It’s probably been a long time since you set up your Xbox. Here are some settings you might want to check or adjust to optimize your gaming experience, privacy, and
16Link Controller to Account
Linking your Xbox account to your controller saves you the tedium of picking a user account every time you want to play. It makes split-screen sessions smoother too, since anyone with an account and a unique controller can do so.
Head to Settings > Account > Sign-in, security & PIN and use “This controller signs in” to select your account. Now when you turn your controller on, you’ll be automatically signed in.
15Manage Account Privacy
The ability to control who sees when you’re online or what you’ve been playing is an important aspect of the social gaming experience. Head to Settings > Account > Privacy & online safety then use the “Xbox Privacy” menu to select between defaults (Child, Teen, and Adult) or use the “View details & customize” option to make granular choices.
In addition to history and online status, you may lock down your profile and profile picture, decide who can send requests and join online sessions, and control screenshot uploads and visibility. Some of these are set to “Everyone on the internet” so it’s worth reviewing these at least once.
14Configure Data Sharing Practices
While you’re in the Settings > Account > Privacy & online safety menu you’ll find three other options that you might want to change. “Optional diagnostic data” relates to Xbox products and services, “Personalized recommendations” affects how your console serves up recommended games and movies, while “Personalized ads” refers to anything else you might be sold in the Xbox dashboard.
13Configure the Share Button
Your Xbox cancapture screenshots and gameplay clips using the “Share” buttonin the middle of the controller (or via the Xbox guide on older consoles).
you’re able to select which shortcut does what under Settings > Preferences > Capture & share > Button mapping. Use the drop-down boxes to configure single press, press and hold, and double tap.
12Configure Capture Settings
Head to Settings > Preferences > Capture & share to pick a resolution and recording length for any game clips you capture. The maximum length of a clip is restricted by which resolution you pick. For example, 4K HDR captures are limited to 30 seconds, but you may go for 3 minutes in 720p SDR.
Lower resolutions and shorter clips will save disk space. you’re able to also change “Allow game captures” to “Captures by me” to prevent games from adding screenshots or clips to your personal gallery.
It’s rare, but some games save screenshots when you use in-game items like cameras. By turning this off, the only captures you’ll make are those that occur when you use the Share button.
11Power Options
Power options decide how much energy your console uses at rest, but also how accessible it is for remote features. Head to Settings > General > Power options to pick between “Shutdown” and “Sleep.”
Shutdown uses very little power since your console is essentially off, but your console takes longer to start up. Sleep uses more power since it’s still technically running, but it also starts up considerably quicker. Most importantly, remember to pick “Sleep” if you want to use Remote Play and wake the console remotely.
Hit “Customize power options” to set how long it takes for your console to turn off, and enable console and game or app updates while the console is off. Remember that games you’re currently playing should be suspended when your console powers off, which means it’s very rare that you will lose anything.
One nifty option is the “Adjust active hours” setting which allows you to automatically or manually set active hours during which your console sleeps and shuts down completely. That way you can get the best of both worlds.
10Enable Remote Access
In addition to picking “Sleep” mode to enable waking your console remotely, head to Settings > General > Power options > Customize power options > Remote features then check “Enable remote features” toplay games remotely from your smartphone.
This setting is also required if you want toinstall games remotely.
9Enable HDMI-CEC to Control Your Display
Want your TV or monitor to turn on when your Xbox does? Head to Settings > General > Power options > Customize power options > TV & A/V power options to enable the “HDMI-CEC” toggle. Now decide which behaviors you want to enable like “Console turns on other devices” to wake your TV and “Other devices can turn console off.”
You may also need toenable HDMI-CEC features on your display.
8Enable Variable Refresh Rate
Variable refresh rate ties the refresh rate of your TV or monitor to the frame rate of your Xbox. This eliminates screen tearing and can help make frame drops much less noticeable. It should be on if your display supports it, but there’s no harm in checking to ensure (especially if you’ve upgraded since getting your console).
Head to Settings > General > TV & display options > Video modes and set “Variable refresh rate” to “Gaming Only” (which means that movie and TV content won’t be affected).
Seeing a lot of flickering?VRR can cause flickering at lower frame rates. Try finding the black level compensation setting on your TV, or disabling the feature.
7Set Up HDR Properly
Your Xbox can output high dynamic range (HDR) video on supported displays. Head to Settings > General > TV & display options > Video mode and use the “Enable HDR 10” and “Allow Dolby Vision for Gaming” toggles to enable HDR support in games. you may also turn on “Allow Dolby Vision” for video content.
Now back out of this menu and use the “Calibrate HDR for games” wizard to set up your TV by following the on-screen instructions.
