If your Xbox One console won’t read a game disc, there’s no need to panic. In majority of cases, this problem is fixable. Although this issue is one of the common problems in Xbox One consoles over the years, users don’t usually end up sending their console to a Service Center or getting help from Microsoft at all.

Try to clean the game disc in question first and see if that will fix it. This is often enough to get you back to gaming.

If you’ve tried this already and the console is still not detecting discs, try the other solutions in this guide.

Reasons why your Xbox One is not reading a disc

There are a number of factors that you must check to know why your Xbox One console is not reading your discs.

Disc is dirty.

The surface of your game disc can collect dust or dirt overtime. If a portion of the game disc is covered by a thin film of dust or dirt, this can be the reason why the disc reader of the console cannot get the complete data it needs to load a game or install it.

Disc is defective.

Discs with scratches, dirt, or damage can become unreadable. If you see any signs of damage on the disc, like a crack of scratch, this can be the reason why your game won’t work.

Disc is not compatible (not from the same region).

There are two standards that older Xbox 360 consoles uses in its game discs: PAL and NTSC. Fortunately, Xbox One consoles were designed to be free of region-blocking so if you are from North America, your console should still be able to read games you bought from other regions.

Incompatibility may still arise though if you’re having an issue with a Blue-Ray discs and DVDs. If your Xbox One console plays games normally but refuses to play a specific DVD or Blu-Ray disc, it’s probably due to disc’s coding. Not all Blu-ray discs are encoded to be played in all regions so your console may not be able to read them.

Make sure that you only use Blu-Ray discs bought from the same region where your console is from.

Console’s disc drive is defective.

If your Xbox One console won’t read any disc that you insert, it’s possible that the problem may not be the discs themselves but the disc reader. This means that there’s a hardware problem with the console and it needs to be repaired.

Troubleshooting an Xbox One that won’t read a game disc

Time Needed : 10 minutes

If your Xbox One console is not detecting your discs, there are a number of troubleshooting steps that you can try to fix it. Learn what you must do in this situation below.

Clean the disc.
Make sure that you wipe the surface of the disc with a clean, soft cloth to remove dirt. You can use water to slightly dampen the cloth when doing this. Do not use alcohol. Avoid touching the surface and try to hold the disc at its edges instead.
Play the disc in another console.
This is the best way to determine whether the issue is with the disc itself, or with the console. Visit a friend or a store that will allow you to test your disc.
Get a new disc.
If your Xbox One console reads other discs just fine and you’re only having an issue with one particular game, you should consider replacing it. It may scratched or damaged and unfortunately, there’s no way repair a broken game disc.
Reboot the console.
Sometimes, all it needs for a console to read a disc again is a complete system refresh. Make sure that you power cycle your Xbox One if it’s still not reading your games. To do that, just press and hold the Xbox button in the console for about 10 seconds. Once the console has powered down, press the Xbox button again to turn it back on.
Change power modes.
There are a few number of Xbox One consoles that may not be able to read discs if they’re using instant-on power mode. You can switch to Energy saving mode and reboot the console before testing another game.
To disable instant on power mode:
On the controller, press the Xbox button to open the guide.
Select System.
Go to Settings.
Select General.
Select Power mode & startup.
Select Power mode, and then select Energy-saving.
Power cycle the console as shown in Step 5.
Test your game disc for a few seconds.
If your Xbox One starts reading your disc again, you can return it to its instant-on power mode setting.
Get help from Microsoft.
If all your game discs are working in a second Xbox One console and none of the solutions in this guide has helped, you need to contact Microsoft for help. At the very least, your console will have to be physically checked for hardware errors. In some cases, the entire disc drive may need to be replaced.
Visit Microsoft’s Xbox support page if you need to send in your console.

Get help from us

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