How to Perform Xbox One SSD Upgrade [Full Guide]

Cici updated on Apr 22, 2024 to Partition Master | How-to Articles

Do you want to upgrade your Xbox One hard drive to an SSD? This article will explain performing an Xbox One SSD upgrade without losing data or reinstalling.

Xbox One is the 3rd generation video game console from Microsoft. It provides a lot of fantastic and distinctive games. EaseUS will provide a comprehensive guide on how to upgrade your Xbox One hard drive to SSD and get a better gaming experience:

View the Necessary Information for Xbox SSD Upgrade:

⏱️Duration About half an hour
✍️Difficulty Easy for beginners
⛏️Software EaseUS Partition Master
🎮Suitable for Xbox One X, Xbox One S
👣Steps

1️⃣Preparations Before Xbox One SSD Upgrade

2️⃣Steps to Upgrade Xbox One Hard Drive to SSD

3️⃣Replace the Old Xbox One Hard Drive

How to Perform Xbox One SSD Upgrade

Some users may be confused about the Xbox One SSD upgrade: Is the Xbox One SSD upgrade SSD worth it? As an Xbox One user, you should be concerned about the upgrade and performance of your games. Here is the feedback from Rockstar Games' loyal fans:

After pursuing some tutorials on properly partitioning the drive, I successfully installed a 1 TB WD Blue SSD. Then, I immediately noticed that the console only took about 10 seconds to boot up. I tried Forza Horizon 4: the first load-up from the menu was about 10-15 seconds, a huge improvement from the 40 to 60 seconds with an HDD.  - from Reddit

If you upgrade your Xbox One hard drive to SSD, please read on for detailed steps. This part is going to teach you how to upgrade your Xbox One hard drive without losing data:

Guide 1. Preparations Before Xbox One SSD Upgrade

Follow the preparations to upgrade your hard drive on Xbox One: 

1️⃣Choose a suitable SSD/HDD that supports USB 3.0 on the host computer: 99% of the hard drive has been initialized. If your drive is new and uninitialized, use a professional tool to initialize the hard drive to GPT or MBR format.

Users recommendation: When choosing an Xbox hard drive replacement, you need to consider the drive's performance, speed, price, and quality. And it needs to fit the Xbox One installation. The editor recommends purchasing the Samsung 850 Pro series SSD if you want a professional SSD. For normal users, SanDisk SSD Plus is a nice choice.

2️⃣Remove the original hard drive from Xbox One: You will need to prepare a screwdriver to open the Xbox case and heatsink.

  • Use a pry bar to separate the clips.
  • Use tweezers to remove the cable and panel
  • Lift the hard drive bay to remove the hard drive.

The step-by-step instructions come from iFixit. You can click on the tutorials provided by iFixit to complete the task.

3️⃣Connect the Xbox One internal hard drive and the target SSD to your computer. And download a professional hard drive tool to move data from the source drive to the target SSD.

Guide 2. Steps to Upgrade Xbox One Hard Drive to SSD

To ensure that every game and application can run on the SSD like the original disk, users must choose the professional and secure disk cloning specialist - EaseUS Partition Master. It saves the time and energy of re-imaging and allows you to clone only the used sector data.

The tool offers a simple interface that allows you to easily run Xbox One SSD Upgrade even if you are not familiar with partitioning operations:

Step 1. Select the source disk.

  • Click the "Clone" from the left menu. Select the "Clone OS Disk" or "Clone Data Disk"  and click "Next".
  • Choose the source disk and click "Next".

Step 2. Select the target disk.

  • Choose the wanted HDD/SSD as your destination and click "Next" to continue.
  • Read Warning message and confirm "Yes" button.

Step 3. View the disk layout and edit the target disk partition size. 

Then click "Continue" when the program warns it will wipe out all data on the target disk. (If you have valuable data on the target disk, back up it in advance.)

You can select "Autofit the disk", "Clone as the source" or "Edit disk layout" to customize your disk layout. (Select the last one if you want to leave more space for C drive.)

