Network settings on the Xbox console

To get to the Network screen on your console:

Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
Select Profile & system > Settings > General > Network settings.

Network screen options

Set up wireless network

If your Xbox console isn't currently connected to the internet, or if you want to change wireless access points, select Set up wireless network. Selecting this button deletes any current wireless settings and prompts you to set up a new wireless device.

The Xbox console doesn't save old device information, allowing you to completely wipe out old settings and start new each time. This saves you from accidental manual entries that could cause issues on a new network.

For example: You've set up your console's network connection at your house, but you're going to visit a relative and want to take your Xbox console. When you get to your new location, select Set up wireless network, select the appropriate router from the list of devices, enter the password, and connect to the network.

When you return home and plug in your Xbox, you won't automatically connect to your network, because establishing the new connection wiped out your home router's information. So, select Set up wireless network, select your router from the device list, and enter your password. Now the previous router info has been deleted and your Xbox console will remember your home device's settings.

Test network connection

If you can't connect to the Xbox network, you can begin troubleshooting by using this test. The Test network connection test verifies that you're connected to your networking devices and that you can access the internet.

If you see an error message after you run this test, see:

Troubleshoot multiplayer connection errors

If you see the message “It's all good, your console is connected to the internet,” and you still can’t connect to the Xbox network, check the Xbox status to see if there's an issue with the service.

Xbox status page

Test remote play

The remote play setup test checks to make sure your console is all set to enable remote play. It checks your network connection, Xbox Wireless Controller connection, and console settings to see if you’re able to control and play Xbox games on your mobile device using the Xbox mobile app.

For more info, see:

Understanding your remote play setup test results

Test network speed & statistics

This test shows your network speed and detailed network statistics. If you’re a networking expert, the Detailed network statistics screen can help you evaluate your network performance. By selecting this button, you'll run a short test that checks your network performance and displays the results in a format that's easy to understand.

This screen displays the following information:

Download speed, which is critical for streaming content and playing multiplayer games on the Xbox network.
Upload speed, which only affects your ability to play multiplayer games on the Xbox network.
Note Upload and download speeds are the results of a speed test that shows you how fast your network can download or upload a file from the internet to your Xbox console.
Packet loss, which is critical for streaming content and playing multiplayer games on the Xbox network.

Note that when content is transferred on the internet, it's wrapped in packets. This tests your ability to receive the proper number of packets sent. The causes of packet loss include inadequate signal strength at the destination, natural or human-made interference, excessive system noise, hardware failure, software corruption, or overburdened network nodes. Often, more than one of these factors is involved.

If you see more than 5% packet loss, try troubleshooting your console using the following steps:

Troubleshoot network connection errors

MTU, which needs to meet a minimum of 1384 MTU or higher to play games on the Xbox network. Checking and adjusting your router settings could quickly resolve many gaming issues if this setting is too low.
Latency, which is a networking term for delay of packet delivery. It's measured by how many milliseconds it takes for a packet of data to get from one designated point to another. This can affect streaming, but only if an app times out. However, latency can drastically affect multiplayer gaming, because you'll be delayed on what you see versus what's happening on the server. In other words, if you have high latency, your game character could be killed before you ever see your opponent on the screen.
Wireless strength, which measures the strength of your internet signal. The closer your signal is to 100 percent, the better your Xbox console connection results will be. Wireless interference that causes low-signal strength is the leading reason for latency and packet loss. This test is designed to test a point in time, so if you remove causes of wireless interference between your router and your Xbox console, you should retest to see what kind of improvement your adjustment made. This test can help you narrow down what's causing wireless interference and how much it's affecting your Xbox experience.

Test multiplayer connection

If you experience lag, random disconnects, or other game-related network issues, this test helps you identify the issue and works to resolve it. Test multiplayer connection tests anything that might affect your experience while multiplayer gaming on the Xbox network, including IP address, download and upload speeds, packet loss, latency, and MTU (see the “Test network speed & statistics” section above for definitions).

