Microsoft has made Xbox’s disc-to-digital licensing feature available to everyone, allowing owners of eligible Xbox One and Xbox Series X game discs to claim a digital licence for their games. The feature was previously being tested with Xbox Insiders before its wider rollout.
When a supported game disc is launched while signed into an Xbox account, Microsoft automatically grants a digital licence associated with that physical copy. Players can then access the supported digital version without keeping the disc inserted while playing.
The licence remains tied to the qualifying physical disc, meaning players must retain possession of it. Selling, giving away or losing the disc can result in access to the associated digital licence being limited or revoked.
How Xbox Disc-To-Digital Licensing Works
Players can check their library under My Games & Apps, See All, Full Library and All Games. Titles obtained through the programme are marked with a disc-to-digital licensing badge.
Microsoft also allows players to manually claim licences in bulk. After disabling automatic disc playback under Settings, players can insert their game discs, select Get digital license from the game’s menu and then choose Claim.
The feature supports eligible Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs, although not every physical release qualifies. Eligibility can vary because of technical, licensing, publishing and manufacturing factors, and Microsoft can change which discs are supported over time. Xbox 360 and original Xbox discs are not supported.
For Xbox Play Anywhere titles, claiming the licence can also provide access to the game on PC and supported handheld devices through the Xbox app.
The physical disc can still be used normally after a digital licence has been claimed. However, Microsoft says possession of the qualifying disc remains necessary to retain the benefits of the disc-to-digital licence.
