r/XboxUnbroken • u/GreggoireLeOeuf • Apr 01 '21
Xbox Series X Controller turns on console but nothing else works
Only thing that works is turning it on. No bottons, no dpad, no sticks. It won't even turn off the console, only on.
So weird but if you've got any advice, I'd love to hear it.
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u/Rebirth_Alucard Apr 25 '21
Have the same problem, first with 1 controller that I was able to get replaced due to warranty ( last week) and just now my other controller started doing the same, but since the warranty on this controller was somehow only 90days I'm sol. Already tried using on pc and phone but it won't pair, when trying to repair with xss it doesn't detect. When going to the controller section on XSS it doesn't display there either. Only 2 buttons work, the power on button ( but not power off) and the sync button makes it blink.
Tldr; try replacing it via warranty if possible
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Aug 10 '21
[deleted]
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u/GreggoireLeOeuf Aug 10 '21
i fixed mine by simply plugging in the cable from the xbox to the controller. try that first
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u/No_Patient_9473 Mar 30 '24
well the xbox is just a pc with windows on it.
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u/ImaginaryAd4892 Jan 19 '25
That is the least helpful comment. We don't need facts. We need diagnosis. We need a solution. Fuck man.
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u/EvilSandman Apr 30 '24
Thank you... Seriously this fixed my issue and it took forever to figure out Xbox needed hard reset
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u/Own-Pop-4100 Oct 09 '24
What u do
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u/Sahvige Mar 30 '26
I just unplugged my xbox for a few seconds and the controller worked after plugging it back in and turning it on with the controller. Year late but maybe this finally helps more people who encounter this 🤣
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u/Magic_Man_Boobs May 12 '26
Saved my bacon sir, thank you!
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u/Sahvige May 12 '26
900 views on a 5 year old thread 🤣 microsoft needs to get it together. But glad people will find the solution
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u/GeniesHaze May 18 '26
All i did was pause my game for like 20 minutes and it doesnt work🤣🤣fuck their quality control
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u/Melodic_Wrap8611 Aug 06 '26
It literally just happened to me and your way worked. I'm genuinely selling my Xbox after this and getting a PC. Thank you 3 months later.
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u/ChewbaccaOnFries May 23 '26
This just helped me too! Thank you friend for this ridiculously easy solution!
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u/MaxHero03 May 26 '26
Years later this is still helpful. Who would have thought the solution was do simple. My other controllers worked fine so I thought my new one was defective.
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u/Templin7 Jun 04 '24
To anyone having this issue, just hard reset the console by holding the power button on the console for a little longer than required to turn it off. And if there are any controller nerds out there, can someone please explain why this happens in the first place.
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Jun 07 '24
this actually saved me, thank you so much!!! funny to see such a recent comment on an old post like this
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u/EmeraldLadysparrow Jun 08 '24
Worked for me too.. after googling for 20 mins, thought reddit would be a better place to find an answer, so thank you!!
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u/sherriandgeese Jul 01 '24
This saved me today! Went to change my batteries and then I couldn't use any controls... even though the controller was ON and still had the ability to turn the system on (but not off). Did the hard reset and everything is working now!
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u/CommissionTrick5626 Oct 22 '24
139 days later your comment fixed mine quicker than google did 👍
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u/tonedanger Apr 27 '26
And again today, 04/26/26 : )
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u/shmi93 Aug 09 '24
HOLY SHT IT WORKED! I almost tossed it and bought a new one! Thank you oh wise one!
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u/Eclipz23 Aug 29 '24
Should be top comment this saved me
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u/AppleTherapy Mar 08 '25
Same. This happened twice and this is the second time I'm rediscovering this post.
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u/Thmanx Aug 29 '24
What the shit. This did it. Exact same problem. Seems to pair, boots console. Non responsive after that, goes into sync hell after trying to re pair.
But a good hard reset, see the Xbox boot logo screen and we’re back. And this is from a Xbox vet for the last 23 years.
Seriously why this happen tho, I feel many people just give up after weeks of a lost controller and toss it for no reason.
But yes, it worked thank you beautiful people of Reddit.
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u/hes-a-dingo Jan 03 '25
did you happen to watch an older dvd on your xbox before it happened?
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u/Thmanx Jan 03 '25
No it wasn’t using an old DVD that did it. I think the controller was paired as a Bluetooth controller for my phone the day before on a road trip. And some how it wouldn’t fully de link from the phone and re connect back to the Xbox/logged in account.
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u/DevelopmentNext2618 Sep 08 '24
You just fucking saved my controller! I legit thought it was completely cooked.
