How to Fix Xbox One Additional Authentication Needed Error

A few Xbox One gamers have complained that their Xbox One console is randomly displaying an "Additional Authentication Needed" error whenever they try to connect their console to their home internet network. The majority of these gamers are saying that the problem started to appear on their own, without any changes to their home networks being made.

How to fix the Additional Authentication Needed error

If you're one of the people who have this problem your first attempt at fixing it should be to clear the currently stored alternate MAC address on your Xbox One and see if that lets you connect to the Internet. If changing the MAC address does not help, you should also try using your computer's physical address as the dedicated MAC address on your Xbox.

Another cause for the Additional Authentication Needed error could be your router if you previously enabled a network-level block. If that's true, you will have to log in to your router settings and turn off the access control or remove your Xbox console from the list of blocked devices.

If the error is being caused by a local issue, you can make the Xbox One system clean out any temp data by forcing an interruption during a test connection or by doing a power cycling procedure.

And if nothing else works, you can reach out to your ISP and check there's any reason for them to limit your network.

How to clear the MAC address

Start by doing what Microsoft advises if you get the Additional Authentication Needed error, which is clearing the Alternate MAC address. This method has helped a lot of Xbox gamers with this issue.

This feature was designed for hotels and limited networks. Because of this, it might result in other issues, including error we're talking about in this article, on your home network.

  1. You can start fixing the problem by accessing the Network Settings on your console and clearing the alternate MAC address. Here's how:
  2. Access the vertical menu on the right from the main Xbox One menu, and navigate to Settings.
  3. Go to the Network tab from the vertical menu and then access the Network Settings sub-menu from the right-side panel.
  4. From there you can access the Advanced settings menu, then open the Alternate MAC address sub-menu.
  5. Then choose Alternate Wired MAC/Alternate Wireless MAC and press Clear to confirm that you want to erase all of the currently stored Alternate MAC addresses.
  6. Reset your console and check if you're still getting the Additional Authentication Needed error after the next startup sequence is done.

If this fix did not work for you please check the next option below.

Use your computer’s physical address

You could fix this issue if your home network has certain restrictions, by using the alternate MAC address feature on your console to change the default MAC Address to the physical address of your PC.

Note: this only works with wireless connections.

To do this first you must use a PC that is connected to the same network as your Xbox One to discover its physical address and then copy it over to your Xbox console. Here's how to do it:

  1. First press Windows key + R on the PC connected to the same network as your Xbox One console to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Next, enter "cmd" in the box and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open an elevated Command Prompt window. Note: When you get to the User Account Control (UAC) prompt, click Yes to grant admin access to the CMD window.
  3. Within the CMD window, enter the following command: "ipconfig/all" and press Enter to get an overview of your current IP configuration.
  4. Scroll down to the network that is shared by both your Xbox console and the PC and copy the Physical address in order to paste it on your Xbox to use it as the MAC address on your console.
  5. Then move over to your console and press the Xbox button on your controller to bring up the guide menu. From there, access the Settings menu.
  6. Next, navigate to the Network settings from the Network tab and choose Manual under Alternate Wireless MAC address.
  7. Paste the physical address that you previously copied.
  8. Save the current configuration and reboot your console and see if the problem persists.

If it does try the next option.

Unblock your Xbox from Router settings

You can get the error if you previously blocked the Xbox console from being able to access your network at a router level. This is usually done by parents to limit their kids' time on the Xbox.

Here's how to unblock your Xbox One:

  1. Use your PC to open your preferred web browser and enter the IP address of your router inside the address bar and hit Enter. If you don't know your router's IP address you can check the bottom of the router. It's usually listed there. Usually, the IP address is either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.
  2. Once inside the login menu, enter your login credentials to gain entry to your router settings. The username and password are usually "Admin". If they're not applicable to your router check online for the default login credentials for that brand and model.
  3. Navigate to Advanced/Security and find the option labeled Access Control.
  4. From the Access Control menu, move over to the right-hand side menu and turn off Access Control.
  5. When you're done with that restart your Xbox console to force your networking device to assign a new IP and check to see if the problem is resolved.

Check the next step below if this didn't help you.

Interrupt a test connection

Another potential solution is to cause a machine interruption while your Xbox is in the middle of testing your Internet connection's strength. The exact reason this seems to help is not certain, but according to some users, this operation ends up forcing your console OS to flush all temporary data. If you want to try it out for yourself here's what you need to do:

  1. Press the Xbox button on your console to bring up the guide menu.
  2. Next, go to and access the Settings menu.
  3. Open the Network tab from the Settings menu.
  4. Navigate to the Troubleshooting settings and access the Test network connection menu.
  5. Wait for the operation to begin, then press and hold on the Xbox button until your console shuts down.
  6. Start up your Xbox console again and wait for the corruption scan to finish, then, once the startup is complete, try to connect to your home network again and see the Additional Authentication Needed error still occurs.

If it does try the next solution.

Do a power cycling procedure

You could be experiencing a local file corruption originating in your Xbox temp folder if none of the previous methods have been successful. Under some conditions, like after an unexpected shutdown, data corruption might end up affecting your console's ability to establish and maintain a stable Internet connection.

One of the easiest ways to fix these issues is to perform a power cycle. This procedure will clear any temp data and drain the power capacitors, which will fix any firmware-related problems you might have.

Here's how to perform a power cycling procedure:

  1. First, ensure that your Xbox is in idle mode and fully booted. Make sure it's not installing anything.
  2. Press the Xbox button and hold it down for 10 seconds or more, or until you see that the front LEDs stop flashing.
  3. Once your console is fully shut down, you can let go of the power button and disconnect the power cable at the back of the Xbox from the power outlet. Wait a minute to make sure that the power capacitors are drained.
  4. Then boot your console again.
  5. After the next startup is complete, try to connect to the Internet.
May 20, 2020
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