If you’re an Xbox One Alpha Preview Insider with more than one Xbox, Microsoft has you covered

2 min. read

Published on January 31, 2017

published on January 31, 2017

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A week ago, Microsoft released the first wave of Xbox One features coming in the Creators Update and also officialized the four rings that will be the core of the Xbox Insider program going forward. For now, the latest Xbox One Preview build is only rolling out to select members of the Preview Alpha Ring, but Microsoft has acknowledged that the situation was not ideal for Insiders with multiple consoles.

Indeed, Preview Alpha participants had no way to choose the Xbox One consoles they’d like to enroll in the testing program, and it didn’t make a lot of sense for Microsoft to enroll consoles that are not being actively used. Fortunately, the company heard the feedback and announced on Reddit that participants will now be allowed to enroll up to 10 consoles in Preview Alpha. Here is how they can do it:

On the Xbox One console you wish to enroll, launch the Xbox Insider Hub.

Navigate to Insider content.

Select the Xbox One Update Preview under System.

Select Join or Manage.

From the available options, select Xbox One Update Preview Alpha.

Select Done to complete the enrollment.

Be aware though that Microsoft can decide to remove consoles from Preview Alpha if participants are not using them enough. “Consoles which are removed will revert to the current publicly released build and factory refresh in the process,” explained the company. Last but not least, Preview Alpha participants can also lose the ability to enroll more consoles in Preview Alpha if they’re not active enough on any of their enrolled consoles.

Overall, these are welcome changes which will give more flexibility to members of the Xbox Insider Program. If you own multiple consoles that are being used by different members of your family, it’s probably best to choose the one you want to test preview builds on it. Sound off in the comments if you think the Xbox team came up with the best solution possible.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time). For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web. Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they're looking for.