Microsoft is rolling out another set of Xbox Series X and Series S dashboard improvements to members of the Xbox Insider Program, with new controls for recent games, local saves, profile badges and wishlists.
The update is initially available to Alpha Skip Ahead and Alpha members, giving Microsoft another round of feedback before the features reach a wider audience.
The changes follow several recent Xbox platform improvements, including better cloud save behavior, expanded achievement visibility and the ability to include your own voice in gameplay clips.
Recent games and apps can now be customized
One of the most useful additions is the ability to remove individual items from the recent games and apps list.
By pressing the Menu button on an item, you can remove it from the recent activity section, including entries from Play History.
Microsoft is also adding a cosmetic option for the home screen. Pressing the right stick can hide the visible dashboard tiles, allowing the dynamic background to fill the screen without being covered by interface elements.
| New feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Customize recent items | Remove games and apps from the recent list |
| Hide home tiles | Show the dynamic background with fewer interface elements |
| Local save management | View, sort and delete save files |
| Profile badge details | Open badges to see what they represent |
| Wishlist cleanup | Purchased games are automatically removed |
| Initial availability | Alpha Skip Ahead and Alpha Xbox Insiders |
The background option should be particularly useful if you use one of Xbox’s animated themes and want a cleaner home screen.
Local game saves are easier to manage
Microsoft is also improving storage management for local save data.
A new section under Settings, System, Storage and Manage Local Game Saves brings your locally stored saves together in one place.
You can sort save files by size and manually delete individual entries when necessary.
That could be helpful on systems where storage is limited, especially because some games can accumulate surprisingly large save files.
Deleting a local save does not necessarily mean losing your progress. If the game supports Xbox Cloud Saves and your latest progress has already synchronized, Xbox can download that cloud copy the next time you launch the game.
Xbox Cloud Saves are available without an additional paid subscription.
Profile badges now explain what they mean
Profile badges are also becoming more informative.
You can now select a badge on another player’s profile and view an explanation of what it represents.
That may become more useful if Microsoft expands the role of profile badges in the future, particularly as Xbox continues developing additional systems around game completion and achievements.
There has been speculation that future completion rewards could make greater use of profile customization, although Microsoft has not confirmed that these badge changes are connected to any specific achievement feature.
Wishlists get automatic cleanup
Xbox wishlists are receiving another practical improvement.
Games will now be automatically removed from your wishlist after you purchase them.
It is a small change, but it makes the list more accurate and reduces the need to manually remove titles you already own.
Wishlists have become increasingly important across digital game stores because they help players track future purchases while also giving publishers an indication of interest before release.
Microsoft has been gradually expanding its own wishlist tools as part of broader improvements to the Xbox store experience.
More dashboard updates are expected
The latest Insider build is part of a wider effort to improve the Xbox console interface after several years in which much of Microsoft’s platform development focused on areas such as cloud gaming and cross device services.
The current changes are relatively small individually, but together they give you more control over the dashboard, storage and profile interface.
For now, the features are limited to Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip Ahead and Alpha rings. Microsoft has not provided a firm date for when every change will reach all Xbox Series X and Series S consoles.
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