Xbox One System Error E203: Fix it with these Easy Methods

Solve the errors and play your console worry-free

Xbox » Fix

3 min. read

Updated on October 4, 2023

by Matthew Adams

updated on October 4, 2023

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Key notes

If Xbox One displays an E203 error code it doesnt update. This error is rather rare and simple to resolve if you follow our solutions from the article below.
The first step on solving this issue is to reset the Xbox One. Please follow the step by step guide below on how to do that.
Go to our Xbox error codes section for more solutions for these problems.
The Xbox troubleshooting hub is the place to start for Xbox issues.

For some users, instead of regularly updating, the Xbox One displays a system error E203 code.

This error is rather rare and simple to resolve, but still can be debilitating, considering that the console requires timely updates.

One user stated his problem on Microsoft’s Support forum.

Hi, Our Xbox One Original since today the update reaches only 91%, gets the Error Code E203 0000080F 80073CF6 … tried several times and stops there.

Resolve the system error with ease by following the steps below.

How to fix Xbox system error E203?

1. Reset the Xbox One

Resetting the Xbox One is Microsoft’s official resolution for the Xbox system error E203. To do that, turn off and unplug the Xbox console first.
Plug the console back in after about a minute.
Next, press and hold both the Bind and Eject buttons, and press the Xbox button on the console.
Keep holding Bind and Eject for about 15 seconds until there are a couple of power-up tones.
Stop holding the Eject and Bind buttons after the second tone. Thereafter, the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter will load.
Select the Reset this Xbox option in the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter by pressing the A control pad button.
Then select the Keep games and apps option to reset the Xbox console without losing games.

2. Update the Xbox One Offline

Some users have also said that they’ve fixed the system error E203 by updating their consoles offline with a USB stick that includes Offline System Update files for the Xbox One. To do that, users need to insert an empty five GB USB drive (formatted as NTFS) into a USB slot on a laptop or desktop.
Download the OSU1 ZIP file for the Xbox One.
Open the File Explorer with its Windows key + E hotkey.
Then open the OSU1 ZIP file.
In Windows 10, users can then click the Extract all button to extract the ZIP.
Click Browse and select a folder (on the desktop or laptop hard drive) to extract OSU1 ZIP to.
Select the Extract option.
Open the extracted OSU1 folder in File Explorer.
Select the $SystemUpdate file, and press the Copy to File Explorer button.
Click Choose location on the menu that opens to open the window shown directly below.
Then select to copy the $SystemUpdate to the USB drive, and press the Copy button.
With the console off, hold the Bind and Eject buttons and press the Xbox button to open the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter.
Insert the USB drive that includes the OSU1 file into a USB slot on the Xbox One.
Press the A button to select the Offline system update option.
Thereafter, the console will restart after updating.

Those are the most widely confirmed fixes for the E203 error. However, users can also return their consoles to Microsoft for repairs so long as they are still within their warranty periods.

Microsoft offers a one-year warranty for the Xbox One.

Where is the bind button on the Xbox One?

You can find the Bind button on the left side of the console for the original Xbox One and under the power button on the Xbox One S.