One of the common problems many Xbox One users encounter is about slow game or app downloads. This issue is usually caused by factors outside the console such as ISP-side problems, low bandwidth, or network equipment glitch. In many cases, slow download issue is fixable on a user’s level.
If your installation is slow and takes forever to finish, or if the progress bar for downloads and updates has not moved for a while, you may have a slow download problem. Learn what you need to do by following the solutions in this guide.
Causes of slow game and app downloads
Several factors must be considered if you are experiencing slow download issue on your Xbox One. Let’s discuss each of them briefly.
Slow internet connection from ISP.
Slow internet connection can sometimes be caused by ISP-side issues. One of the common ISP-related problems that affect subscribers can be throttling wherein the ISP intentionally slows down a connection. This can happen when there’s an outage or needed network maintenance periods. If you noticed that your internet connection speed is slow during certain hours of a day or certain days in a week, it may be due to your ISP. Try downloading your games or apps during the evening to see if the speed improves.
Low bandwidth.
If you’re running multiple devices on your home network, it’s possible that they’re hogging download bandwidth and competes with your Xbox One console. Try turning off any of your devices that might stream or download files, games, or apps to see if that helps.
Wifi signal interference.
If you’re using wireless setup on your Xbox One console, other wireless devices may be interfering with the signal and causing slow downs or disconnection. If possible, try connecting your console by wire to the router.
Fixing Xbox One slow downloads issue
There are a number of troubleshooting steps that you must do in order to identify the cause why your Xbox One has slow game or app downloads.
Power cycle the console.
You can refresh the system by doing a hard reset. What this does is clear the network card and memory and reload the system.
Check the download speed.
You can check the actual download speed of the game or app being downloaded. You must do this if your console seems to download slowly even for a game with a small size. Here’s what you must do:-Scroll to Installing… <the game title you’re downloading>.-Go to My games & apps.-Select Manage.-Select Queue and take note the download speed shown on the game or app that’s being installed. This indicates the current download speed. If the speed is really slow like less than 1 megabit per second, it may take a long time for the download to complete.The table below is guide that will show you an estimated time for a download to finish on current download speed.
Quit games.
Your Xbox One is designed to suspend downloads while playing to ensure maximum gaming experience. Sometimes, this feature can encounter a bug and may indefinitely stop downloads even after you’ve stopped gaming. To see if your downloads are being blocked by the system, follow the steps below:-On the Home screen, navigate to your most recently run game.-With the game highlighted, press the Menu button and select Quit.-Check your download speed again and see if there’s now an improvement.
Delete the current app or game installation.
Another effective way to jumpstart downloads and installation is to cancel whatever you’re downloading or installing, then reinstalling it.-On the Home screen, open My games & apps.-Go to See all.-Select Manage.-Select Queue and highlight the game or app you’re trying to download.-Press the Menu button on your controller and then select Cancel.-Afterwards, reinsert the game disc or go to Microsoft Store to download and install the game again.
Run a network test on your console.
In this step, you want to compare the download speed of your console to that of your subscribed download speed from your Internet Service Provider or ISP. Make sure that you pause any current downloads:-On the Home screen, open My games & apps.-Go to See all.-Select Manage.-Select Queue and highlight the game or app you’re trying to download.-Press the Menu button on your controller and then select Pause installation for each game or app that’s downloading or queued.Once you’ve paused any on-going or queued downloads, your next step is to close games running on the system.-On the Home screen, navigate to your most recently run game.With the game highlighted, press the Menu button and select Quit.Now that you’ve paused downloads and closed running games, you can begin to run a network speed test. Here’s how:-Press the Xbox button to open the guide.-Select System.-Select Settings.-Select General.-Select Network settings.-Select Test network connection.
If the download speed on your console is way below the download speed that you’re paying for, contact your ISP so they can help you troubleshoot the issue.
Remember, other devices in your home network may be hogging the bandwidth. To check if that’s the case, disconnect all devices from your router or turn off your wifi temporarily. Then, connect your console directly to the router via ethernet cable and run a network test again. If the download speed is still way below the normal speed, get help from your ISP on how to fix it.
Suggested readings:
- Easy Steps To Fix Xbox One That Won’t Connect To Live
- Ways To Reset An Xbox One (Factory Reset, Soft Reset, Hard Reset)
- How To Fix Xbox One No Video | Black Or Blank Screen Issue
- Easy Ways Fix PS4 No Video Issue | Won’t Connect To TV
Get help from us.
Having Issues with your phone? Feel free to contact us using this form. We’ll try to help. We also create videos for those wanting to follow visual instructions. Visit our TheDroidGuy Youtube Channel for troubleshooting.