How To Update Xbox One Offline

Software updates generally come via automatic online updates. But if you don’t have a good internet connection, sometimes the console forces you to use offline methods.

The Xbox Offline System Update (OSU) allows you to get the console up to date with a flash drive.

Here’s what you need:

A USB flash drive with 6GB of space, as well as NTFS format
A Windows PC with an internet connection and USB ports

The process is the same for the Xbox One S, the Xbox One X, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S.

However, the original Xbox One console may need an extra update, depending on its operating system. There’s a detailed guide below.

Format the USB Drive

The first step is formatting your USB flash drive. Here’s how:

Plug your USB flash drive into your Windows PC
Open the File Explorer
Go to This PC
Right-click your USB drive
Select Format
Select NTFS format under File System
Leave everything else as-is, but rename the drive if you want
Select Start

Download the Update File

Plug the USB drive on your Windows PC
Download this file (OSU1). Click “Save as” and save it to your Downloads folder. It’s a 6GB file, so the download may take a while if you have a slow internet speed.
After it downloads, right-click the file and select Extract all
Copy the “$SystemUpdate” on the .zip file to the flash drive
Unplug the drive from your PC

Update the Xbox Offline

Now, it’s time for the update. It works through the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter:

Turn off your console
Unplug the power cord for one minute to power cycle the Xbox
Plug back the cable
Press and hold the Pair and Eject buttons on the console. Press the Xbox power button after hearing the first beep, but keep holding the others.
The Xbox Series S and the Xbox One S All-Digital have to Eject buttons, so you’d have to press the Pair button for 10-15 seconds. Again, after you hear the first beep, press the Xbox button on the console, but keep holding the Pair button.
Hold the two buttons for 10-15 seconds until you hear the second power-up tone. Release the buttons when you listen to it
The console will boot into the Startup Troubleshooter
Plug the USB drive on the Xbox
Select Offline system update

The process will take several minutes. The console may restart various times to finish the update.

Also, you will need to connect to the internet during the setup process. Simply follow the instructions until you’re back on your Xbox’s home screen.

However, if it doesn’t work, you may:

Turn off the Xbox
Unplug all of its cables for 5 minutes
Plug back all of its cables
Try the update again, or choose to Reset this console

How to Update the Original Xbox One Offline

As the oldest console, the Xbox One original may require you to do some extra steps.

But you can quickly verify if you need these steps or not. See, older system versions don’t have the Xbox Startup troubleshooter. So, if your Xbox has one, you can update it with the steps you saw above.

Otherwise, you will have to install two or three offline updates in a row.

Check if the Xbox One Has the Troubleshooter

Here’s how to check if your older Xbox has the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter:

Turn off the console
Unplug the network and power cable
Wait one minute
Plug the power card back
Press and hold the Pair and the Eject button simultaneously for 10-15 seconds
Press the Xbox power button after you hear the first beep, but keep holding the other buttons
After you hear the second beep, release the buttons.

When the console powers up, it will take you to the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter. If it could reach there, you can perform the Xbox offline update with the same steps as above.

Otherwise, continue with the following steps.

Check the OS Version

There’re three offline Xbox system updates (OSU1, OSU2, and OSU3). To find out the ones you need, you must check the OS version on your console:

Turn on the console
Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide
Go to Profile & system
Go to Settings
Go to System
Go to Console info
Check your OS version and compare it with our lists below
Newer OS versions only need OSU1. These are:
- 6.2.11791.0 (xb_rel_1411.141114-2300) fre
- 6.2.12521.0 (xb_rel_1503.150305-1449) fre
- 6.2.12998.0 (xb_rel_1506.150601-2200) fre
- 6.2.13326.0 (xb_rel_1508.150810-2029) fre
- 6.2.13332.0 (xb_rel_1508.150903-2141) fre
- 10.0.10586.1006 (th2_xbox_rel_1510.151107-2322) fre
- 10.0.10586.1016 (th2_xbox_rel_1510.151118-2147) fre
- 10.0.10586.1024 (th2_xbox_rel_1510.151203-1909) fre
- 10.0.10586.1026 (th2_xbox_rel_1510.151217-1035) fre
- 10.0.10586.1100 (th2_xbox_rel_1602.160210-2122) fre
- 10.0.10586.1194 (th2_xbox_rel_1603.160317-1900) fre
If your build is not above, it may be the following:
- 6.2.9781.0