How to Recover Deleted Xbox Saved Data: Step-by-Step Guide

Overview About Xbox

Xbox is a popular home video game console brand developed by Microsoft, first launched in 2001. It is known for delivering high-quality gaming experiences, offering a wide range of exclusive titles. The Xbox Series X is the latest gaming console, offering exceptional performance, ultra-fast load times, and breathtaking visuals with support for up to 8K resolution. Xbox is also deeply integrated into Microsoft's ecosystem, enabling cross-platform play with PC and cloud gaming, making it a versatile choice for gamers around the world.

However, like any other platform, Xbox relies on hardware that stores game data on a storage device. Saved data may encounter data loss for various reasons, such as hard drive issue, accidental deletion, power supply issue, and more. If you encounter the data loss on Xbox, you can recover deleted save data on your own following these methods.

How to Recover Deleted Save Data from Xbox

Whether your saves disappeared during gameplay or after an update, the next steps will guide you through retrieval. To recover deleted Xbox save data seamlessly, here are detailed solutions mainly from three aspects: the Xbox console itself, backups, and third-party tools.

Method 1. Restart your Xbox Console

Reboot Xbox console can remove some bugs or temporary data. Sometimes saves may not load or display correctly. And restarting the Xbox can force a reload of the save files to recover the lost data. Here's how to restart your Xbox.

Step 1. Press and hold the Xbox button on your controller.

Step 2. Choose Restart console > Restart.

Alternatively, you can also restart Xbox by pressing and releasing the Xbox button on the console, then use the controller to navigate through the guide that pops up. Select System > Settings > Restart the console > Restart.

Method 2. Check Your Xbox Account

Before applying other data recovery methods, first ensure the game data belongs to your account by checking that you haven’t accidentally switched to another user (e.g., family members or friends) on the gaming system. To verify if it’s the correct account: press the Xbox button to open the guide, and select System > Settings > Account.

Method 3. Restore from Cloud Saves (if enabled)

Accidental deletion, sync errors, or hardware issues can wipe your hard-earned progress. Fortunately, Xbox offers safeguards—like cloud backups—to help you restore deleted file efficiently. If you have enabled Xbox cloud saves, they will keep syncing saved game data to online storage automatically. Steps to access these saves:

Step 1. Sign in to your Xbox console with the same account you used to save the game.

Step 2. Download and reinstall the game that you're trying to restore save data for. Once installed, launch the game. The game will use the same Xbox account to sign in.

Step 3. Once done, it will start syncing save data by downloading it from the cloud.

Method 4. Restore from the Backup (If available)

If you've manually backed up your Xbox game data on external USB drive, you can restore it. Note that this method is specifically for transferring games from an old console to a new one.

Step 1. Sign in to your Xbox account on the Xbox console and plug in the USB drive containing the backup.

Step 2. Select Settings > System >Backup & transfer > Restore this console.

Step 3. Select the USB drive as the restore source.

Step 4. Select the backup files to restore deleted save data following the on-screen prompts.

Method 5. Reinstall Xbox Games Manually

Another way to restore deleted saves on Xbox is to reinstall Xbox games manually. You can recover saved data from your Xbox One hard drive using the Xbox Cloud Saves feature. This feature seamlessly integrates all Xbox-developed games with cloud storage.

Step 1. Sign in to Xbox console with the account used for the game, and head toward Settings > Account > Download History.

Step 2. Choose the game you want to restore from the list of downloaded games, then select download again.

When the process is finished, the game will automatically sync the saved game data from the cloud.

Method 6. Recover from Xbox Hard Drive-MyRecover

As previously mentioned, Xbox data is stored on external hard drives. When none of the above methods work effectively, you can try to recover deleted save data from your Xbox hard drive. Recovering files from external hard drives is what MyRecover excels at. As a third-party data recovery software, it covers various data loss scenarios and is as easy to use as playing a game, completing the data recovery process in just 4 steps.

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer. Then connect Xbox hard drive to your computer using appropriate adapters.

Step 2. Launch it and select the Xbox drive to scan for lost data.

Step 3. Choose the files you want to recover and click "Recover".

Step 4. Select a secure location to save the recovered files (different from the drive where lost files).

When the message "Your files have been recovered successfully" appears on the screen, you can check the files in the designed folders.

Conclusion

After reading this guide, it is clear how to recover deleted save data on Xbox. You may already recognize the critical role of backups as the ultimate safeguard for your data. However, if backups aren't available, there's no need to panic. A reliable data recovery tool like MyRecover can still ensure your data's safety. For users with advanced needs, MyRecover offers Professional and Technician editions, designed to recover data even in extreme scenarios such as system crashes.