You can use an external HDD to do all of the following, although not simultaneously: - Show
So it's very similar to how it works on an Xbox One now, however, the major difference is that in order to play Series S-optimised games, they need to be stored on the internal SSD or one of the expansion cards. Likewise with the Series X and games that are optimised for that. We get it, you have a new Xbox Series X/S for Christmas, and you just cannot wait to play everything and anything on it! We’re with you on that. Though, you can’t just go and download your entire Xbox Library of games all at once, if you want to you’ll first need some extra storage for your machine! Check out our guide below on how to use an external USB hard drive, and read our recommendations for the games you should download when you have more space! How to use an External HardriveSo we have some good news and some not so great news. You can use an external USB hard drive! Just not with every game… Expand that storage! Source: Xbox If you’re looking to use one, just grab any USB external hard drive, plug it into your Xbox Series X or Series S and then format it using the console. After this, you should be set and ready to use it, find out what games can be stored on it below! Read More: Xbox Series X and Series S: How To Change Your Gamertag What games work on an External HardriveQuite a few actually, any Xbox Original, Xbox 360 or Xbox One games can be stored on an external hard drive. However, because they are not stored on the console’s SSD (solid-state drive), they won’t receive any enhanced load times or quality on the external drive. If you want to take full advantage of your console’s capabilities, you’ll need to store games on an SSD. For note, Xbox Series X/S games can only be stored on an SSD, and not on the external usb hard drive at all. Read More: Xbox Series X And Series S: How To Enable Cross-Platform How to use an SSD Expansion CardIf you want to expand your SSD storage, firstly you’ll need a compatible SSD expansion. SSD Drives for the win! Source: Xbox Make sure you buy an official Xbox one as SSD drives aren’t all the same. The official one is pricey, but it’s your only option. Then just plug your new card into the Storage Expansion slot in the back of your console and you should be ready to go! We hope our guide helps, please check out our others if you need any more Xbox Series X/S help! 100 100 people found this article helpful Updated on August 26, 2022 This article explains how to add an external drive to an Xbox Series X|S, and outlines compatibility requirements. How to Add an External Drive to an Xbox Series X or SIf you have a drive you use with your Xbox One, you can just plug it in and use it. If you have a new drive, or a drive that has been used for other things in the past, you'll need to format it first so that it can work with your Xbox. Here's how to add an external drive to an Xbox Series X or S:
How to Move Games to an External Drive on Xbox Series X or SWhen you connected and set up your drive, you probably chose to keep your current install location, because Series X or S games won’t play when installed on a USB drive. If that’s the case, you’ll need to move games to the drive from time to time to free up space for new games. Here’s how to accomplish that.
What Drives Work With Xbox Series X or S?The Xbox Series X and S both come with lightning-fast NVME SSDs that reduce load times dramatically, but neither one has all that much storage. The Series X ships with a 1TB drive, and the Series S with a 512GB drive, and a decent amount of that space is taken up or reserved by the operating system. You can only play Xbox Series X or S games if they are installed on the internal NVME SSD drive, or installed on the optional expansion drive. The expansion drive fits into a slot on the back of the Xbox Series X and S, and it provides transfer speed just as fast as the internal drive. We tried a super fast USB 3.1 NAND drive with transfer speeds of 520 MB/s and write speeds of 420 MB/s, and that wasn’t even fast enough. The Series X or S will only play games from the internal SSD or expansion card SSD that provide 2.4 GB/s of raw I/O throughput. Xbox One External Drive CompatibilityIf you own an Xbox One and currently have an external drive with Xbox One games on it, you can plug it directly into your Xbox Series X or S and it will work. As long as it’s a USB 3.1 drive that worked with your Xbox One, you’ll be able to play your old Xbox One, Xbox 360, and original Xbox games directly from the drive. You can also move Xbox Series X or S games to a drive like this to free up space, but you won't be able to play them from that drive until you move them back. Drive Comparison ChartHere’s a rundown of what you can do with what type of drive:
While only the Seagate expansion drive can play Series X or S games at launch, Microsoft may offer alternatives at a later date. FAQ
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