- Gaming and consoles
- Xbox Series X|S
E106
Xbox E106 on Xbox Series X|S: startup after a failed OS update
Risk level
Medium
Proceed carefully and stop if the check is unclear.
Urgency
Medium
Quick answer
E106 appears on the Something went wrong screen when you try to turn the console on. Photograph the full code line, then follow Xbox's order: reset keeping games, offline system update, factory restore. Repair comes only if all of them fail.
Safety first
Stop and check this first
- Do not open the console or its power supply looking for the E106 fault. After the documented steps, the route Xbox gives is the repair request.
- Remove everything erases all accounts, saved games, settings and home Xbox associations. Xbox says to use it only as a last resort, after Keep games and apps.
- Formatting the USB flash drive for the offline update erases all files on it. Use an empty drive or back it up first.
Safe checks you can perform
- Note the full code on the Something went wrong screen
- Reset this Xbox and keep games and apps
- Offline System Update from a USB flash drive
- Factory restore with Remove everything, as a last resort
Leave these tasks to a qualified professional
- Do not attempt this professional task: Xbox repair request
- Do not attempt this professional task: Xbox Insider Program team, only for Insider consoles
What a technician must be able to justify
Technician visit
These are the steps they must carry out and show you. Tick them as they work: if steps are skipped, do not accept a part swap.
These are not instructions for opening or handling the equipment yourself. They are the checks that should support a technical conclusion.
Xbox repair request
What they doWhen every step on the E106 page has failed, Xbox says the console needs to be repaired. Check the warranty status in your Microsoft account under Devices and submit a service order at account.microsoft.com/devices/select-device-for-repair with the registered console.
They must show youthe service order number and the warranty status.
In writingthe diagnosis, what was repaired or replaced and why, and the test showing the console reaches Home after the repair.
Xbox Insider Program team, only for Insider consoles
What they doIf the console is enrolled in Xbox Insider, Xbox asks you to consult the Xbox Insider Program team and leave feedback before submitting a repair request.
They must show youtheir reply to your E106 feedback.
In writingwhether they still advise the repair request.
Before accepting a part or repair
Nothing has been shown yet. Do not accept a part swap based on the code alone.
Follow these steps
Note: Follow the documented order. An error code identifies the affected system, but it does not prove by itself which part has failed.
Note the full code on the Something went wrong screen
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- before selecting an option, photograph the Something went wrong screen. Xbox shows E106 followed by two blocks of eight characters that change from case to case.
- Result that matters:
- that the code really is E106 and that it appeared at power-on.
- If it is E106:
- follow the steps below in this order, starting with Reset this Xbox keeping games and apps.
- If the screen shows a different E code:
- use the section for that code on Xbox's startup errors page instead.
- Evidence to keep:
- the photo, the date and what the console was doing when the screen appeared.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console · Troubleshoot “Something went wrong” startup errors on Xbox
Reset this Xbox and keep games and apps
- Who:
- you.
- How:
- from the Something went wrong screen choose Troubleshoot, which opens the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter; select Reset this Xbox, then Keep games and apps. To open it by hand: power off, unplug the power cord, wait 30 seconds, plug it back in, hold Pair and Eject and press the Xbox button on the console, keep holding for 10 to 15 seconds and release after the second power-up tone. Xbox Series S and Xbox One S All-Digital Edition have no Eject button, so hold only Pair.
- Result that matters:
- whether the console returns to the Home screen after the reset.
- If you get to Home:
- Xbox says this option resets the OS and deletes potentially corrupted data without deleting games or apps.
- If it does not:
- go on to the Offline System Update.
- Evidence to keep:
- date of the reset and what the screen showed afterwards.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
Offline System Update from a USB flash drive
- Who:
- you, with a Windows PC.
