How to delete files from a failed xbox game download on PC

JagB2 · Mar 13, 2023

Having a nightmare with the Xbox app, which appears to be down to incompetent programming on Microsoft's part. Any help short of a total re-install would be appreciated.

Had Forza Horizon 4 on Game Pass Ultimate for ages. This week it got stuck downloading a forced update so we couldn't play the game. It then disappeared from the installed list in the Xbox app and searching only gave the option to re-install. It then said we couldn't as there wasn't enough space (as the original install was still there taking up that space!).

So I uninstalled the game in Windows Apps and had 133Gb free.

Re-installed it, only for the Xbox app to fail to install it after download.

Now the space is used again but can't be freed up as it's hidden somewhere, and it refuses to re-install again due to a lack of fisk space as there's only 40Gb left.

I've tried :

WSReset in admin CMD prompt

uninstall and re-install xbox app.

Clear temporary files (a lot of online help suggests this but there are no temporary files listed when you do this.

Internet searches suggest this problem dates back at least 5yrs to the old companion app and is due to locking down the downloads so they are totally invisible.

I haven't found any location that has the 80Gb of files to indicate where it is stored, it is simply lost capacity

Anyone have any solutions to this?

Anyone found a way to open the downloads location so it can be wiped?

If not we'll be left with a total reinstall of windows (seriously MS ??!!), or buying a bigger disk and cloning the system over. I suspect the latter will still leave the space used up though.

thanks

To Microsoft : I honestly can't believe this is still an issue 5yrs after the earliest reports.

In any well written program like Steam you'd just delete the game folder and re-start, but this is Microsoft so obviously it's not possible to do anything that simple.

:)

JagB2

So I in part answered my own question with a workaround, but it's not ideal.

The downloaded game is stored in the folder :

C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.SunriseBaseGame_2023.216.1439.2_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe

and up to to 2 other similarly named SunriseBaseGame folders

I found a solution was to gain access to the WindowsApps folder by taking control of the folder structure from the system and applying new permissions to grant the user access instead (or as well?). This includes all it's subdirectories.

I then found 3 SunriseBaseGame folders, one of which had the 90Gb of unreported data in it.

I deleted all 3, rebooted and freed up enough disk space to reinstall from the XBox app, and it now works.

There must be some more lost data somewhere as I'm still 8Gb short of the amount of space it should have returned to me, but I got 90% of the way there.

Better solutions would be appreciated as this method essentially opens a locked down folder for access using a user account, which just feels inherently an insecure way round it. I wasn't sure how to return permissions to the default settings so it's stayed unlocked.

As I intimated, this kind of incompetence stems from one company having too much market power across too many market domains, with insufficient competition to force them to write decent offerings.

Locking down a folder that can kidnap large amounts of storage when a program fails with no legitimate way of clearing the data is just rank incompetence, and wastes vast amounts of your user's precious time. We all have far better things to do than fix what shouldn't be broken...

wolfboy97

Okay, thank you, @OnkelTobi, however, I want to download the files to my PC for Machinama and RGV on YouTube as well as Game Fails from RoosterTeeth and Achievement Hunter.

Jacyintha

If it's failing to download, you likely will have to delete the corrupted file. The instructions on this page:

support.xbox.com/.../storage-space show you how to delete content from your console. Afterward, clear your system cache (support.xbox.com/.../clear-system-cache)
and then redownload the content from your Download History as Chriswaa instructed.

~

Happy gaming!

XBF Brad A

Hello tear,

Thanks for coming to the forums with your question. Unfortunately, this is not possible from the PC to delete the save from the cloud. I have searched everywhere to make sure of this. Even if you found the game file on the PC it will not delete it from the
cloud. Only way I know of to do this is from a console. Do you have a friend you can download your profile on their console then the game. If this game is purchased from steam you can delete it

from steam.

Thanks,

Brad

DangerousBard

Delete you digital downloaded game as well as any previous file of the failed installation. Clear your console cache three times in a row:

support.xbox.com/.../clear-system-cache

Try to download the game again from your download history

How to delete files from a failed xbox game download on PC