Step 4. Click "Start" to start the disk cloning process.

Once the cloning is complete, you can play games and data with your SSD on Xbox One. By the way, EaseUS Partition Master also allows you to do many things to manage your hard drive:

Whatever needs you have, you can resort to this powerful tool!

Guide 3. Replace the Old Xbox One Hard Drive

When you are done upgrading, you can see if the upgrade was successful by testing it on your Xbox One:

Step 1. Follow the steps to unpack your Xbox One and install the new SSD.

Step 2. Start up your Xbox One.

You can then enjoy your game videos on the console. If the cloned SSD doesn't work, something may not be used to return the original. Please check the connector and SSD components.

These are all the step-by-step instructions for the Xbox One SSD upgrade. In addition, you can also check out MrMario2011's Youtube video for more detailed Xbox One SSD upgrade instructions.

Video for more detailed Xbox One hard drive upgrade instructions:

You may also like the following:

Does Xbox One SSD Upgrade Worth It

Of course, it's worth installing an SSD on your Xbox One console, and Eurogamer has found that upgrading to either drive can improve loading speeds by up to 50% by comparing the loading speeds of different games and different drives on Xbox One. Here are the results of the data made by Thomas Morgan through experiments:

Loading Time (Seconds) Xbox Stock Drive Seagate 1TB SSHD OCZ Trion 100 480GB
MGS5: Phantom Limbs 34.6 22.4 15.9
MGS5: A Hero's Way 25.1 11.4 10.6
MGS5: C2W 24.4 12.0 11.7
GTA 5: Initial Load at O'Neil Way 88.6 26.2 24.2
Dead Rising 3: Initial Load 29.0 23.9 21.6

(See more details on the Enrogamer page: www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2016-should-you-upgrade-your-xbox-one-with-an-ssd)

Upgrading your Xbox One SSD is worthwhile and necessary. Here are a few common benefits and reasons for upgrading your Xbox One hard drive to an SSD:

  • The Xbox One internal storage drive only has 500GB of capacity. You can expand it by upgrading your Xbox One.
  • For the speed of the Xbox Series X, upgrading the SSD is not a big change. But it can provide a better experience for the user. It can open the console more easily and quietly.
  • Upgrading to an SSD will improve the performance of Xbox One X. The SSD will provide faster game launch and level loading. The new SSD replaces the old Xbox One hard drive to provide twice the speed.

In short, putting an SSD in your Xbox One S or Xbox One X will provide a better experience. Check out the detailed tutorial in this article to upgrade your hard drive. And if you have any ideas, you can click the social buttons to share them with your friends.

 

Conclusion

How do I upgrade my Xbox One hard drive? This article describes the detailed steps to perform an Xbox One SSD upgrade. Upgrading your hard drive can help Xbox One users get a better gaming experience. With EaseUS Partition Master, you can replace the HDD of your Xbox One with an SSD without reinstalling your games, and you can also use this tool to erase all the data from your old hard drive. Besides, you can also use this tool to upgrade PS4 hard drive or upgrade Steam Deck SSD.

FAQs About Xbox One SSD Upgrade

If you have questions about the Xbox One SSD upgrade, check out some additional answers in this section.

1. Can I clone Xbox One hard drive to SSD?

Of course, you can clone your Xbox One hard drive. A professional cloning tool can clone your saved games and data to a new SSD. You can back up your Xbox One hard drive or upgrade your hard drive this way.

2. What is the best Xbox One X internal hard drive replacement?

When choosing a replacement for Xbox One, users need to consider the hard drive's performance, price, and features. The fastest solution is to use an officially licensed Seagate Storage Expansion card. And you can choose some additional quality SSD/HDD:

  • WD_Black P40
  • Samsung T7 Shield
  • SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD

3. What is the best Xbox One internal hard drive format?

The best file system format for Xbox One/360 internal hard drive is FAT32. You can use a professional formatting tool - EaseUS Partition Master, to convert the format without losing data.