How to fix an Xbox Series X controller's Xbox button being unresponsive?

Shadowstormme · Jun 30, 2022

I set up my brand-new Xbox this past weekend and have probably logged maybe ten to fifteen hours on it if we're being generous and earlier today my controller's Xbox button became effectively unresponsive. I was moving between the Microsoft Store and rewards app, opening and closing the guide multiple times with no issue until suddenly, it wouldn't open.

I repeatedly tried pressing the Xbox button with no response. I attempted to hold it to try and turn the controller off and on again also with no luck. The controller was on, it was connected, all the other buttons still worked perfectly fine, only the Xbox button had changed. To be clear I am by no means rough on my devices, I never experienced anything like this with my One X controller over four years of far more extensive use and I have been downright babying the series x since they are still rather hard to come by where I am.

After much trial and error, I did find that if you press it extremely hard and at the right angle it will once again work but I am concerned that this is at best a temporary solution and one that will only negatively impact the controller as it's clearly not how it's meant to be used.

To fix it I have tried:

-Updating the controller - there was an update, but it didn't fix the problem

-Restarting the console both through the settings menu and just by pressing the power button - both yielded no change

-Doing a full shutdown via the settings menu - nothing

-Power cycling the console multiple times - nothing

-Connecting the controller to the console via a USB cable - still nothing

Is there anything else I can try, or do I just need to start an order for a repair/replacement?

:)

JosefLBohorquez

Hi and thanks for reaching Microsoft Xbox gamer's community. My name is Josef.

I'm an Independent Advisor and a Microsoft Xbox user like you.

Hope you're doing great today Shadowstormme

It seems that you already tried all the troubleshooting steps for controllers, and as you said before, the button works but only if you press it in a certain way, which is not normal

So yes, the best option now is start a repair/replacement order

Neko ftw

I am also having an issue with the down button on the dpad of my xbox one controller being very unresponsive unless I apply a LOT of pressure on it.

It's from the Halo Master Chief Collection bundle.

Any fixes for this?

JosefLBohorquez

That's nice to hear!

If maybe you face a similar problem in the future try repeating those steps

For now, take care and happy gaming!

JosefLBohorquez

Hi and thanks for reaching Microsoft Xbox gamer's community. My name is Josef.
I'm an Independent Advisor and a Microsoft Xbox user like you.

Hope you're doing great today despite this Reeyawn

I know that this can be a bit dumb but may I know if you tried re-pairing the controller with your Series X?

Or please remove the controller batteries, then do this in your Xbox:
1. Turn off your console by pressing the Xbox button on the front of the console for about 10 seconds, until it shuts down completely.
2. Unplug the console's power cable from the console and from the power outlet. Wait 5 minutes.
Important: Be sure to wait at least 5 minutes. This step resets the power supply.
3. Plug the console power cable back in.
4. Press the Xbox button on your console to turn it on.

After that, put the batteries in the controller. Re-pair it one more time and check

Reeyawn

Thank you for the quick response, Josef! So, I went through all of your steps and now my controller seems to be working just fine for now. Again, thank you for helping me out!

How to fix an Xbox Series X controller's Xbox button being unresponsive?