And Remove Everything' option will erase all the details on your console's discs, including profile details, stored games, Quick Resume, progress, and other data. While this method should clear the cache and fix the issue, you may have to contact Microsoft Support for further diagnostics if it does not.