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Can you download and install games while your Xbox One is off?

Games are huge now, maximize your time by installing them while your console is off.

xbox one download games while off on a purple background
Image: Unsplash

Quick Answer: Yes, you can download and install games on your Xbox one while it’s off, but you need to adjust some settings. Head to ‘General‘ settings and set ‘Power mode‘ to ‘Instant-on.’ Ensure the ‘When Xbox is off, turn off storage‘ option is unticked.

If you need to download a game on your Xbox One but don’t want to leave the console running, you have options.

You may have heard that your Xbox can supposedly download and install games while you’re not using it, but the first time you tried – you woke up to the same install percentage as the night before.

What gives?

With this in mind, you might wonder, “do games still download when the Xbox One is off?”

The answer is yes, they do. But your console probably isn’t set up to allow downloads when it isn’t in use. So, let’s fix that.

xbox one s knowtechie
Image: KnowTechie

Do games download when the Xbox One is off

Short Answer: Yes (but you’ll need to dive into the Settings menu to enable it)

Your Xbox One needs to be set to Instant-on to download games while it’s off. That keeps it in a low-power state, ready to switch on at a moment’s notice.

It also keeps the network connection and hard drives running. Here’s how to enable it.

How to download games while your Xbox One is off 

You’ll first need to set your console to Instant-on mode to get your Xbox One to download games while it’s off.

READ MORE: The best Xbox controllers

Doing this, the console is in a low-power state and keeps the network connection and hard drives running, so it can quickly switch on when needed. Here’s how to turn it on.

Grab your controller and do the following:

  1. Press the Xbox button to open the guidexbox controller xbox button

  2. Navigate to System > Settingsxbox system settings menu

  3. Then, General > Power optionsxbox power mode settings

  4. Select Instant-on from the Power Mode dropdowninstant on power mode Xbox one

  5. Make sure that When Xbox is off, turn off storage is unticked, so any external drives don’t get turned offxbox one turn off storage option

That’s all you need to do. Now when you turn your Xbox One off via the controller or it goes to sleep after inactivity, it’ll keep downloading games to install or update.

Download games while your Xbox One is off with the right settings

xbox one and xbox controller on purple background
Image: KnowTechie

Once you have the correct settings, your Xbox One console will download games while it’s off.

This is a great way to download your games without keeping your console on the entire time. Just start a game download, and you can let the console go to sleep or turn it off yourself.

When you return, the game will either still be downloading or finished, so you can hop in and start gaming.

And yes, you can still play games while they’re downloading on the Xbox One, just in case you were wondering.

What do you think? Plan on using this feature on your Microsoft console? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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