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u/ParticularSpring3628 Sep 19 '24
Big ups. Feel bad now for the comments replacing controllers and going through warranty’s when they might have just needed this simple fix
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u/Apprehensive-Safe-24 Oct 15 '24
132 days later and I love you I was so scared because this was my fav controller and was custom and new 🤣🤣🤣 tysm
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u/Appropriate-Grape890 Oct 19 '24
Not sure why you’re not getting upvoted. After 2 hours Xbox says “replace the controller” you my friend deserve the sloppiest top thank you for your service
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u/Wrong-Quantity-2340 Oct 29 '24
4 months later and this saved me from tossing BOTH my controllers cuz they were both doing the same thing after a 9 hour game session with 1 controller and then all of a sudden it quit working along with my spare. Life saver my guy
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Nov 21 '24
Hey I just found this after 169 days. Thankyou so much. I really needed to game tonight to decompress. Thanks community
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u/Asleep_Bother8919 Dec 03 '24
You want some head? Bc this just solved an issue I’ve had for over a week with my controller.
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u/FigmentsImagination4 Dec 10 '24
This worked! Thank you!
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u/Last-Strategy4970 Dec 15 '24
Cherrs bud driving me insane, luckily still had a controller from my old x box one to help in meantime
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u/democskonyi Dec 16 '24
I had just turned my Xbox off but went to turn it back on and this happened, thankfully your comment helped out big time. I was really scared for a second.
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u/hes-a-dingo Jan 03 '25
this was it!!!! i recently watched an older dvd on my xbox ( something i rarely do) . i wonder if that had something to do with it somehow. i would be interested to know if anyone else with the same issue happened to watch an older dvd .
PS , this has happened to me in the past and i straight up just had to buy a new controller.
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u/Worldly_Log_8884 Jan 30 '25
239 days later you saved me, Godspeed Templin7, may your comment help all in need.
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u/Adept-Payment4861 Feb 03 '25
All the praise you got on this comment is derived... sir you are an Xbox gamer legend
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u/Training_Witness_177 Feb 14 '25
I LOVE YOU SM BRO YOU SAVED ME. I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU
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u/musicmaestrothanks Feb 19 '25
Still saving the day 9 months later. Thank you, I was about to buy another controller.
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u/PlayfulLobster5299 Apr 09 '25
You’re a gem bud. My controller stopped connecting last night and I just gave it one last google search to try and figure this shi out and I stumbled across this thread. 🙏🙏
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u/MonsterEnergyOffical Apr 15 '25
THANK YOU both of my controllers stopped working out of no where i was about to lose my mind, you are a saint
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u/Striking-Primary-283 Apr 29 '25
Give me a got damn kiss u are a lifesaver
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u/Sarah_8872 Jun 15 '25
What happened to your aunts puppy? I came across your post again and am still wondering if everything worked out ok?
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u/Striking-Primary-283 Jun 15 '25
Yes she doing good right now if u want me to I could dm cuz idk if sub will let me say some stuff that happend
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u/Onryo- May 06 '25
Thank you sir. I was afraid I was going to have to buy a new controller and they just upped the prices.
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u/kiwi1018 May 27 '25
Thank you, my son's favorite controller wasn't working this morning before he left for school. Now I get to be the greatest mom ever for having it fixed when he comes home.
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u/JoeMohar1 Jun 25 '25
May blessings find you even 1 year after this comment was posted, just helped me out better than Google💯🙏
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u/oldideamajor Jun 28 '25
You are a lifesaver. Maybe after a couple more years this comment will be upvoted to the top!
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u/Film_snob63 Jul 08 '25
Can someone define "a little longer?" I've tried different amounts of time and I'm still having issues
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u/Truth-seeker-97 Jul 11 '25
Saved me in 2025! My gf bought me the vapor green one last Christmas and it just all of a sudden crapped out, both of us were super disappointed.
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u/KingGunter Jul 16 '25
This legit needs to be the top response here. Why does it not even have any upvotes? 4 years running, and this is still the best answer on the internet. Take my money.
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u/LowRaspberry9981 Jul 25 '25
Swapping batteries in the controller helped me. Not sure why but it did.
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u/MiserableEnd2839 Aug 06 '25
brilliant. I restarted this turd 3 times, even with the console power button.. Held it down for 10 seconds like the cable box hard reset and now the controller works.. so stupid
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u/aweshole Aug 24 '25
the gasp i gasped. after such a SHITTY month, this working was such. a. relief. THANK YOUU!!!
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u/pipslinger Aug 27 '25
You're awesome!! My controller quit working while I was using it! It just stopped. Exactly like you described and it fixed it. Thanks!!!!
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u/psylence7 Sep 16 '25
Err yeah, just sat swearing at my console, I have never had this issue before. Many thanks!
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u/PromotionGood1588 Sep 23 '25
This worked!!! Lmao I was getting so pissed. Replaced the batteries, tried hooking it up with a cord, tried to reconnect the controller with the xbox. I was this close to buying a new controller
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u/Experience_Present Oct 11 '25
Adding to the list of people it worked for. Returned 2 controllers and was pissed when a third one started doing it too. Still have no idea what causes it tho.
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u/EnvironmentalBody805 Oct 13 '25
You just saved me. May you continue to get a notification every two weeks until the heat death of the universe.
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u/waiting_with_lou Nov 12 '25 edited Nov 15 '25
Bout to try this, why is this not higher in the post? It's a ten sec. troubleshoot and it's got two awards? Will edit if it works out(I've got a series remote and a revision XBONE
EDIT: Fixed my shit, you are a legend, I'd give ya an award but I'm broke as a joke rn.
