If you’ve ever wondered why there’s less storage space available on your Xbox than you expected, the culprit could be reserved space. But what is reserved space on Xbox? It’s space that’s set aside by games for downloads, updates, patches, and cache files. Usually, the more content a game has, the more reserved space it will require. Creation Club content also takes up reserved space. There are ways to manage reserved space so that it’s not taking up so much of your storage space, and you can also delete it if it’s not needed, though you need to be careful to not delete any important files.
Note: This reserved space isn’t used for save files, which are automatically synced with your Xbox account when you’re online. Clearing reserved space won’t delete any cloud saves.
How to Delete Reserved Space on Xbox
You can delete reserved space on Xbox if you’re running out of storage space on your console. Just make sure you know what you’re doing so you don’t delete any critical files and find your games are unplayable. Here’s how to delete reserved space on your Xbox:
- Press the Xbox button on the controller.
- Select My Games & Apps > See All.
- Highlight the game you want to delete reserved space for then press the More Options button on your controller and choose Manage Game and Add-Ons.
- Select Saved Data.
- Choose Reserved Space (it will say the number of GB beside it).
- Select Clear Reserved Space.
Once you’ve done this, it’s a good idea to power cycle your Xbox to clear the cache. Here’s how to do that:
- Press the Xbox button on the controller.
- Select Profile & System.
- Choose Power > Turn Off Console.
- Unplug your console’s power cord, wait at least one minute, then plug it back in again and restart your console.
Managing Reserved Space on Xbox
If you don’t need or want to delete reserved space on Xbox completely, there are some things you can do to reduce the amount of reserved space a game or app is taking up. In a game, deleting any mods or resources you’re not using can help to reduce reserved space. You can also download any available updates and ensure you clear your cache regularly. This also helps optimize game performance.
Now you know how to manage or delete reserved space on Xbox, you’ll never need to worry about running out of storage space again! However, it’s worth noting here that some game publishers caution against deleting reserved space, as once your console is connected to the internet, it will simply re-download patches, updates, and other files as needed. They claim this could result in problems, including corrupted save games.
As a result, we’d recommend proceeding with caution and taking time to research the game you’re deleting reserved space for online, to see if any other gamers have encountered issues, before going ahead and deleting the space.