How To Fix Xbox One Controller keeps Disconnecting on PC with Easy Solutions

Some gamers like to play on their Xbox or PS4 controllers instead of the traditional mouse and keyboard even on their computers. While these devices work almost flawlessly on the consoles, they can sometimes acquire issues when working on PC. We say this because we have had several reports from users that their Xbox one controller keeps disconnecting on PC.

You need not worry, however, because recently, we sat down to get rid of this problem entirely, and for that reason, we have compiled a list of some basic troubleshooting methods and fixes that should rid you of this issue within the blink of an eye.

What Causes the Xbox One Controller Disconnecting issue on PC?

After sifting through some troubleshooting forums, we concluded that this issue must mainly be caused by the following reasons.

• Outdated GPU Driver: If it has been a while since you have updated your GPU driver, it is recommended very strongly to do so because the controllers are often updated from Xbox and they require your computer to have all the latest drivers in order to ensure proper working.
• Xbox Accessories Application: Mostly, it is also recommended to have the Xbox Accessories application installed on your PC because it increases the likelihood of Xbox accessories working with your Windows PC. Therefore, by installing this app, we can decrease the likelihood of having the Xbox One Disconnecting issue on PC.
• Device Association Service: The Device association service installed on your computer can sometimes malfunction and prevent the controller from being recognized by Windows. Therefore, we can try and disable this app temporarily to prevent such issues from occurring.
• Power Management Misconfigurations: It is possible that you might have allowed your computer to turn off certain devices in order to conserve power. If you have done so, it might prevent the controller from functioning properly because it will be getting turned off by the computer in order to save power. Therefore, if you want to fix the Xbox one Controller keeps disconnecting issue on your PC, you should try and turn this option off.
• Hidden Adapters: Your computer might be using outdated drivers from the Xbox 360 to operate your controller. If so, it can mean that the controller won’t get recognized because it will be getting recognized as an Xbox 360 controller when it is clearly an Xbox One controller.
• Multiple Bluetooth Receivers: Some motherboards come preinstalled with a Bluetooth adapter. On top of this, if you have installed another third-party Bluetooth dongle onto the computer without disabling the default Bluetooth dongle on the motherboard, the Controller’s functionality might get limited or even stopped altogether.This is because the PC has issues recognizing two Bluetooth adapters at the same time. Therefore, as a solution, you can disable the default dongle and the Xbox one controller should get connected in no time.

Now that we have made you familiar with some of the causes behind this particular issue, we can finally move on towards implementing fixes to eradicate it from our computer completely.

Before You Start:

1. Press and hold the “X” button on your console for 20 seconds and after that release the button.
2. After waiting for a couple of minutes, press the “X” button again to restart your console and wait for it to start.

   

3. When the console starts, log in to your Xbox account and check whether the Xbox One controller keeps disconnecting issue persists.

Fixing the Xbox one controller keeps disconnecting pc issue:

Solution 1: Update or Reinstall Graphics Driver

1. Right-click on the “Windows” icon located at the toolbar and choose “Device Manager”.

   

2. In the device manager wizard, click on the “Display adapters” option to expand the list of graphic card drivers installed on your computer and double-click on the dedicated driver to open its properties.

   

3. Navigate to the “Driver” tab and click on the “Update driver” button.

   

4. Now click on the “Search automatically for updated driver software” button to install the latest version of the driver on your computer.
5. Even after updating the driver, the issue is not resolved, try to click on the “Uninstall device” button to uninstall the video card driver completely from your PC.

   

6. After uninstalling the driver, restart your computer to automatically install the latest version of the driver on your computer.

Solution 2: Download Xbox Accessories Application

1. Find the “Search” bar located adjacent to the Start button on your system.
2. Type in “Microsoft Store” and press Enter.
3. Search the “Xbox Accessories” inside the search bar and install it on your system.

   

4. After installing the application plug in your Xbox controller with USB, run the application and you’ll observe that your controller will be updated.
5. As soon as the controller is updated the Xbox controller keeps disconnecting issue would be resolved.

