Xbox One Elite Wireless Controller Troubleshooting

When the controller's buttons are pressed, they remain in the down position after the user has lifted his or her finger off the button.

The buttons might have residue underneath or around the buttons because of continued use or spills. The buttons can be cleaned using rubbing alcohol and cotton swabs. Follow the Disassembly Guide to make the buttons more accessible. Then, dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and clean each button area thoroughly. If the buttons are still not functioning properly, they can be replaced using the Buttons Replacement Guide.

Parts: Button Covers, Button Gasket

Tools: iFixit Opening Tools, T6 Torx Screwdriver, T9 Torx Screwdriver, Soldering Station, Alcohol Dispensing Bottle, Cotton Swabs

The button assembly requires a spring to bounce back into position. Heavy use associated with the Xbox One Elite (Wireless) Controller may cause the internal assembly to break or malfunction. If the buttons do not spring back after being pressed, then the spring may be damaged. For damaged springs, refer to our Buttons Replacement Guide.

Parts: Button Assembly

Tools: iFixit Opening Tools, T6 Torx Screwdriver, T9 Torx Screwdriver

During gameplay, the controller doesn't vibrate when it's supposed to.

If the controller's batteries are low, then it might not vibrate. Try replacing the batteries using the Battery Replacement Guide.

The controller might not vibrate if a game doesn't support vibration feedback. Check the game's manual or settings to see if it offers vibration feedback.

The controller might not vibrate because the game's vibration setting is disabled. Check the game's settings to make sure that vibration feedback is turned on. To locate the game's settings, check the game's paper manual for directions.

If the controller does not vibrate, he wires that connect the rumble motors to the controller's main motherboard might have been disconnected. Head to the Rumble Motors Replacement Guide to see how to reconnect the wires back to the motherboard board.

If none of the previous options have worked, then the controller's rumble motors might be broken or defective. In this case, check out the Rumble Motors Replacement Guide to replace the defective motor(s).

When the controller's left or right trigger is pressed, it no longer produces the expected action during gameplay.

If the trigger does not function properly, there may be dirt under the trigger preventing communication between the trigger and the rest of the controller. Using the Trigger Disassembly Guide, remove the back of the controller to make the malfunctioning trigger more accessible. Then, dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and clean each trigger area thoroughly.

If cleaning the trigger does not solve the problem, the trigger assembly may be damaged or broken. To replace the broken trigger assembly, refer to the Trigger Assembly Replacement Guide.

Unintentional movement occurs during gameplay without the user touching the thumbsticks.

Dirt or other contaminants may be preventing the thumbsticks from functioning properly. To clean the thumbsticks, first remove them from the controller using the Thumbsticks Replacement Guide. Then, get a can of compressed air and try to blow the sticks out. If this does not work, use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean residue off the electronic unit underneath the thumbsticks.

Due to heavy use, the thumbsticks or the motherboard below it might be broken. Use the Thumbsticks Replacement Guide to replace the thumbsticks.

The controller does not turn on when fully charged.

If your controller was disconnected during a firmware upgrade, it will not function until the firmware is recovered. To do this, the controller will need to be updated from scratch. Note: In this condition, the wireless on the controller is nonfunctional. This must be done over USB.

Tip: If you have problems getting the controller to turn on, removing the batteries for 15 minutes before recovery can resolve this issue.

Plug your controller into an Xbox One console or a PC. At this point, the method will vary. It should also be noted one functional controller is required to use a console for controller firmware recovery.

To recover the controller on a console, follow these steps:

• Step 1: On the console, navigate to Devices and Accessories.
• Step 2: Find the Elite controller. It should say Update Required if it is the correct controller.
• Step 3: Recover the controller firmware.

PC recovery requires Windows 10 as a prerequisite - Windows 7/8.x DO NOT WORK. Newer versions of Windows 10 do not require a Microsoft Account for the download, but older versions usually do. Users on older versions of Windows 10 may need to convert one of the accounts on the computer to a Microsoft Account, or log into the Store without altering the account.

• Step 1: Install the Xbox Accessories application.
• Step 2: Once Xbox Accessories is installed, plug the controller in. It should turn on and say Update Required if your controller is visible to the PC and Xbox Accessories.
• Step 3: Click Update Required and allow the firmware to reinstall.

If you followed these steps correctly, your controller should be functional again.

When the controller is plugged into the computer using a USB cord, the controller does not function.

In Windows 7 and 8.x, the Xbox One Elite controller is known to have problems with automatic driver installation. This issue is well documented and caused by a lack of drivers bundled with the operating system and Windows Update detection problems. Unlike the standard controller, the only option to fix this issue is manually installing the driver through Device Manger.

Note: The Elite controller does not offer a .exe driver package. The driver must be obtained through Microsoft Update Catalog. This also means administrative permissions (or the Administrator password) is required to fix the controller when automatic driver detection fails if you have a Standard or Limited account.

• Step 1: Plug in the controller. The initial driver installation is very likely to fail, so be prepared to exit the window. If it works the first time, then the driver was already on the system.
• Step 2: Open Device Manager and select the Xbox One Controller. This is typically located under Xbox Peripherals (Legacy).
• Step 3: Select the Driver tab.
• Step 4: Click Update Driver.
• Step 5: Use Search Automatically for Updated Driver Software. Skip this step if you want to retain a local copy on your device because your controller is used on multiple PC's.
• Step 6: If Step 5 did not work, download the driver from Microsoft and put this somewhere on your computer for manual installation.