How to Wirelessly Connect the Xbox One Controller to Your PC
I previously made a tutorial on how to connect an Xbox One controller to a PC, which received a crazy amount of views. After this video was released, one of the common questions we received was, “Can you connect the controller wirelessly?” and we had to respond with no, because there was no way to do that at the time. However, Microsoft has finally released the Xbox One Wireless Adapter for Windows, which I recently reviewed. This adapter was originally only available for Windows 10, but now Microsoft has made it compatible with Windows 7 and 8, as well.
Product Links: Amazon | Microsoft Store | GameStop
Installing this wireless adapter on Windows 7, 8, or 10 is actually very easy. All you should have to do is plug the wireless adapter into your PC, then Windows automatically downloads the drivers for you. This is to help anyone out who is having difficulty getting that to work.
Step 1:
The first step is to confirm you are running the latest Windows updates. Microsoft has automatic updates on by default, but if you didn’t allow that or you haven’t restarted your machine recently, the wireless adapter may not install properly. To apply the newest Windows Update to your PC, press the Windows Key on your computer and type in “Windows Update”.
Run Windows Update, making sure you select all the recommended updates, and restart the machine as requested until your system is up to date. This may require running Windows Update a few times, as certain updates are incremental or have prerequisites.
Once your PC is completely updated, it should search for and automatically download the drivers when you plug the wireless adapter in. If it does, you’re all set and you’re ready to use your controller.
Step 2:
If you’re still having problems, then the next step is to manually run the automatic driver search process. Click on the start menu and type “Device manager.” Under “Other Devices” you should see Xbox ACC. Right click on it and select “Update Driver Software.” Click on “Search automatically for updated driver software.” Windows will start searching online for the driver and should successfully install the drivers.
Step 3:
If it’s still not working, this is how to manually download the drivers from Microsoft. Open the link below to the Microsoft Update Catalog in Internet Explorer, specifically. This can be done by copying the link into Internet Explorer. It may ask you to download something when you open the page, go ahead and download it. Alternatively, you can download the mirror we have posted below.
Link:
http://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-on-windows/accessories/connect-xbox-one-controller-to-pc
Ignore the “DFU” links and download the driver corresponding to your PC. The first driver is for 64-bit machines and the second is for 32-bit machines. Select the link and add it to “my basket.” Click on “view basket,” then “download.” Choose a temporary folder, such as your downloads folder, then click “continue”.
Drivers Mirror:
Xbox One Wireless Adapter for WIndows Drivers for 64-bit Machine
Xbox One Wireless Adapter for WIndows Drivers for 32-bit Machine
Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the driver. Right click on the .cab or .zip file and select “extract” and extract the files to the same folder. You should now see four files. Right click “xb1usb” and click “install.”
If you are on Windows 7 or 8, you’ll have to install the file through the device manager. To do this, click on the start menu and type “Device manager.” Under “Other Devices” you should see Xbox ACC. Right click on it and select “Update Driver Software.” The click on “Browse my computer for driver software.” Browse to the location where the “xb1usb” file is and select it.
At this point, your drivers should be installed, and your controller should work.
How to Use the Headset on the Controller
I was also able to test out the headset which came with my Xbox One that plugs into the controller. This also was an easy setup since Windows automatically recognized the headset. To use the headset, follow the steps below:
- First, make sure your controller is recognized by Windows.
- Then, right click on the speaker icon, and click recording devices.
- Right click on Headset Microphone and set it as the default.
- Then click on the Playback tab & set the headset as the default.
- Then click ok.
Now you should be able to use the headset for in-game chat, or even Skype or Google Hangouts.
If you run into any issues with your installation, leave a comment below.