Solution 3: Stop the Device Association Service

1. Press “Windows + R” keys simultaneously on your keyboard to open the “Run” box.
2. When the box is opened at front of you type “Services.msc” to open all local services.

   

3. From the list find “Device Association Service” and right click on it to “Stop” it.

   

Solution 4: Tweak Power Management Settings of Controller

1. Press “Windows + R” keys simultaneously on your keyboard to open the “Run” box.
2. When the box is opened at front of you type “devmgmt.msc” to open Device Manager.

   

3. All the peripherals connected with your system would be listed here. Locate your Xbox Controller, right-click on it and choose “Properties”.
4. Proceed to the “Power Management” tab and make sure that “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” option is unchecked.

   

5. Restart your system and check whether the issue is rectified or not.

Solution 5: Disable NVIDIA Wireless Controller Service

1. Press “Windows + R” keys simultaneously on your keyboard to open the “Run” box.
2. When the box is opened in front of you type “Services.msc” to open all local services.

   

3. Browse through the services until you find “NVIDIA wireless controller service” and double-click on it to open the detailed menu. Once you do, click on the “Stop” option to prevent it from running.
4. Afterward, click on the “Startup Type” to bring about the drop-down menu. From the drop-down menu, click on “Disabled”, save the changes, and Exit.

Solution 6: Uninstall GeForce Experience

1. Press “Windows + R” keys simultaneously on your keyboard to open the “Run” box.
2. When the box is opened in front of you type “Control Panel” and from the window choose the “Uninstall the program” option under the “Programs” category.

   

3. Find the “NVIDIA GeForce Experience” software from the list and right-click on it to select “Uninstall”.

   

4. Follow through with the on-screen instructions and remove this software from your computer completely.
5. After Uninstalling NVIDIA Geforce Experience, restart your system and hopefully, the controller should no longer disconnect randomly on your PC.

Solution 7: Look for hidden adapters

1. Press “Windows + R” keys simultaneously on your keyboard to open the “Run” box.
2. When the box is opened in front of you type “devmgmt.msc” to open Device Manager.

   

3. Right-click on the “View” option and from the drop-down list click on “Show Hidden Devices”. Most probably you’ll observe Xbox 360 wireless adapter installed even though it is not connected.
4. Now, right-click on the adapter and choose the “Uninstall Device” option.
5. After uninstalling this driver from your computer, check to see if the issue still persists.

Solution 8: Close Steam and Oculus Home

Some users getting the Xbox One Controller Keeps Disconnecting issue reported that the problem surfaced many times for them, even after the latest updates, and what made it work again (without the need to logoff/login) was to close “STEAM”.

After closing Steam you could turn on the controller again and the bug would go away (even launching steam again, turning the controller off and on most of the time seems to work, you should need to close it only sometimes).

Recently, Steam launched new functionality that takes over the Xbox controller anywhere in the OS. You could even control the mouse cursor with it (if properly enabled in the Big Picture mode), and this is most probably the main reason due to which the Xbox one controller keeps disconnecting on your computer.

Furthermore, if you have Oculus Home installed and running, close it and the controller should work. It is because Oculus Home has Xbox controller support, and if Oculus is running, but the headset is not being used at the same time, it just keeps turning the Xbox controller OFF.

Solution 9: Update Controller Firmware

1. Connect your Xbox One controller with Xbox One using a USB cable.
2. Access your console’s settings by pressing the “X” button on the controller.
3. Navigate to the “System” and afterward click on “Settings”.
4. Now, find the “Devices & streaming” option, and after locating that option look for “Accessories”.
5. Select your controller and click the “Three dots” button under the controller.
6. Go to the Firmware version and choose the “Update Now” option.
7. If an update is available, it would be installed automatically.

Solution 10: Relocate the Controller and Monitor the Batteries

If the Xbox One Controller Keeps Disconnecting, Something else to attempt is moving the controller away from any electrical appliance. All Electric appliances can emit waves that can cause interference between the connection of the Xbox One controller and the PC. Therefore, it is advised to relocate any electrical appliances very close to where you are sitting that might be causing this.

