What to Do When Your Xbox One Keeps Crashing to the Home Screen

Xbox One not loading games? Xbox store not working? Try these fixes

By
Eric Qualls
Eric Qualls
Writer
Former Lifewire writer Eric Qualls has been covering the Xbox line of consoles and Xbox games since August 2004.
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Updated on March 23, 2021
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
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Does your Xbox One keep crashing to the home screen when you load a game or app? Several issues may cause this type of problem, including your Xbox One is freezing, isn't loading games, or isn't working. These problems have the same causes and solutions.

Instructions in this article apply to all Xbox One models, including the Xbox One X and Xbox One S.

Power buttons on Xbox One and Xbox One S
Lifewire 

What Causes the Xbox One to Crash?

Here are some reasons why your Xbox One is not working:

  • Background processes prevent software from launching.
  • The software is not properly installed.
  • The app data on the hard drive is corrupted.
  • The server for a game or service is down.

How to Fix an Xbox One That Keeps Crashing to the Home Screen

Try these steps in order until your Xbox One game or app is working properly:

  1. Power cycle the Xbox One. Rebooting your Xbox One works for the same reason that rebooting a PC fixes computer problems. The hard drive gets bogged down with processes the longer it runs, which can prevent games and apps from loading. Refreshing the system closes all of these processes, giving the CPU a clean slate to work with.

  2. Check to see if Xbox Network is down. Sometimes, system functions are affected by Xbox Network. Visit the Microsoft Xbox Network Status web page to see if the service you're using is down.

  3. Uninstall the Xbox One app. If you have trouble with a specific game or app, delete and reinstall it. Locate the content in your applications list, then press the Home button and select Uninstall. Once finished, go to the uninstalled applications in your library to reinstall it. Wait for the game or app to install and see if the issue is rectified.

    System updates can sometimes cause problems for specific games and apps. Check online to see if other people are having the same problems to figure out what your next move should be. 

  4. Delete local game data. If your app data or game save data is corrupt, delete it and redownload it from the cloud. See the section below for instructions.

  5. Check the Xbox One's Wi-Fi connection. Games and apps that rely on Wi-Fi can't work if you have a poor internet connection.

  6. Update the Xbox One. If possible, update the console to fix any potential firmware issues.

  7. Get the Xbox One serviced. If the above steps don't fix your problems, you may need to send in the console for a repair. Either call 1-800-4MY-XBOX (in the U.S.) or go to the Xbox support web page.

    You can register your Xbox One through the Microsoft website to expedite technical support for issues that are still covered under warranty.

How to Delete Xbox One Game Data

To remove and replace corrupted game files:

  1. Press the Home button on the Xbox One controller and go to My games & apps > See all > Games.

  2. Highlight the game or app, then press the Home button again.

  3. Choose Manage game & add-ons > Saved data.

  4. Choose Delete all to remove local game data.

  5. Restart the Xbox One and re-sync your data from the cloud.

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