Xbox 360 Title Update Not Downloading? Fixes That Work
A title update that won't download usually comes down to your Xbox Live connection, a pending system update, a stalled file, or a third-party dashboard. Work through them in that order.
In this article
If your Xbox 360 title update is not downloading, the most likely cause is a weak or dropped Xbox Live connection or a pending system update. Microsoft's support page for the "Download Stopped" error lists the same two checks as its first solutions: check for available system updates, then check your connection to Xbox Live [1]. Start with those two. Learn more in Xbox 360 Fixes via Xbox Live.
Here's the quick fix: confirm your Xbox Live connection, install any system update, then retry the download. If it still stalls after both checks, the problem is more likely the file itself or a third-party dashboard. It also helps to read BFME 2 Beta Update Safecast Fix.
Other causes are a stalled or corrupted file and a third-party dashboard. Some title updates do not download properly, so check whether the update shows up as a corrupted file in system settings [2]. A third-party dashboard can also interfere, so it is worth ruling out.
Is your Xbox Live connection or system update blocking it?
If you see a "Download Stopped" error, start with two checks: the console's system update and your Xbox Live connection. Microsoft's support page lists these as its first suggested solutions for that error [1].
Check for a system update first
Start with the console's system software. Microsoft lists checking for available system updates as its first solution [1]. A pending system update can hold back new content, so a title update may keep failing even when the game itself looks fine.
Install any update that is waiting and let it finish. Once the console is on the latest system software, go back to the game and try the title update again.
Check your Xbox Live connection
If the system is up to date, check your connection to Xbox Live. Microsoft's second solution is to check that connection and then try downloading the content again [1]. A weak or dropped link can stop a download partway through, and the progress may stall without an obvious reason.
With the console online, start the download again from the same menu. If it stops at the same spot, the connection or the file is the next thing to look at.
A quick example
Say you start a title update on a weeknight and the download stops at the same point twice. Check for a system update first. If nothing is pending, check the Xbox Live connection, then start the download again.
Doing the checks in this order keeps things simple. You rule out the console software first, then the network, and only then the download itself.
Could a stalled or corrupted download be the cause?
A stalled or corrupted download is a real cause of a title update that won't work, so check the update file before you try anything else. Some title updates do not download properly, and the file can end up damaged on the console. [2] When that happens, the update may never apply, even though the download seemed to finish.
Start with the update itself. Go to system settings and check whether the title update shows up as a corrupted file. [2] If it does, the problem is the file on your console, not your game disc or your account. Replacing that file is the fix, so you can move on to that step once you know the file is damaged.
Here's how that might look. You start an update for a game, the progress bar reaches the end, and the game still runs as if nothing changed. You then open system settings and find the update listed as corrupted. That result tells you the download failed quietly, and downloading it again is the next step.
Install errors can point to the same problem. If you install a title update and the game shows "The game couldn't start. Try downloading the game again", the update file may be damaged. [3] The message is not saying the game itself is broken. It is asking you to get a clean copy of the update.
Keep in mind that this is one possible cause. A weak connection or a pending system update can produce similar symptoms, so a corrupted file is not always the reason. If the update looks fine in system settings and the error still appears, the file is less likely to be the problem, and you should look at the other causes next.
Is a third-party dashboard like Aurora getting in the way?
Aurora can be the reason a title update never finishes downloading, and a fresh install of Aurora is the fix that worked in one reported case. Some players report that Aurora fails to download title updates. [4]
In that case, the poster reinstalled Aurora and wrote, "I've managed to solve my problem by installing a fresh copy of Aurora. Everything works great now." [4] That is one person's experience, so treat a reinstall as a first thing to try rather than a sure cure.
Reinstall Aurora before you retry
Start by removing your current copy of Aurora from the console or storage device where it lives. Clearing out the old files keeps them from mixing with the new install, which is why the reinstall is worth doing properly.
Next, download a fresh copy of Aurora and install it the same way you installed the old one. Then retry the title update from the start. A download can look frozen while it is still moving, so give it time before you decide it has stalled.
If you use the standard dashboard
This only matters if you use a third-party dashboard. If a download stops with a "Download Stopped" error on the standard dashboard, check for available system updates and check your Xbox Live connection. [1]
If the update still stalls after a fresh Aurora install, the dashboard is probably not the only problem, so move on to the next fixes.
What order should you try these fixes in?
Start with the two checks Microsoft lists first, because they are quick and they come before any file changes. Its support page gives installing available system updates and checking your connection to Xbox Live as the first solutions for a "Download Stopped" error [1]. Work through the steps below in order, and stop as soon as the download goes through.
- Install any pending system update, then check Xbox Live. Look for a system update waiting on your console and install it first. Then check your connection to Xbox Live and try the title update again [1]. A console that is behind on system updates may refuse new content, so this step often clears the problem without touching any files.
- Remove a corrupted update and download it again. Go to system settings and check whether the title update shows up as a corrupted file [2]. Some title updates simply don't download properly [2]. If the file is corrupted, delete it and download it again. Before you delete anything, make sure you're removing the title update file and not a save or other content you still need.
- If you copy updates from USB, format the drive on your Xbox 360. The easiest way is to format the USB drive using your Xbox 360 itself [5]. Once the title update is on the drive, transfer it to your console [5]. Then install it from the drive, rather than copying it over from a computer that may have formatted the drive differently.
- If you use Aurora, reinstall it before you retry. In one forum thread, a player solved the same problem by installing a fresh copy of Aurora [4]. Reinstall a fresh copy, then try the title update again. If you don't use Aurora, skip this step.
If the download still stops after all of these, move on to contacting support, and keep the exact error message handy.
When should you stop troubleshooting and contact support?
If the download still stops after the system update, connection check, and file retry, contact Xbox Support. Those are the first steps Microsoft suggests for a "Download Stopped" error, so a failure after them needs a closer look from support [1].
When you write to support, keep the exact error message, such as "Download Stopped." The wording helps them match your problem to the right fix. Also note which title update you were trying to install.
Start with the system update and connection check, then try the download again. If it still stops, contact Xbox Support with the error text in hand.