Xbox One has been out for a few years now, and you’ve probably been expanding your game library ever since. Originally, the console came with a 500GB internal hard drive, which was a lot more than what the Xbox 360 offered, but Xbox One games also take a lot more room (especially if it gets Xbox One X Enhanced games), as such after several games, you’ll notice that available storage space gets dramatically reduced.
In order to resolve the space issue, all Xbox One consoles include support for external storage. So, you can simply connect a compatible USB external drive (e.g., Seagate Game Drive (2TB)) to start moving games to the new storage.
Alternatively, you can also get Xbox One S bundles with 1TB of storage to overcome the space limitation. However, what happens if you have an older console with a smaller hard drive and you don’t have an external drive? Even after a while the 1TB model of Xbox One X or Xbox One S will eventually fill up.
Probably you didn’t know, but Xbox One allows you to uninstall unused games to make more room. I know also that you might be thinking that if you uninstall a game you will lose it forever, but that’s the best thing, removing a game doesn’t remove your rights to the game. You can always install a game back.
In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to uninstall games from your library to free up space on your Xbox One S or Xbox One X console.
How to uninstall Xbox One games
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Open My games & apps.
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On “Games,” select the game you want to uninstall, press the hamburger (menu) button, and select Uninstall.
Uninstall Xbox One game -
Click Uninstall all.
Uninstall all components of an Xbox One game
Then if you ever want to install that game again, on My games & apps, go to the Ready to install section, select the game, press A, and click Install.
Of course, you only want to uninstall those games you have already played, and you’re ready to move on, as installing will take some time depending on your network connection. Perhaps the takeaway from this guide is that uninstalling a game doesn’t remove it completely, you will still retain ownership over the game.
Originally published in September 2015, updated in November 2017.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.