- How:
- you need a Windows-based PC with an internet connection and a USB port, and a USB flash drive with at least 6 GB formatted as NTFS. Download the OSU1 file from xbox.com/xboxone/osu1, unzip it with Extract all, copy $SystemUpdate to the root of the drive, leave no other files on it and eject it safely. Plug the drive into the console, select Troubleshoot on the Something went wrong screen and choose Offline System Update. It can take several minutes; plug the network cable back in if you were wired.
- Result that matters:
- whether the update completes and the console restarts to Home.
- If the console reaches Home:
- you can remove the drive; the failed install was the problem.
- If it does not:
- go on to the factory restore (Remove everything).
- Evidence to keep:
- date of the OSU1 file and the result on screen.
Formatting the flash drive to NTFS erases every file on it. Back them up first.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
Factory restore with Remove everything, as a last resort
- Who:
- you, only after the earlier steps failed.
- How:
- in the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter select Reset this Xbox and choose Remove everything when prompted. Open the troubleshooter from the error screen or with the Pair button method.
- Result that matters:
- whether the console goes through setup and reaches the Home screen.
- If setup completes and Home appears:
- the console works; re-download your games and apps.
- If it still does not reach Home:
- Xbox says the console needs to be repaired.
- Evidence to keep:
- what was synced before the restore, the date and the final screen.
Xbox warns this erases all accounts, saved games, settings and home Xbox associations; anything not synced with the Xbox network is lost.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
Still not solved
If the error persists, stop here. See what the technician must do and show you.
Where this code applies
A code is meaningful only inside the right product and version context.
Primary scope
- System
- Gaming and consoles
- Brand
- Microsoft Xbox
- Product type
- Xbox Series X|S
Known code variants
- error code E106
- E106 Xbox
- error E106 Xbox Series X
- Microsoft Xbox E106
- S
- S E106
- Xbox E106 startup error
- Xbox error E106
- Xbox Series X
- Xbox Series X E106
What it means
Xbox shows E106 when you try to turn the console on and says it means a problem when the console tried to install the latest console OS (operating system) update. The page adds that it was a problem starting up an Xbox One console. The startup software could not finish installing or loading the operating system, so the console stops at the Something went wrong screen. Xbox lists E106, E203, E208 and E305 under the same startup steps. The code does not name a failed part: each step (reset, offline update, factory restore) rules out a software cause before Xbox sends the console to repair.
Warnings and stop conditions
- Mediumeditorial warning
Do not open the console or its power supply looking for the E106 fault. After the documented steps, the route Xbox gives is the repair request.
Evidence: Getting your Xbox device serviced · Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
- Mediumsource verified
Remove everything erases all accounts, saved games, settings and home Xbox associations. Xbox says to use it only as a last resort, after Keep games and apps.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
- Lowsource verified
Formatting the USB flash drive for the offline update erases all files on it. Use an empty drive or back it up first.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
Symptoms and causes
Probable causes · in order
- Update that did not install correctlyCommon
Xbox's meaning for E106 is a problem when the console tried to install the latest console OS (operating system) update. It is confirmed when the Offline System Update brings the console back to the Home screen.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
- Potentially corrupted system dataPossible
Reset this Xbox with Keep games and apps deletes potentially corrupted data and keeps games. If that step alone fixes it, this was the cause.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
- System state that needs a full restorePossible
Only Remove everything, the factory restore, clears it. It applies when the earlier steps on the page did not bring back the Home screen.
Evidence: Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
- Console fault that needs repairLess common
Xbox sends the console to repair only when none of its steps clear E106. The code alone does not show which part, if any, has failed.
Evidence: Getting your Xbox device serviced · Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
Virtual technician
Does E106 still appear after these checks?
Answer a few questions to narrow down the likely cause and the safest next action. Guidance only - it never replaces a professional.
Sources and technical references
- 1
Getting your Xbox device serviced
Microsoft · 2026 · official_doc
- 2
Error E106 occurs when you try to turn on your Xbox console
Microsoft · 2026 · official_doc
- 3
Troubleshoot “Something went wrong” startup errors on Xbox
Microsoft · 2026 · official_doc
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