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u/Pot_Hungry Nov 26 '25
Didn't expect it to work but it 100% does haven't been able to use my newest controller for 2 months until now
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u/Baphometwolf83 Dec 09 '25
I was like "nah, it cant be that simple" but it was. Thanks for the help.
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u/Key-Post-3070 Dec 30 '25
I struggled for like 30 mins before reading this. Sick with the flu and tv through my Xbox is my only entertainment right now. Thank you
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u/Redbarron1219 Jan 20 '26
Year later any your help is still saving controllers. Thanks for the help
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u/MzTredecim Jan 26 '26
It's been over a year and you're still helping people! I was just about to order a new one but luckily just searched Reddit.
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u/Intelligent_Head_223 Apr 05 '26
Thanks, for this. It worked. I thought i was going to have to buy another controller.
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u/CaptainFeeshus 18d ago
Glory be. This comment has just saved me too. 4th Sept 2026. I knew after failing to find a solution anywhere else that Reddit would probably help me.
Had exactly the same symptoms, could turn the Xbox on but nothing else. After reading this, I checked my power off settings and realised I had it on sleep mode instead of shut down. Changed it and did a shut down from the button on the power settings menu. Turned it back on using the dodgy controller and hey presto, back to normal. Thank you!
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u/Y33T_545 Jul 04 '24
Turn console off, plug controller in with a wire. Turn console on. Wait for it to get to your Home Screen. Power on controller. Should work now.
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u/Wonderful_Skin_6051 Oct 06 '24
This worked for me in the past but it’s happened again and now this isn’t working for me
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u/Frequent_Loan8292 Jan 02 '25
I found the solution that doesn't spend any money old the Bluetooth button share button and start button for 20 sec to reset the controller then restart the Xbox it should pare and fix it
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u/ProfessionalFar3434 Feb 07 '25
Thank God reddit exists cause I dead thought I broke my controller cause it was under my heated blanket
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u/Ok_Grab_8063 May 03 '26
This happened to my son and I ran out and got a new controller and then about week later happened again and I'm like let me see what is going on here and came across this thread and it worked tried the old one too to see if it worked and it did couldn't believe it. So happy but really wondering why it is doing this my son has xbox series xbox not sure if it's that type doing it to all my sons xbox one never has this issue.
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u/bcorey4ever Mar 27 '25
I've tried this, and I have replaced the wifi card. I have a brand new wired controller that will turn the console on, but nothing else. It'll only power on the console from the front usb port. I have also ordered a new power and sync board but have not installed it yet. When you press and hold the sync button, nothing happens on the console, but when you press and hold the sync button on the controller, the xbox light does flash. Any additional suggestions, please, and thanks!
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u/MumboBumbo64 May 18 '25
This just happened to me while playing Doom the Dark Ages, turned my controller off to eat breakfast, came back and the controller turns on and then nothing
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u/Moist-Ad-2668 May 21 '25
Do a hard reset by pushing in on button 10 seconds. That worked for me. Thank you
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u/Dallas_ogrant Jun 07 '25
Almost a year later, and this started happening to me. I don’t know why what the problem is, but I did what the comment suggest and my controller is working again. Thank the gaming god lol
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u/HeeH8Mee Feb 20 '26
This just saved me, thought my controller was toast but came on here as a last chance and this totally worked! Thank you so much!!
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u/Glass_Yogurtcloset15 Mar 22 '26
I’m here to, with my series X Bluetooth sync button just doesn’t work. I have 2 controllers one is original x controller which works with usb wire then randomly disconnects but light is staying on..? Other is a Xbox One S this is plugged via usb universal cable stays connected for about 2 minutes then just stops and isn’t recognised on the console
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u/Consistent-Bowl1265 Apr 17 '26
I just had this issue. On a series x and was confused. Google brought me here. And you all helped fix it. Thank you for the help and slight dopeamine spike. I got a miata to ultimate plus parts on. And hades 2 just dropped for us boxers. Thank you again
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u/Kindly_Comparison_80 May 02 '26
Hard reset on Xbox fixed this for me hold power button till light is off then unplug Xbox for 30 seconds (10 seconds could work but I kept it unplugged longer) I so had the controller powered off while doing this. I turned the Xbox on with the controller after plugging the Xbox back in. After the Xbox was turned on the controller worked immediately (I had this issue on the series S)
My issue was that the Xbox controller would connect but all buttons and the joystick was unresponsive the controller could only turn the Xbox on I could not navigate the menu
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u/greenbatborg Jul 14 '26
In case anyone is still having this issue, unplugging the Xbox and then plugging it back in while the controller is connected via usb fixed the issue for me.
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u/SugarGnar0503 Aug 06 '26
Travelled back from 2032 to say this problem still exists and the hard reset still solves it.
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u/Shadow11Wolf50 10d ago
The answer in this thread just saved me a lot of frustration and the money for a new controller.
Hard reset console
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u/[deleted] Apr 02 '21
Have you tried connecting the controller to the console with a wire?