In September 2023, Microsoft Xbox announced that it would begin automatically deleting game captures and images stored on the Xbox Network. This automatic deletion was applied to game captures and images that are at least 90 days old. The first set of deletions was to take place in January 2024.
It is speculated that this did not take place because Xbox postponed its plans. However, according to a new Xbox notification shared by a Reddit user, volcaandsora, Xbox has announced that it will start deleting game captures starting May 30, 2024.
While it is unclear if anyone was affected by Microsoft"s deletion of game captures in January 2024, as per the previous announcement, it looks like now we have until May 30, 2024, to back up all of our game captures and images. The images that are at least 90 days old and are stored on the Xbox Network are again affected by the new notification.
Notably, images on Xbox Network mean screenshots or images that are uploaded to Xbox"s servers, and not the images that are stored locally on a console. But to be extra safe, we would suggest you take a backup of all your favorite game"s screenshots and images on an external hard drive or use any of the cloud storage options.
To back up your game captures on your Xbox;
- Go to My Games & Apps.
- Select Apps.
- Choose Captures.
- Here, you will be able to move them to OneDrive, an external hard drive, or a USB.
You also get the option to change the location and set future captures to be automatically stored in OneDrive. This would ensure that everything is backed up, and you don"t have to worry about losing your favorite game"s screenshots and images. Do keep in mind that the free version of OneDrive offers a 5GB limit.