How to Fix Xbox One Stuck on Green Screen? [5 Causes & Fixes]

Have you ever encountered the so-called Xbox green screen of death? If you have, you know how aggravating it is since you cannot relax with your favorite game.

How to fix the Xbox One stuck on green screen problem, then? It depends on the actual cause, but in most cases, an update and reboot fixes the problem.

Below, you’ll learn how to fix the Xbox green screen issue despite what causes it!

5 Ways to Fix the Xbox One Stuck on Green Screen Issue

If you are ready to finally rid yourself of the green screen you’ve been seeing on your Xbox One, check out the following five solutions you can apply quickly.

1. Hard Reboot Your Xbox One

The first and quickest solution to try out is to reboot your Xbox one:

1. Unplug your Xbox from the electrical outlet;
2. Press and hold the power button to drain any residual power;
3. Plug the console back in and start it;
4. See if the green screen goes away.

This solution works if your Xbox One shuts down abruptly (for whatever reason) before encountering the issue, after which it will likely boot up normally.

2. Perform an Offline System Update

The green screen of death may also result from interrupted online updates, which ultimately lead to corrupted data. Thankfully, you can update your Xbox One offline:

1. Get a Windows PC or laptop and an empty 8 GB USB stick;
2. Format the USB with the NTFS standard;
3. Download the Xbox Offline System Update (OSU1);
1. If you are on an older build, you may need to install OSU2 or OSU3 first.
4. Unzip the file and transfer its contents to your PC;
5. Transfer the ‘$SystemUpdate’ file to your USB drive;
6. Make sure your Xbox is turned off for a while;
7. Boot into the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter;
1. You have to hold both the ‘Pair’ and the ‘Eject’ buttons before hitting the Xbox button once;
2. Keep on holding ‘Pair’ and ‘Eject’ until you hear two beeps;
3. Release both buttons after the second tone.
8. Wait for the console to power up into Troubleshoot mode;
9. Plug the USB drive into the USB port on the Xbox One;
10. Select the ‘Offline system update’ option;
11. Wait several minutes for the update to finish.

Note that you need a wired internet connection to finalize the procedure. If everything goes smoothly, your Xbox will restart and take you back to your Home screen.

3. Factory Reset Your Xbox One

If your Xbox is still misbehaving, you can reset it to its default factory settings by navigating to the Troubleshoot page again:

1. Power off your Xbox by holding the Xbox button for about 10 seconds;
2. Boot into the Startup Troubleshooter again, as explained above;
3. Select the ‘Reset this Xbox’ option once the console boots up;
4. Follow the instructions and delete your system files;
• You can also delete your games should you choose to.
5. Reboot the console and see if it boots normally.

If the factory reset fixes the issue, you must configure your console again.

4. Format the Xbox Hard Drive

Corrupted data on your hard drives may also cause the Xbox green screen issue, so you will have to format the hard drive manually before updating your Xbox:

1. Remove the Xbox hard drive and plug it into a Windows machine;
2. Download and install this Xbox One Hard Drive Partitioning Script;
3. Run the ‘create_xbox_drive.bat’ batch file;
4. Follow the on-screen instructions;
1.  You have to select the relevant formatting option;
2. Choose to format the Xbox One disk;
3. Select the partition layout depending on your disk size;
4. Wait for the script to complete.
5. Unplug the drive from your PC and plug it back into the console;
6. Install the offline Xbox One updates procedure detailed above.

Note: Back up your data before formatting to avoid losing anything important.

5. Replace the Hard Drive or Try an External One

If nothing of the above works, you will have to replace your hard drive with either an original internal drive or an external hard drive. Once you obtain a compatible unit, you must format it and reinstall the latest update, as explained in the previous sections.

If you are not confident you can do all that, you can also contact a certified Xbox technician who will complete the procedure. If your Xbox is within warranty, you won’t even have to pay anything, which might not be that likely since Xbox One is last-gen hardware.

What Causes the Xbox Green Screen Issue?

So what exactly causes the Xbox Green screen issue? Let’s look at the potential reasons:

1. Unsuccessful System Updates

The first and most apparent cause is an unsuccessful system update, which corrupts the system data in most cases. This problem occurs whenever you lose your internet connection or power delivery while updating your console. Therefore, you must ensure an uninterrupted power supply and stable connection before initiating an update.

2. Random Bugs

Like any other digital console, the Xbox One is not impervious to random bugs and glitches. Not that you would want anything to be wrong with your console, but if it were, hope that it’s a random bug. That way, you can quickly eliminate these temporary glitches by unplugging all the cables and hard resetting the Xbox One.

3. Storage Errors

As we’ve mentioned previously, a faulty or corrupt hard drive can also cause the green screen issue. Unfortunately, fixing your Xbox hard drive is a more involved process that varies depending on whether you are correcting a system file corruption or installing a new drive. In any case, you can always ask for help from the Xbox community.

4. Hardware Damage

Physical damage will most likely cause an error or two, so if your Xbox One starts exhibiting the issue after falling off the table, you may have damaged its internal components. On such occasions, you may have to contact an Xbox repair shop to get your console sorted. Once you do, keep it secure and away from children.

5. Server Errors

A server error is one potential but rare reason your Xbox may be unable to boot up properly. Like other popular consoles, your Xbox connects to the internet so you can play with other gamers worldwide. Therefore, it relies on remote servers to get updates, establish player communication, and save your game progress. 

However, if Microsoft’s servers are experiencing any issues, all that functionality gets disrupted, and you won’t be able to do anything but wait for the problem to go away.

Bottom Line

How to fix the green screen in Xbox One? Factory resetting or updating your device resolves the issue in most cases. You can also format or replace the hard drive or even try fixing the problem with the Xbox support team. While these solutions typically work for the majority of users, you may still have to take your Xbox to a professional repair shop.