"This drive isn't formatted as NTFS. The NTFS drive requires a maximum sector size of 4k". Why?

Hello DanSunderland1,

I understand how confusing this error can be. I'd like to help you find a solution.

See this article under 'Formatted drives and installation errors':

https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/games-apps/...

Your issue is happening because the Xbox app specifically requires an NTFS drive with a 4K sector size for game installations. Unlike Steam, which is more flexible, the Xbox app enforces this requirement, likely for compatibility or performance reasons related to how it handles game files.

Since your SSD is formatted with a 32K sector size, the app isn’t recognizing it as valid. Unfortunately, there’s no direct workaround besides reformatting the drive with a 4K sector size. If you want to avoid that, you could:

1. Use a different drive (formatted with 4K sectors) for Xbox app games.

2. Try creating a separate partition formatted with a 4K sector size just for Xbox games.

Let me know if you need help setting that up!

Hi Tiantian Z! I hope you are well, delighted to be able to offer you my help!

The problem seems to be related to the sector size of the external hard drive. Xbox requires the external hard drive to be formatted as NTFS with a maximum sector size of 4k.

Here are some steps you can take to resolve the issue:

Check Sector Size: You can check the sector size of your external hard drive by right-clicking on the drive in File Explorer, selecting “Properties,” and then clicking the “Hardware” tab. Select the external hard drive and click the “Properties” button. Under the “Volumes” tab, you should see the value “Bytes per sector.” If it is not set to 4096, that may be causing the problem.

Reformat the drive: If the sector size is not set to 4096, you will need to reformat the drive to NTFS with a maximum sector size of 4k. This will erase all data on the drive, so be sure to back up all important files before continuing.

To format the drive as NTFS with a 4k sector size, right-click the external hard drive in File Explorer, select “Format,” and then select “NTFS” as the file system. Click the "Allocation Unit Size" drop-down menu and select "4096 bytes (default)." Then, click "Start" to begin the formatting process.

Use a different hard drive: If you are unable to reformat the drive or the drive still does not work after formatting, you may need to use a different external hard drive that meets Xbox requirements.
I hope this helps you resolve the issue and get your external hard drive working with your Xbox!

Best regards,
Daniel.

Hi rodrigoes45! I hope you are well, delighted to be able to offer you my help!

The problem seems to be related to the sector size of the external hard drive. Xbox requires the external hard drive to be formatted as NTFS with a maximum sector size of 4k.

Here are some steps you can take to resolve the issue:

Check Sector Size: You can check the sector size of your external hard drive by right-clicking on the drive in File Explorer, selecting “Properties,” and then clicking the “Hardware” tab. Select the external hard drive and click the “Properties” button. Under the “Volumes” tab, you should see the value “Bytes per sector.” If it is not set to 4096, that may be causing the problem.

Reformat the drive: If the sector size is not set to 4096, you will need to reformat the drive to NTFS with a maximum sector size of 4k. This will erase all data on the drive, so be sure to back up all important files before continuing.

To format the drive as NTFS with a 4k sector size, right-click the external hard drive in File Explorer, select “Format,” and then select “NTFS” as the file system. Click the "Allocation Unit Size" drop-down menu and select "4096 bytes (default)." Then, click "Start" to begin the formatting process.

Use a different hard drive: If you are unable to reformat the drive or the drive still does not work after formatting, you may need to use a different external hard drive that meets Xbox requirements.
I hope this helps you resolve the issue and get your external hard drive working with your Xbox!

Best regards,
Daniel.

Hello, I'm Felipe and I'm an independent Community Advisor, and I'll do my best to help you.

It seems like the issue is related to the sector size of your external hard drive. The Xbox requires that the external hard drive be formatted as NTFS with a maximum sector size of 4k.

Here are some steps you can take to resolve the issue:

Check the sector size: You can check the sector size of your external hard drive by right-clicking on the drive in File Explorer, selecting "Properties", and then clicking on the "Hardware" tab. Select the external hard drive and click the "Properties" button. Under the "Volumes" tab, you should see the "Bytes per sector" value. If it's not set to 4096, that may be causing the issue.

Reformat the drive: If the sector size is not set to 4096, you will need to reformat the drive to NTFS with a maximum sector size of 4k. This will erase all data on the drive, so make sure to back up any important files before proceeding.

To format the drive as NTFS with a 4k sector size, right-click on the external hard drive in File Explorer, select "Format", and then select "NTFS" as the file system. Click on the "Allocation unit size" dropdown and select "4096 bytes (Default)". Then, click "Start" to begin the formatting process.

Use a different hard drive: If you are unable to reformat the drive or if the drive still doesn't work after formatting, you may need to use a different external hard drive that meets the Xbox's requirements.

I hope this helps you resolve the issue and get your external hard drive working with your Xbox!

you must have a drive that is formatted NTFS with a 4K cluster size