While most humans love staying cozy and warm, your Xbox can't relate. The Xbox Series X|S is the most powerful console currently available on the market, and that takes a lot of power. When your Xbox Series X|S gets too hot, it can overheat and start performing poorly or even crash.
But what do you do when that starts happening? If your Xbox Series X|S is prone to overheating or is even overheating as we speak, here is what you can do to cool it down and keep your console safe.
How Does the Xbox Series X|S Keep Itself Cool?
To better understand why your console may be overheating, it's helpful to know how your console keeps itself cool. The Xbox Series X|S has a number of procedures in place to stop your console from overheating. At the top of the console, there is a mesh layer with a large fan underneath it to expel hot air from inside the system.
There is a heatsink inside the console that absorbs heat from the motherboard, along with with a vapor chamber that collects heat from the CPU and distributes it evenly around the system. This prevents any one area from staying hot for long enough to cause any damage to the internal components of the console itself.
Although the Xbox Series X|S has so many barriers in place to prevent overheating, it can still occur if you are gaming for many hours at a time or if any or all of the cooling mechanisms aren’t able to work properly.
How Do I Know When My Xbox Series X|S Is Overheating?
When your Xbox X|S is overheating, you will notice significant performance drops. Your console may begin to drop frames and increase loading times or even exhibit graphical glitches such as flashes of green or pink.
You might also notice your Xbox Series X|S becomes very loud. If your console sounds like it is about to take off into the air like a helicopter, this is a sure sign that your fan is working on overdrive trying to expel excessive amounts of hot air from inside the console.
The worst-case scenario is that your Xbox Series X|S may crash completely when it gets too hot. This is a safety mechanism. If the console stays too hot for too long, it can cause irreparable damage to the system's components. If your Xbox detects that this could be the case, it will shut itself down to prevent any further damage. This can be extremely inconvenient if you are in the middle of an online match-up or haven’t saved your game in a while.
What Do I Do When My Xbox Series X|S Is Overheating?
If your Xbox Series X|S is exhibiting any or all of the above issues, your console is more than likely overheating. The first thing you should do is stop gaming, turn your console off, and let it sit with the vents facing upwards for a couple of hours to cool down.
When you're doing so, ensure you have the console in a cool, well-ventilated area. If the console is sitting in a place where the surrounding temperature is too warm, it is not going to be able to cool efficiently. And if the area is not well-ventilated, the hot air could stay trapped around the console and not be able to disperse.
While your console is cooling off, it is the perfect time to take a look at the vents. Dust is the main cause of consoles overheating. If there is too much dust or debris blocking the vents, the hot air isn’t able to leave the console. When that happens, the console essentially becomes a box full of swirling hot air, and it will definitely overheat.
If there is dust around any of the vents, wipe it off with a microfiber cloth and make sure the console is completely cool before plugging it back in and booting up your game again. This could be all your console needs to get back to working order.
What Do I Do if My Xbox Series X|S Is Overheating Because of a Software Issue?
If the above troubleshooting methods didn’t work and your console is still overheating, it could be due to a software issue. In this instance, your best bet is to clean the cache or even perform a hard reset on your console.
It's a difficult decision trying to decide whether you want to purchase an Xbox Series S or X, but the Series X does have a few more features available. If you have an Xbox Series S, you would have successfully cleaned your cache earlier by unplugging the console and letting it cool down. If you have an Xbox Series X, there is another method to clean your cache from within your system's settings. Here's how:
- From the Xbox home page, scroll to Profile & Systems.
- Open Settings.
- Head to Devices and Connections.
- Scroll to Blu-ray.
- Navigate to Persistent Storage.
- Select Clear Persistent Storage.
If clearing your cache still wasn't enough, resetting your console to its factory default settings may help. Follow the instructions below to perform a full reset.
- Open your Settings.
- Head to System.
- Select Console Info.
- Select Reset Console. Here you will be provided with two options.
- Reset and Keep My Games and Apps: this is recommended for your first attempt at troubleshooting.
- Reset and Remove Everything: This is recommended as a last resort as it will remove all of your settings. If you opt for this method, see our guide on underrated Xbox features you should try to get all of your personalized settings back in place.
Once you’ve made your way through this list of troubleshooting tips, your console should be back in working order. If not, there may be something wrong with your console. Contact your local games provider or Microsoft for further information.
How Can I Prevent My Xbox Series X|S From Overheating?
Prevention is the best cure for your console overheating. So once you’ve managed to fix your overheating Xbox Series X|S, here is what you can do to prevent it from overheating again in the future:
- Keep your console in a well-ventilated place.
- Clean your console’s vents regularly. By dusting your console every week or so, you can rest assured knowing that all the hot air that is being expelled by the fans is actually leaving your console. This is the case for all systems. Learning how to safely clean your PS5 console will prevent that from overheating as well.
- Give your console a break if you have been gaming for a long time. When you’re using your Xbox Series X|S for hours on end, it is normal for the internal temperature to gradually rise. If you’re planning on gaming for longer than five hours, consider turning it off for a couple of minutes, so it has a chance to cool down.
Sometimes placement is the key to keeping your console cool. Making sure it is not sitting with the vents facing the carpet or in an enclosed cabinet can help your console perform at its best.
Keep Your Console Cool With These Troubleshooting Methods
If none of the above physical or software troubleshooting tips have worked, and your Xbox Series X|S continues to overheat abnormally, you should consider taking it back to the location where you purchased the console to get it sent away to Microsoft for repair or replacement.
But in most cases, these tips should get you back in your game as soon as possible!