<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0306</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2018-02-05</periodOfReport>

    <notSubjectToSection16>0</notSubjectToSection16>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0000108772</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>XEROX CORP</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>XRX</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0000921669</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>ICAHN CARL C</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>C/O ICAHN ASSOCIATES HOLDING LLC</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>767 FIFTH AVE., SUITE 4700</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>NEW YORK</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10153</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>0</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>1</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText>member of 10% group</otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0000928464</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>HIGH RIVER LIMITED PARTNERSHIP</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>445 HAMILTON AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>SUITE 1210</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>WHITE PLAINS</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10601</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001313666</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>ICAHN PARTNERS LP</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>445 HAMILTON AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>SUITE 1210</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>WHITE PLAINS</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10601</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001322827</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>ICAHN PARTNERS MASTER FUND LP</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>445 HAMILTON AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2>SUITE 1210</rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>WHITE PLAINS</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10601</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>common stock, $1 par value (&quot;Shares&quot;)</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2018-02-05</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <deemedExecutionDate></deemedExecutionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>S</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>140011</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>32.50</value>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>D</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>23456087</value>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>I</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value>please see footnotes</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F3"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F4"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F5"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F6"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F7"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F8"/>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <derivativeTable></derivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">On February 5, 2018, High River Limited Partnership (&quot;High River&quot;) sold 28,002 Shares, Icahn Partners LP (&quot;Icahn Partners&quot;) sold 66,656 Shares and Icahn Partners Master Fund LP (&quot;Icahn Master&quot;) sold 45,353 Shares, in each case at a price of $32.50 per Share.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">High River directly beneficially owns 4,691,218 Shares, Icahn Partners directly beneficially owns 11,130,555 Shares, and Icahn Master directly beneficially owns 7,634,314 Shares.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F3">Barberry Corp. (&quot;Barberry&quot;), is the sole member of Hopper Investments LLC (&quot;Hopper&quot;), which is the general partner of High River. Beckton Corp. (&quot;Beckton&quot;) is the sole stockholder of Icahn Enterprises G.P. Inc. (&quot;Icahn Enterprises GP&quot;), which is the general partner of Icahn Enterprises Holdings L.P. (&quot;Icahn Enterprises Holdings&quot;). Icahn Enterprises Holdings is the sole member of IPH GP LLC (&quot;IPH&quot;), which is the general partner of Icahn Capital LP (&quot;Icahn Capital&quot;). Icahn Capital is the general partner of each of Icahn Onshore LP (&quot;Icahn Onshore&quot;) and Icahn Offshore LP (&quot;Icahn Offshore&quot;). Icahn Onshore is the general partner of Icahn Partners. Icahn Offshore is the general partner of Icahn Master.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F4">Each of Barberry and Beckton is 100 percent owned by Carl C. Icahn. As such, Mr. Icahn is in a position indirectly to determine the investment and voting decisions made by each of High River, Icahn Partners and Icahn Master. Each of Hopper, Barberry and Mr. Icahn may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own (as that term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act) the Shares which High River owns. Each of Hopper, Barberry and Mr. Icahn disclaims beneficial ownership of such Shares except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F5">Each of Icahn Onshore, Icahn Capital, IPH, Icahn Enterprises Holdings, Icahn Enterprises GP, Beckton and Mr. Icahn may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own (as that term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act) the Shares which Icahn Partners owns. Each of Icahn Onshore, Icahn Capital, IPH, Icahn Enterprises Holdings, Icahn Enterprises GP, Beckton and Mr. Icahn disclaims beneficial ownership of such Shares except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F6">Each of Icahn Offshore, Icahn Capital, IPH, Icahn Enterprises Holdings, Icahn Enterprises GP, Beckton and Mr. Icahn may be deemed to indirectly beneficially own (as that term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act) the Shares which Icahn Master owns. Each of Icahn Offshore, Icahn Capital, IPH, Icahn Enterprises Holdings, Icahn Enterprises GP, Beckton and Mr. Icahn disclaims beneficial ownership of such Shares except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F7">The above reporting persons controlled by Carl C. Icahn (the &quot;Reporting Persons&quot;) may be considered a 10% beneficial owner because they have formed a &quot;group&quot; (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Act), with Mr. Darwin Deason and his affiliates. The group may be deemed to beneficially own (as that term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act) all of the Shares beneficially owned by the Reporting Persons and all of the Shares beneficially owned by Mr. Deason and his affiliates. Such group may be deemed to beneficially own (as that term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act), in the aggregate, 38,778,428 Shares (including 6,741,572 Shares issuable upon the conversion of 180,000 shares of Xerox Series B Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock, par value $1.00 per share, owned by Mr. Deason and his affiliates).</footnote>
        <footnote id="F8">The Reporting Persons expressly disclaim beneficial ownership of the 15,322,341 Shares beneficially owned by Mr. Deason and his affiliates (including the 6,741,572 Shares issuable upon the conversion of 180,000 shares of Xerox Series B Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock, par value $1.00 per share, owned by Mr. Deason and his affiliates). The Reporting Persons expressly retain the sole voting and investment power of the Shares that the Reporting Persons beneficially own. Mr. Deason and his affiliates have filed a separate Form 3 with respect to their interests.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>CARL C. ICAHN</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2018-02-07</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>HIGH RIVER LIMITED PARTNERSHIP</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2018-02-07</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>ICAHN PARTNERS LP</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2018-02-07</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>ICAHN PARTNERS MASTER FUND LP</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2018-02-07</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
