How to Redeem an Xbox Gift Card on Console, PC and the Web

Summary: An Xbox gift card carries a 25-character code that you redeem on an Xbox console, in the Microsoft Store or Xbox app on Windows, or on the web. The value lands in the Microsoft account signed in at that moment and cannot be moved afterwards. A region mismatch between card and account is the usual reason a code gets rejected.

• Codes are 25 characters, printed in five groups of five.
• Three places to redeem, all feeding the same Microsoft account balance.
• The balance buys games, DLC, Game Pass and Store content, not hardware.
• The card's region has to match the account's region.

Xbox gift cards and Microsoft Store gift cards are the same thing in practice. Both add credit to a Microsoft account balance, and that balance is spendable on a console, on Windows and on the web without any further conversion. What you are redeeming is credit, not a specific product, in the same way redeeming a PlayStation gift card puts credit in a PSN wallet.

Redeeming on an Xbox Console

The fastest route if you are already sitting in front of the console:

1. Press the Xbox button on the controller to open the guide.
2. Select Store.
3. Press the View button to open the side menu, then select Redeem.
4. Enter the 25-character code and select Next, then follow the prompts.

Check the profile in the corner before you start. The credit attaches to whichever account is active at that moment and support cannot move it later, which is the single most common regret on a shared family console.

Redeeming on Windows or the Web

In the Microsoft Store app on Windows, select your account picture in the top-right corner, choose Redeem code or gift cards, and enter the code. In the Xbox app on Windows, select your gamerpic in the top-left, open Settings, then select Redeem under Redeem a code.

On the web, go to xbox.com/redeem, sign in, and paste the code in. This is the most forgiving of the three, since pasting removes any chance of misreading a character. Microsoft documents every route on its page for redeeming a gift card or code.

The Xbox mobile app is the gap. It does not currently support code redemption, so a phone means using the browser instead.

Reading the Code Correctly

An Xbox code is 25 alphanumeric characters, formatted in five groups of five and separated by hyphens. You do not need to type the hyphens, and the entry field ignores stray spaces pasted in from an email.

If what you are holding is longer, shorter, or a link rather than a code, it is not a gift card code. Game keys, Game Pass trial tokens and partner vouchers all use the same field but come from different places, and a code that is not 25 characters will simply fail.

Why an Xbox Code Gets Rejected

Nearly always one of these:

• The card's region does not match the region set on the Microsoft account.
• A character was misread, usually 0 against O or 1 against I.
• The code has already been redeemed.
• A physical card was not activated at the till.

Region is the one that cannot be worked around. A US card will not redeem on a UK account no matter where you are sitting, and an account's country is set when it is created. Buying for someone abroad means buying for the country their account is registered in, not the country they live in. The same rule applies to region locked gift cards across every platform.

What the Balance Buys, Including Game Pass

Microsoft account credit covers games, downloadable content, in-game currency, films and TV where that catalogue exists, and it can be put towards a Game Pass subscription. It will not buy hardware, transfer to another account, or convert back to cash. Desktop software sold outside the Store, from the likes of Stardock, is a separate purchase the balance will not touch.

Worth separating two things that look alike. A gift card gives you credit you then spend on Game Pass. A Game Pass code is a different product that adds a fixed stretch of membership directly. If you specifically want months rather than credit, buy the subscription code rather than a gift card. Credit does also cover in-game currency for free-to-play titles, Wargaming's included, which a subscription does not.

Sign In First, Then Type

Two checks cover almost every problem: the account signed in, and the region on the card. Neither can be reversed once a code goes through, and both take a few seconds to confirm. If the card is meant as a gift, send the code rather than redeeming it yourself. You can browse Xbox gift cards and have it delivered by email.