[FIX] ‘Additional Authentication Needed’ Error on Xbox One

Some Xbox One users are reporting that their Xbox One console is suddenly showing an ‘Additional Authentication Needed‘ error whenever they attempt to connect their console to their home network. Most affected users are reporting that the issue started to appear out of nowhere (no changes were made to the Internet network)

In case you’re encountering this problem, your first attempt at fixing it should be to clear the currently stored alternate MAC address on your console and see if that allows you to connect to the Internet normally. If that doesn’t work for you, you can also try using your PC’s physical address as the dedicated MAC address on your console.

However, keep in mind that this type of error can also be facilitated by your router if you previously enforced a network-level block. In this case, you will need to login into your router settings and disable access control or remove your Xbox console from the list of blocked devices.

If the ‘Additional Authentication Needed‘ error is being caused by a local inconsistency, you can force the Xbox One system to clear any temp data by forcing an interruption during a test connection or by performing a power cycling procedure.

And lastly, if nothing else works, you should get in contact with your ISP and see if you’re under any security or contract violation that has determined them to limit your network.

Clearing the Alternative MAC address

Before you try anything else, you should start with what Microsoft recommends – Clearing the Alternate MAC address. This operation was confirmed to work by a lot of affected users (from every region).

This feature was developed to give Xbox users the ability to grant their console the MAC address of their PCs network adapter. However, this feature is mostly designed for hotels and other types and limited networks and might create other issues including the ‘Additional Authentication Needed‘ error on home networks.

If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to fix the issue by accessing the Network Settings on your console and clearing the alternate MAC address. A lot of affected users have confirmed that this operation has helped them to fix the issue:

1. From the main Xbox One menu, access the vertical menu on the right (by pressing the guide button on your controller) and navigate to Settings.

   

2. After you manage to make your way to the Settings menu, navigate to the Network tab from the vertical menu on the right, then access the Network Settings submenu from the right-hand pane.

   

3. Once you get to the Network tab, go ahead and access the Advanced settings menu, then access the Alternate MAC address sub-menu.
4. Next, select Alternate Wired MAC or Alternate Wireless MAC (depending on your current configuration) and hit Clear to confirm that you want to get rid of the currently stored Alternate MAC address.

   

5. After you successfully manage to reset the Alternate MAC address, reboot your console and see if you’re still encountering the same issue once the next startup sequence is complete.

In case this potential fix wasn’t applicable and you’re still encountering the same ‘Additional Authentication Needed‘ error, move down to the next potential fix below.

Using your PC’s Physical Address

In case your home network has certain restrictions (enforced locally or by your ISP), you might be able to fix this issue by using the alternate MAC address feature on your console to your advantage. Some affected users have managed to fix this issue by using the Physical Address of their PC as the default MAC Address. However, this is only reported to be effective with wireless connections.

If you want to attempt this fix, you will need to use a PC that’s connected to the same network as your Xbox to discover it’s MAC address (Physical Address) and then copies it over to your Xbox console.

To do this, follow the step-by-step instructions below:

1. First things first, ensure that the PC you will use for this is connected to the same network as your Xbox One console.
2. Once you’ve ensured that the PC is connected to the same network, press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘cmd’ and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up 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. Inside the elevated CMD window, type the following command and press Enter to get an overview of your current IP configuration:

   ipconfig/all

4. Once the results are generated, scroll down to the network that is shared by both your Xbox console and the PC and copy other the Physical address – Copy it over as you’ll use it as the MAC address on your console.

   

5. Next, 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. From the Settings menu, go to Network > Network settings and then choose Manual under Alternate Wireless MAC address.

   

7. Inside the Alternate MAC address, enter the physical address that you previously fetched at step 4.
8. Save the current configuration, reboot your console and see if the problem still occurs after the next console startup is complete.

In case you’re still having the same problem, move down to the next potential fix below.

Unblocking the Xbox from Router settings (if applicable)

As it turns out, this problem can also appear if you previously blocked the Xbox device from being able to access your network at a router level. This is typically enforced by parents as a way to ensure that their kids aren’t abusing the console.

Some users that were encountering this problem have checked their router settings and discover that their console was blocked in their router settings – After unblocking the console, the ‘Additional Authentication Needed‘ error went away and they were able to connect normally.

