We may earn a commission if you buy something through the affiliate text links or affiliate image links on Seeking Tech.

How to fix issues with Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X controller buttons not working

When playing on the Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X, you may notice that the buttons on the controller aren’t working as intended.

To fix this issue, you can follow this troubleshooting guide at Seeking Tech.

1. The first step we recommend doing is to check the button mapping of your Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X controller.

In order to do so, you need to take the following steps:

  • Turn on your Xbox Series console.
  • Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the Guide.
  • In the Guide, press the RB button (or the right directional pad button) to switch to the Profile & system tab.
  • Once you get to the Profile & system tab, you need to select Settings.
  • Inside Settings, select Devices & connections on the left column.
  • On the right side of the same screen, select Accessories.
  • Under the image of your problematic controller, select CONFIGURE.
  • In the Profiles screen, select the pencil icon on the right side of the screen.
  • In the next screen, you will see all of the remapped buttons on your controller. Here, we recommend selecting the Restore to default option on the right side.

Afterwards, try testing your buttons to see if they are working normally again.

2. You can also try updating the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X controller by doing the following:

  • Open the Guide and then select Settings from the Profile & system tab.
  • In Settings, select Devices & connections on the left side and then Accessories on the right side.
  • Next, select the “…” option of under the image of the controller.
  • In the next screen, select the top-most option to update the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X controller.

3. If you have more than one controller connected when you are experiencing the button input issues, then you can also disable Copilot, which you can do by taking the following steps:

  • Go to Settings from the Profile & system tab in the Guide menu.
  • After getting to the Settings menu, select Devices & connections from the left column and then Accessories from the right side of the same screen.
  • Afterwards, select the “…” option located underneath the image of the problematic controller.
  • In the Xbox Wireless Controller menu, you should see the Turn Off Copilot option at the bottom of the left side.

4. If you are only experiencing this incorrect button input problem when playing one specific game or using one specific app, then you should check out the in-game or in-app menus to reconfigure and/or re-calibrate your controller settings.

5. One last potential solution is to make sure that you don’t have any Bluetooth interference when using wireless connection of the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X controller.

There should be a direct line of sight between the gamepad and your Xbox Series console. So, make sure there aren’t any physical objects in between your controller and game system.

Furthermore, you should also make sure that there aren’t any wireless connections, such as Wi-Fi and other devices, close to your console or controller.

Finally, you can try moving your controller closer to the game console to get a better Bluetooth connection.

If none of the suggested solutions help fix the incorrect button input issues, and your controller is still covered under warranty, then you can contact Microsoft about potentially getting your gamepad repaired.