Slow Download Speeds on Your Xbox Series X? Here's a Step by Step Guide!

Slow download speeds on your Xbox Series X or S can be frustrating. Unfortunately, it’s a more common problem than you’d think. Here are a few solutions to the problem.

The first thing you need to do is check the state of your whole network. Internet downtimes are unpredictable. On a device connected to the same network, a phone or PC, go to speedtest.net to check your download speeds. This should give you a general indication of how fast the download and upload speed of your network is.

On your Xbox, go to Settings > Network Settings. From there, select Test network speed & statistics. This will display your current Download and Upload speeds.

Do you see a significant difference between the speeds on your Xbox and on the test device? If there is, proceed to Step 2. If not, continue to Step 3.

Simply hold the Xbox icon on your controller and select Restart console.

If your console is connected wirelessly, be sure that it’s not blocked by something that could potentially decrease wireless signal strength such as an aquarium, another device, books, etc.

When your connection is slow on your whole network, restarting your modem and router can help refresh your internet speed. I usually restart my network with the following steps:

1. Turn off both modem and router.
2. Wait for 1 minute and turn on your modem.
3. Wait for 1 minute and turn on your router.

Note: Some modem and routers don’t have an ON-OFF button. In such cases, unplug and plug them back in to restart. Otherwise, check the device's manual for better guidance.

Wired connections are generally faster and more stable than wireless ones. Connect your Xbox using an ethernet cable. The ethernet port is located at the back of your console.

A congested network will cause slower download speeds. A few of the devices connected to your network may be hogging most of the bandwidth. This leaves your Xbox with little allocation leading to slower downloads.

The fastest way to test this is to disconnect the other devices while you’re downloading a game.

For more advanced users, you might want to consider tinkering with the QoS (Quality of Service) settings on your router. This allows you to prioritize which device or traffic your network should prioritize. Just a warning, not all routers support QoS.

Running other games on your console may take up some bandwidth. Press the Xbox Icon on your controller. Underneath Home and My games & apps, there is a list of games and apps. Navigate to the other games on your console, and select Quit.

There are cases where the issue is with your internet provider. DNS server values are automatically assigned to you by your provider. However, some DNS servers can be slow or unresponsive. Changing your console's DNS settings might help.

To change the values on your console, you need to set your DNS settings to manual. You can do this by going to Settings > Network Settings > Advanced Settings > DNS Settings. Then, set it to “Manual”.

These are our recommended DNS servers:

• Cloudflare

  Primary DNS server: 1.1.1.1

  Secondary DNS server: 1.0.0.1

• Google Public DNS

  Primary DNS server: 8.8.8.8

  Secondary DNS server: 8.8.4.4

• OpenDNS

  Primary DNS server: 208.67.222.222

  Secondary DNS server: 208.67.220.220

Other steps you can take to fix slow download speeds on your Xbox

• Make sure that your console is up-to-date.

  There may be important network-related fixes and optimizations in the latest updates. To check, Go to Settings > System > Updates. If one is available, It’s best to download and install it first before downloading a game.

• Reset your Series X|S to factory default

  If your console’s download speed has not improved and all other devices in that same network downloads just fine, this means that there’s a problem with your console.

  Resetting it back to factory default might help. To do this, go to Settings > System > Console info > Reset Console.

  To keep all your games and apps, make sure to select “Reset and Keep My Games & Apps” option.

WARNING: The option “Reset and Remove Everything” will delete everything on your console. It will remove all your config, games, and apps.