How to force close an Xbox One game or app

One of our favorite features on the Xbox One is the ability to resume games even after turning off the system. It's really handy at finishing single player games after being interrupted by errands. But once in a blue moon, we notice games getting stuck at the splash screen when attempting to resume after startup. Want to know a quick fix? Force close the game! We'll show you how simple it is on the Xbox One.

Follow the steps below and/or watch the video.

  1. While in the game or app, press the Xbox button on your controller.
  2. Make sure that the biggest application tile is highlighted, and then press the Menu button.
  3. Select Quit.

That's it! You can re-open the game. It won't resume to where you left off, but it helps you reset a frozen game.

Closing a game also makes sure your timed trials don't run out. For example, the Madden NFL 15 trial is limited to 6 hours of gameplay. Don't be surprised to find out the trial has run out because you didn't close the game.

Mark Guim

Mark Guim is Video Editor at Windows Central. He switched to Windows because the MacBook Pro isn't Pro enough. You can follow him on Twitter at @markguim.