A Full Guide to Fixing “Xbox Series S Controller Not Connecting”

Xbox Series S Controller Not Connecting

For most players, Xbox Series S is a budget-friendly alternative to own a full-blown new-gen console. When you finally get an Xbox Series S with excitement, you find your Xbox Series S controller won’t connect.

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Some people encountered the Xbox Remote Play not working issue. That’s an annoying issue. If you are struggling with that, you can try the methods in this post.

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Although this connection issue is normally seen on other controllers, you must wonder about the methods to get rid of that problem. In the most cases, the pairing failure issue is temporary and triggered by some little bugs or connection lags. If you are still struggling with this problem, you can go for the next part.

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Fix “Xbox Series S Controller Not Connecting”

Fix 1: Check Your Controller’s Battery

First of all, check your controller’s battery. You’d better make sure your controller has a great battery level that can support your next moves. The controller’s battery level will be displayed on the top of the home screen or you can swap out the batteries.

Fix 2: Re-Pair Your Controller

If you find your Xbox controller won’t connect, you can confirm your Xbox controller is paired with your Xbox Series S. if it’s connected, you can try to re-pair it to fix “Xbox Series S controller not connecting”.

Step 1: Turn on your console and press and hold the Xbox button to turn on the controller.

Step 2: Press the Pair button on the front right of the console.

Step 3: Then press the Pair button at the top of the controller near the USB port for about 20 seconds.

During this process, you will see the Xbox button flash and when it succeeds, the Xbox button will stay lit.

Fix 3: Restart Your Console

Besides, you can try to restart your console to fix glitches in the console. Before you do that, please remove objects between your controller and your Xbox, such as a microwave, this kind of machine that can interfere with the signal.

Then you can hold down the Xbox button on the front of the console for ten seconds to shut down the console and restart it once it turns off.

Fix 4: Connect with a Cable

You can connect your controller and console with a USB-C cable. If the method does not work, you need to change your controller. But if it works, that means you need to update your controller. The specific steps are as follows.

Step 1: Connect your controller and console with a USB-C cable and press the Xbox button to open the guide.

Step 2: Choose Settings under Profile & system and then Accessories under Devices & connections.

Step 3: Go to the Xbox Wireless Controller screen and choose … to check the firmware version.

Then you can follow the on-screen instruction to finish the update. You can then disconnect the cable and try reconnecting wirelessly.

Bottom Line:

This article has given you a series of methods to fix the “Xbox Series S controller not connecting” issue. Normally, you can get rid of the issue after trying those, if it persists, you can contact the official support.