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It is often seen that users will face an extremely slow and bad experience while downloading a new app or any video game on the Xbox gaming system. The slow downloading speed can be irritating for you when you are desperately waiting to play. So it is important to find out for yourself the reasons that cause the slow download speed.
When several different devices are running at your home on Wi-Fi and some of the devices do not work as quickly as they should, it becomes a difficult task to figure out the reason behind the slowdown of the devices. So what is it that could be causing your Xbox to download so slow?
There are a few different reasons that an Xbox could have slow download speeds. The main reasons are:
- Using the Xbox to do other things while downloading
- Too many devices on the Wi-Fi
- Slow internet speeds
- Multiple downloads at once
- Too much traffic on the Xbox network
There are many other things besides these that can cause issues but these are the main problems that can cause slow download speeds.
We will discuss each of these in depth next and then also give some things that you can do to help speed up the downloads on your Xbox. You can also check out the video below for a helpful tip on how to speed up your downloads.
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Things that slow down your Xbox’s downloads
There are many things that affect the downloading speed of your Xbox but the ones mentioned here are the most likely culprits causing the issue.
Using the Xbox to do other things while downloading
The Xbox provides you with the feature in which you can still play a game or watch any video on YouTube, Amazon Prime or Netflix or can run several other apps while downloading. This can be a major factor responsible for the slow downloading speed if you are doing any of these things while also trying to download a game or update. If you are trying to download something as fast as possible then don’t use your console for anything else besides the download.
Too many devices on the Wi-Fi
The number of devices connected to your Wi-Fi can also slow down the downloading speed of your Xbox. If possible you should have your Xbox hard wired to the internet via an ethernet cable but if that is not possible then putting all of the other devices on airplane mode while downloading will significantly speed up the process.
Even putting a couple of devices in airplane mode can make a large difference sometimes.
Slow internet speeds
Another thing that can cause slow downloads is simply having slow internet speeds. Just because you have speeds that are above the recommended minimum does not mean that your speeds are fast enough to download games or updates quickly. Even some speeds that are considered “fast” may not be very fast when connected over Wi-Fi.
For example I had 50MB internet that when hardwired would pull in around 45MB. Over Wi-Fi depending on the distance to the router I would often get 10-15MB with my phone and even slower with my computer.
Just because your internet provider says you are getting a certain amount does not mean you actually are getting anywhere close to that on your Xbox console.
Multiple downloads at once
In general, we are not very patient people (and I include myself in that as well). Waiting a long time for a download can be quite annoying so what many people will often do is start all of their updates/downloads at once to get it over with. The problem with this is it slows down ALL of the downloads and can sometimes even cause the download or update to time out!
It is best to only download one thing at a time and then once that one is finished then start the next process. If leaving the console on overnight then you can certainly start all the updates or downloads but don’t expect anything to be done quickly when your Xbox is trying to do a lot all at once.
Network Traffic
Another reason for this problem could be the traffic on the network. When multiple users are downloading a particular game simultaneously, then the load on the network increases, causing the downloading speed of the game to slow down. If there is an announcement of any new game or update, then the congestion on the network will likely result in a decrease in the download speed of the particular app, game or update.
Network traffic can especially be an issue if the update or game has been expected for a while and drops at an incredibly popular time where everyone is trying to get on at the same time.
A good example of this in action was the Disney+ streaming launch in 2019. Millions of people all tried to login and stream their favorite Disney movies and shows on the day of the launch and so the network was so congested many people couldn’t login or play in movies at all. It took about a week for the network to be able to handle the load and things to start working properly.
Different ways to fix the Xbox downloading speed
There are various methods that users of an Xbox can use to increase the speed of downloads. The most common reason behind the problem of slowing down the downloading speed is apps or softwares that are running in the background. This problem can be resolved either by closing the software or by restarting your gaming system.
Try restarting your Xbox console
The first step to try if you are experiencing slow download speeds while running the Xbox is restarting your system. This solution has turned up as the most effective and helpful in increasing the downloading speed for a large number of users. It is the easiest and most convenient method to fix this issue so it is certainly the one that you should try first.
The steps to follow to restart the Xbox gaming console:
- You need to push and hold the Xbox button in the top middle of the controller.
- You need to select the Restart Console, after the menu options pop up.
- When you select the Restart button again, as a result, the system is going to delay or reject any downloading requests, shut down the system and then start the system up again.
- Once the system has started again, you should check to make sure whether all the downloads have been resumed on your Apps screen.
Close the software running in the background
If the first step of restarting doesn’t provide any effective help in resolving the problem, then the second solution should be tried. In this method, the user must close some or all the apps or software running in the background which could be resulting in a decrease in speed of downloads. The closing of all the background downloads or running applications by the system will often increase the downloading speed.
This also ensures that no apps are running in the background, preventing the software or game from downloading at its maximum speed.
The steps to follow to close the games and softwares on Xbox:
- Go to the home screen of the console.
- Select the running game or app icon, then push the Menu key on the controller of the Xbox.
- The menu bar will pop-up, from it, choose the “Quit” button which is going to close the app or software.
- Recheck your downloading speed, after closing the software.
Cancel everything and restart the previous downloads
This solution does not work as often as the above-mentioned fixes. However, if neither of the methods above fixes the issue then there is nothing wrong in trying this solution. This solution involves first cancelling the downloading or installation of the software completely and then restarting the download.
The steps are as follows:
- Open the software: My Games & Apps present on the home screen.
- After selecting the queue, highlight the downloading software/game.
- Select Cancel, after pressing the Menu button present on the controller of the Xbox console.
- Once you cancel the download, you can start to download the software again from Microsoft Store or also by putting the game disc back in.
Disconnect internet connectivity of all other devices
If all the devices present in your home such as mobile phones, computers, tablets, and other consoles are using the same internet connection as your Xbox gaming system, then this can also be the reason for slowing down the download speed.
To fix this issue, the only solution is to disconnect all the other devices from the internet while the download is happening. This will increase the downloading speed and often by quite a bit. Your mobile phone or computer might not consume much data, but when there are a bunch of devices on the Wi-Fi it can greatly affect the download speeds of other devices.
Use a wired connection
Everybody knows that a wired connection is the most effective in providing the fastest uploading and downloading speeds as compared to using Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is certainly more convenient but if you are having issues with slower downloads than hardwiring the console is a great step to take.
To tackle your slow download problem, you can connect the Xbox console to the internet through the wired connection by plugging the one end of the ethernet cable to your internet modem/router and the other end into the rear of the Xbox console to the Ethernet port.
Conclusion
The slow downloading speed of an Xbox console is a consistent problem that many users have to face while downloading games or apps. The aforementioned methods are the most effective and simplest solutions that you can use to fix your slow download speeds.
These fixes help the system to get rid of the slow downloading problem and bring back the speed to normal, helping the user to have a much better downloading experience and allowing you to get to gaming faster!