If this scenario looks like it could be applicable and you suspect that a router restriction might have triggered this problem, follow the instructions below to log into your router settings and unblock the device.

Note: The steps below are only meant to be taken as a general guide since the exact steps will be different depending on your router manufacturer.

1. Preferably on a desktop computer, open your web browser and type the IP address of your router inside the navigation bar and press Enter – Most commonly, this your router’s address is either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1.
   

   

2. Once you get to the login menu, enter the required credentials to gain entry to your router settings. Keep in mind that with most manufacturers, you will be able to sign in with admin or 1234 (as username and password) unless you’ve previously established custom login credentials.

   

   Note: If these default credentials don’t work, search online for the specific default login credentials for your router settings.

3. Once you’re inside your router’s settings, go to Advanced (or Security) and look for an option named Access Control.

   

   Note: Keep in mind that these steps were performed on a TP-Link router. Different manufacturers will have different menu names. Search online for specific steps of blocking/unblocking devices from your router. 

4. Once you’re inside the Access Control menu, move over to the right-hand side menu and disable Access Control.
   

   

   Note: If you rely on Access Control to prevent other devices from connection, the ideal approach is to remove your Xbox console from under Devices in Blacklist.

5. After you’ve performed these modifications, restart your console to force your networking device to assign a new IP and see if the problem is now fixed.

In case this scenario did not apply to your current situation, move down to the next potential fix below.

Causing an Interruption during a Test connection

As it turns out, you might be able to fix this problem by causing a machine interruption while your Xbox is in the middle of testing your Internet connection. It’s not clear why this weird fix is effective for many users, but some argue that this operation ends up forcing your console OS to flush every temporary data and reboot from scratch.

If you want to attempt this fix, follow the instructions below:

1. With your Xbox One console fully turned on, press the Xbox button on your console to bring up the guide menu. Next, navigate and access the Settings menu.

   

2. Once you’re inside the Settings menu, access the Network tab.

   

3. From the Network settings menu, move over to the Troubleshooting settings and access the Test network connection menu.

   

4. Wait for the operation to start, then press and hold on the Xbox button (on your console) until your console shuts down.

   

5. Power up your console again and wait for the corruption scan to finish, then, once the startup is complete, attempt to connect to your home network again and see the ‘Additional Authentication Needed‘ error is still appearing.

In case it does, move down to the next potential fix below.

Performing a Power cycling Procedure

If none of the methods above have allowed you to fix the issue, you should also start to consider the possibility of some type of local file corruption originating in your Xbox temp folder. Under certain circumstances (especially after unexpected shutdowns), corruption might end up affecting your console’s ability to establish and maintain an Internet connection.

One of the quickest ways to resolve these issues is to perform a power cycle. This operation will end up clearing any temp data and drain the power capacitors (this will end up fixing the majority of firmware-related issues.

To perform a power cycling procedure on your Xbox One console, follow the instructions below:

1. Make sure that your console is fully booted or in idle mode (not installing everything and not in hibernation mode).
2. On your console, press the Xbox button and keep it pressed for 10 seconds or more, or until you see that the front LEDs stop flashing).

   

3. After your console is fully shut down, you can safely release the power button. Next, disconnect the power cable on the rear from the power outlet and wait for at least 30 seconds to ensure that the power capacitors are completely cleared.
4. Next, turn your console back on by short pressing the power console again and see if the lengthy startup animation appears again. If it does, it’s confirmation that this method was successful.
5. After the next startup is complete, attempt to connect to the Internet again and see if the operation is now complete.

In case you’re still seeing the ‘Additional Authentication Needed‘ error, move down to the final method below.

Contact your ISP support

As it turns out, you can expect to see this issue due to some kind of restriction enforced by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). In most cases, you might expect to see the ‘Additional Authentication Needed‘ error after your ISP blocked your bandwidth as a result of a violation or a pending bill.

If none of the fixes above have worked, you should get in touch with your ISP support and ask for clarification. If there are no pending issues with your Internet package, you can ask them to whitelist the MAC address that you’re currently using on your Xbox One console so that you will not get this issue again.