If you see an error message after you run this test, see:

Troubleshoot multiplayer connection errors

Test NAT Type

This retests your NAT type after you’ve adjusted something on your home network. Run this test after each troubleshooting step you try to see if it results in a Moderate or Open NAT type, which would resolve your issue.

For more details about NAT, see the “Why NAT is important” section, below.

Go offline

The Go offline option is for the offline gamer. If you’re connected to a wired network, you only have to disconnect the LAN cable from the back of the console to go offline. However, if you use a wireless connection, the only way to disconnect is to go to the Network screen and select Go offline.

Note If you go offline, you'll occasionally have to connect to the Xbox network to get the latest system update so that you can play a newly released game.

You can also use the option to Forget wireless network to clear your current wireless connection.

Disconnect wireless

If you select this option, your console immediately disconnects from your wireless network.

Bandwidth usage

This screen shows the current bandwidth usage for the console. In the Time period section, the bandwidth for a set date range is also shown. You can change the end date for this date range by selecting Reset period on this day.

The section Usage over the last 12 hours shows the estimated bandwidth usage for the past 12 hours, and the Historical bandwidth usage section shows the estimated bandwidth for recent months.

Advanced settings

The Advanced settings screen is generally used only by technical users or support. If you've set up your home network to use Static IP addresses, you want to manually configure your DNS settings, you need to set up MAC spoofing (changing the Media Access Control address of the network interface on your networked device), or you want to select an alternate port, select Advanced settings to manually configure your network.

For more info on advanced network settings, see:

About advanced network settings

Current network status

This section of the Network screen displays the current status of your network connection.

The first indicator tells you whether you're connected. If you are, this tells you if you're connected via a wired or wireless connection. If you’re wireless, this will display a signal-strength indicator to show the approximate strength of your signal.
The second indicator shows your internet protocol version, which is either IPv4 or IPv6. For the Xbox console to connect to the internet using IPv6, your home router needs to have IPv6 enabled, and your internet service provider (ISP) must support IPv6.
The third indicator displays your Network Address Translation (NAT) type. Your NAT allows you two different IP addresses, one for internal traffic and one for external traffic. The NAT helps hide your internal IP address and creates a kind of firewall.
The fourth indicator tells you if any errors have occurred. For example, your UPnP was not successful.
The fifth indicator tells you whether the Xbox services are up and running. If any services are down, this indicator also details which ones are down.

Why NAT is important

A table shows the compatibility of two Xbox consoles when each has open, moderate, or strict NAT type.

Open NAT: With an OPEN NAT type, you're able to play and host multiplayer games with people who have any NAT type on their network.

Moderate NAT: With a MODERATE NAT type, you're able to play multiplayer games with some people; however, you might not be able to play with others, and normally you won't be chosen as the host of a match.

Strict NAT: With a STRICT NAT type, you're only able to play multiplayer games with people who have an OPEN NAT type. You can't be chosen as the host of a match.

Unavailable NAT: If NAT is unavailable, you’ll be unable to use party chat or connect to multiplayer games for some titles on the Xbox network.

Things to keep in mind:

If you can't hear your friends online, or if you can't join or host a multiplayer game, this is because your NAT type is set to moderate or strict. If you want to change your NAT type, it can be difficult, but you can modify it by following the steps in the following article:
Troubleshoot NAT errors and multiplayer game issues
Service status indicates if any part of the Xbox service is down. It also helps you determine if you need to troubleshoot an issue on your network, or if the issue is with our services on the Xbox network. If you see that any service is down, visit the Xbox status page for details on the outage.
Xbox status page

Network settings on the Xbox console

Network screen options

Set up wireless network

Test network connection

Test remote play

Test network speed & statistics

Test multiplayer connection

Test NAT Type

Go offline

Disconnect wireless

Bandwidth usage

Advanced settings

Current network status

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