You may have one problem or two when Xbox One Controller is not working on your PC. If you’re using a wired controller, you may see the “USB Device Not Recognized” error message. And if you’re using a wireless controller, you may see that the Xbox controller is blinking, which means that it’s not properly paired with your PC. Today, we’ll introduce 4 workarounds for you to resolve the issue based on which kind of controller you’re using.

  1. Update Your USB Drivers
  2. Update the Xbox Controller Driver
  3. Try a Different USB Cable (Wired Only)
  4. Troubleshoot Bluetooth Issues (Wireless Only)

Before we start troubleshooting, please restart your computer and re-plug your Xbox controller to flush the buffer or fix any random bugs. Then, go through the tips below until you find the final solution.

1. Update Your USB Drivers

When your Xbox controller is not working, you may encounter an outdated USB driver issue. In this case, one of the first things you should do is to update your USB driver, since an up-to-date USB driver always ensures stable USB device connections and fewer bugs.

To update your USB driver, here’s what you can do (please note that the following screenshots are taken on Windows 11, but the instructions work on Windows 10 as well):

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and X at the same time, select Device Manager.
  2. Double-click to expand the category Human Interface Devices. Then right-click every USB Input Device driver and click Update driver (the name of the device can be different on your computer).
  3. Then click Search automatically for updated driver software.
  4. Wait for Windows to find the latest driver available for you.
  5. When the driver update is done, restart your computer for the change to take effect.
  6. Then check and see if the problem is fixed.

If Windows says that it’s already found the latest driver for you, so no newer drivers are found, then you should consider updating your USB driver in a different way with the help of Driver Techie.

Its ever-growing driver database allows you to always have access to the latest device drivers that you need. More importantly, Driver Techie simplifies the driver update process, so all it takes is just 3 clicks (for Pro users), and all your drivers are updated.

To use Driver Techie to find you the latest drivers:

  1. Download and install Driver Techie, then launch it.
  2. Click Scan Now.
  3. After the scan, select all the drivers you need to update and click Update All. Then all your drivers will be updated automatically without you having to do anything else.

Please note that Update All is available for Pro subscribers only, otherwise, you can only manually update the driver one at a time. To see how to manually update the drivers one by one, please check this post.

If you’re a Pro user of Driver Techie, and need our technical support to help with the Xbox controller not working problem, please feel free to contact <support@drivertechie.com>.

2. Update Your Xbox Controller Driver

Another possibility is that your Xbox Controller Driver is outdated or missing. In this case, you may see the “USB Device Not Recognized” error message. Therefore, we recommend updating your Xbox Controller Driver manually.

To do so:

  1. Plug the Xbox controller into your PC.
  2. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and X at the same time, select Device Manager.
  3. Double-click to expand the category Microsoft Xbox One Controller. Then right-click the driver and click Update Driver Software…

  4. Then click Search automatically for updated driver software.
  5. Wait for Windows to find the latest driver available for you.
  6. When the driver update is done, restart your computer for the change to take effect.
  7. Then check and see if the problem is fixed.

If this is not the case you’re currently facing, then move on to the next method.

3. Try a Different USB Cable (Wired Only)

If your Xbox wired controller is still not working, you can try using a different USB cable to see if it helps.

Sometimes an aged USB cable can cause issues like this. Furthermore, some USB cables are designed for charging, they may not fully support data transfer. So, if you’re using the wrong one, consider replacing it.

If you’re using a wireless controller, and the problem persists, please check out Tip #4.

4. Troubleshoot Bluetooth Issues (Wireless Only)

If your Xbox wireless controller is having trouble connecting by Bluetooth, then you can use the Bluetooth Troubleshooter to detect and fix the problems for you.

Here’s what we can do:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I together to open Windows Settings.
  2. Select Windows Update from the left panel, and then click Advanced options.
  3. Scroll down the option list and click Recovery.
  4. Click Fix problems without resetting your PC.
  5. Click Other troubleshooters.
  6. Scroll down the list and find Bluetooth, click the Run button on the right.
  7. Wait for the troubleshooter to complete the task.

Hopefully, Windows Bluetooth Troubleshooter will sort out the culprit for you. Please follow the instructions as the troubleshooter recommends. If you have any other questions or any solutions that work for you, please feel free to share them with us in the comment area down below.