Taking your thumb and your middle finger, make a C shape and pinch down on the controller to turn it ON. Make sure you apply firm pressure to both the top button and the dead center of the battery pack on the back like you’re squeezing them together.

You’ll feel the top piece give in a bit. Maintain the firm pressure for around 2-3 blinks, and then it will connect. If you’re also using a rechargeable pack, the place where you want to place your middle finger before applying pressure is directly on the charging port.

In the Xbox One controller, there are 4 tiny little prongs one is super close to the (-) spot on the battery. What we think is happening is some voltage from the battery is arcing and messing up/disconnecting the controller hence take a small piece of electrical tape and tape over it to get rid of the Xbox One Controller Keeps Disconnecting issue.

Solution 11: Use a Micro USB Type-A Cord

USB cords come in a few different types, one of these is the Micro USB which is the type of port you find on Xbox controllers and most android phones or tablets. This cord has two types (A or B). They both functionally work and fit the port but type A allows for a better frequency for the connected Micro USB port.

You will also notice the end of that cord is “square-shaped” vs “flat” and it doesn’t wiggle around when you plug it into your PC. Using type A will ensure that you aren’t disconnected due to a faulty or weak signal in your cord and it might just be able to fix the Xbox One Controller Keeps Disconnecting error completely.

Solution 12: Disable Internal Bluetooth Receiver

Some users reported that disabling the internal Bluetooth receiver (which is integrated with their motherboard), and enabling the Bluetooth receiver dongle which they bought from Amazon did the job for them. Windows only allow you to use one Bluetooth at the same time hence you can Enable/Disable them in Device Manager and then check if this fixes the Xbox One Controller Keeps Disconnecting issue.

Solution 13: Remove the microphone functionality via PC settings

Newer controllers have a port for plugging in a 3.5mm jack audio cord typically used for headphones/ headsets. Your computer may be struggling with the fact that it’s searching for controller inputs and audio connection from the same source causing a temporary disconnection that lasts up to 3 minutes before reconnecting (happened to some users a number of times). Hence, you’ll need to disable the audio device input from your controller (in some cases the port it’s plugged into as well).

To do this, simply open your sound settings and find your available microphone inputs. Look for the one for your controller, just right-click on it and click “Disable”. After doing so, check to see if you are able to get rid of the Xbox One Controller Keeps Disconnecting issue.

Solution 14: Download DS4 Windows

No matter which controller you are using we recommend downloading DS4w just in case you need it in the future. This program is necessary for older generations of windows as they can’t system link with Xbox one or DualShock 4 PlayStation controllers. The program will read any controller input from a USB port and register it to the computer as an Xbox 360 controller (which is native to Windows 7 & other operating systems). In many cases, you will not need DS4w for the controller to work properly but hold on to the program for the future.

Solution 15: Disable Experimental Stream Feature

1. Press “Windows” + “S” to open the search panel.
2. In the search panel, type in “Geforce Experience” and click on the first option to launch the application.
3. Once inside, click on the “In-Game Overlay Settings” option, and from here, make sure to Disable the “Stream(Experimental)” Feature.

   

4. Once this option has been disabled, exit out of the Geforce Experience software and checks to see if doing so has prevented the Xbox One Controller Keeps Disconnecting error.

Workaround:

We tested many times to see whether this mattered or not but sometimes having a USB 2.0 port on your PC vs a 3.0 resulted in random disconnection on Xbox controllers. USB 3.0 drivers allow the fastest and most reliable connection from your controllers to the PC so if your PC does not have USB 3.0 ports we’d recommend getting them on your next PC to avoid the Xbox One Controller Keeps Disconnecting problem. Furthermore, the disconnecting controller issue may arise due to weak batteries. You must view the battery indicator on the Home screen to verify that it has enough power. If it doesn’t, replace the batteries or recharge the battery pack.

Hopefully, the issue might have been resolved by now but if you need further assistance, contact here.