Xbox Series X Storage Upgrade: How to Install External Storage

October 28, 2021 at 11:33pm
By Jason Stettner

It’s really easy to upgrade Xbox Series X storage, and Seagate was happy to work with me in regards to showcasing just how you’re able to do so. With the Seagate Expansion card or even regular hard drives we’ll be going over the steps for safely adding this into your next generation Xbox console. It’ll allow you to play your fresh and future games that require the better storage to run.

It’s not too complicated of a setup, but some may need some help in regards to getting this going which is why this sort of guide exists. It’s honestly best to watch the video below as that will simply and visually showcase things but I’ll describe the process as well for those that enjoy reading the steps instead.

Seagate Expansion Card Installation

1. Find the “Storage Expansion Card” slot.
Look at the back of the console, there will be an empty slot for a single card. Insert it, you can do this while playing a game or just sitting at the dashboard.

2. Format the Drive.
Since it’s a special card you really don’t have to do anything, it’ll literally just work as expected granting you extra space. You can choose to rename the card if you’d like or if you want things to install here by default. With that, it’ll run your next gen games easily as Optimized titles since they need this specific type of storage.

External Hard Drive

1. Choose any of the three USB ports present on the console and plug your drive in.
Keep in mind that USB 3.0 or later are required for these spots, make sure you pick a spot that you want to leave this drive in as it’s best to just keep them plugged in. There is one USB spot in the front and two in the back for context. You’re also limited to three storage options on these different spots. Plug it in and leave it then.

2. Format the Drive.
Once inserted you’ll get a prompt on the screen for multiple options. This includes uses it for media. If you choose media that’s for playing videos or music and the like. You could also use this setting to record up to one hour of gameplay at 4k 60fps HDR. Then there’s another choice which is format for games, this is the one you want for game storage. The final choice is cancel.

3. Use the Drive.
Once formatted you can use last generation games off of it or ones that don’t required Optimized storage. You can choose to rename the card if you’d like or if you want things to install here by default.

I hope you found this helpful, the video is typically best for seeing this all in action. At least, that’s my opinion on the situation but I hope the written steps helped as well. Be careful with your console as they are expensive in the current era of writing this.

It’s all about being able to game more, and the Seagate Expansion card is a perfect choice for doing so. You can find more cool stuff from the various links below including a review of the console alongside the general hub for all things on the platform.

Read our Xbox Series X Review
View our Xbox Hub