Can You Put an Xbox 360 Elite Hard Drive in a Slim Console?

No—physically and electrically incompatible.

Why It Won't Fit

• Elite (2007–2010): Uses a 2.5" SATA HDD in a plastic caddy that slides into the top/side of the fat 360. Caddy dimensions: ~100 × 70 × 12 mm.
• Slim (2010–2013) / E (2013–2016): Uses a custom 2.5" SATA drive in a smaller, differently keyed enclosure that inserts into the bottom flap. The connector position and latch differ.

You cannot snap the Elite caddy into a Slim/E, nor the Slim drive into an Elite.

How to Transfer Data

1. Xbox 360 Transfer Cable (Official, Red): Connects Elite drive (via its caddy) to Slim USB port. Runs transfer wizard. Discontinued; expensive used ($40+).
2. DIY: SATA-to-USB Adapter + PC:
   1. Remove Elite drive from caddy → connect to PC via SATA-USB dock/cable.
   2. Use Xplorer360 or Modio (Windows) to extract saves, profiles, DLC (CON/PIRS packages).
   3. Copy to USB stick formatted FAT32 (Xbox 360 configured).
   4. Plug USB into Slim → System Settings → Memory → USB → Copy to internal drive.
3. Cloud Saves (Xbox Live Gold required): Upload saves from Elite → download on Slim. Only works for supported titles.

Important

• Slim/E internal drives: 250 GB, 320 GB, 500 GB (official). Unofficial 1–2 TB 2.5" SATA SSDs work with custom firmware (RGH/JTAG) only.
• Licenses (DRM) stay on the purchasing profile—no transfer needed.