Microsoft: A fix for disconnecting Xbox controllers is on the way

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Has your Xbox controller been disconnecting randomly lately?

Xbox Series X Controller
Xbox Series X Controller (Image credit: Matt Brown | Windows Central)

If your Xbox controller has been disconnecting randomly recently, you're not alone. Scores of threads across reddit and other Xbox support sites detail instances where the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S controllers spontaneously disconnect, due to unknown factors. If you've been suffering from the issue, a fix may be on the way.

Brad Rossetti from the Xbox platform team noted that a fix is currently being deployed to Xbox Insiders, which should solve the issues some have been seeing.

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We haven't been able to reproduce the connectivity problems with our own accessories among the Windows Central team, but a quick glance across social media certainly shows that these aren't isolated incidents. Hopefully, this fix will sail through testing and make its way out to the public sooner, rather than later.

Have you been having issues with your Xbox controllers? Let us know in the comments.

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Jez Corden
Jez Corden

Jez Corden is a Senior Editor for Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by caffeine. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his Xbox Two podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!
12 Comments
  • Good news, mine randomly disconnects and only removing and reinserting the battery fixes this problem.
  • I have had this happen lately with our original Xbox One, but you only have to click A to have the disconnected prompt go away and the game continue like nothing happened. I have also seen both No Man's Sky and Fallout 76 freeze for up to 30 seconds before continuing. There is no sound, no messages, just a frozen screen during that time. Then the game will continue. Actually, I don't know if it will always continue, sometime I just restart the game. Both started to happen in the last month or two.
  • I've had the same experience. Hopefully, the fix will go out soon.
  • I have had it briefly not register inputs like one of tbr videos out there shows, other than that mine has been fine. I don't believe I have had any desynchs.
  • I've not had an issue with this. I wonder if the ones that are have their console near another device on that same frequency spectrum. It can cause interference if the Xbox has something like a wireless router right next to it.
  • Have had this issue lately. Required pulling the batteries and putting them back in, turning the controller back on.
  • My issue is sometimes when I turn the console on the controller is unresponsive (even though the controller works too turn on the console), I need to fully reboot the console for it to work again as no amount of syncing does anything.
  • Now that you mention this, I think I has this a couple of times too. Has anyone had the console boot into 640 x 480 resolution? Or start with no sound? Strange bugs.
  • I can't be 100% sure but it seems to happen whenever I'm also using my headset with the console, like if I switch off the console and it turns off the controller and headset then the next time I turn it on the controller is unresponsive, but I haven't actually sat down and tested out my theory to confirm that's the cause.
  • I do remeber hearing people say that using headsets and controller problems seem to go hand in hand.
  • Yeah, this happens to me at least once daily. It's pretty annoying, especially in online games.
  • Its most noticeable if you pair one the xbox wireless headsets. The next time you power on your Xbox, the controller will be disconnected. The fix, hold power button down until xbox powers off and then resync controller.