If your Xbox One shuts off by itself, either in the middle of a game or shortly after powering it on, here are the most common causes and solutions. (If your Xbox One won't turn on at all, see the Xbox One Won't Turn On page instead.)
The Basics
Before undertaking elaborate repair steps, try some basic troubleshooting first.
- Power Cycle your Console: Performing a power cycle should be the first step when troubleshooting any electronic device. Please turn off your Xbox One by unplugging it from the power source and wait at least 10 seconds before plugging it back in.
- Check your Power Connection: Ensure the power cable is securely plugged into your Xbox One and the wall outlet. Try using a different power outlet to eliminate the possibility of a faulty outlet.
- Check for Overheating: Verify that the Xbox One is not overheating. Ensure the vents are clear and there's proper airflow around the Console. Overheating can trigger automatic shutdowns to save the hardware from damage. If this is the case, check the Xbox One Overheating Troubleshooting Page.
- Inspect the Power Supply: Check for any damage to the power supply cable or the power brick. Check the light on the power supply; if the light is solid white or orange, then the power supply is working correctly. If no light is present, unplug the supply and let it cool down for 20 minutes, then try plugging it back in; if it does not light up, you'll need to replace the power supply.
Incorrect Settings
If your Xbox turns off unexpectedly after a period of inactivity, you may need to adjust the settings so that it does not turn off automatically:
1. Turn the Console on and select the Settings option.
2. Select Power & startup.
3. Go to the two last options. Turn off after and select your preferred period of inactivity before the Console automatically powers down.
Out of Date Software
Sometimes, out-of-date system files can cause issues with how your Xbox functions. Ensuring that your Xbox has the latest system updates is essential to keeping your Xbox's software functioning correctly.
- Navigate to Settings > "System > Updates & downloads and check for available updates.
Corrupt System Files
Occasionally, issues could occur when your System's files become corrupted. If this is the case, you must factory reset your Console.
Following these steps will reset your console, and will remove your local saved data. Be sure to back up your saved game data to an external storage drive.
Reset Console with System Settings
- Turn the System on and press the Xbox button on the controller.
- Select Profile & System > Settings > System > Console info.
- Select Reset Console.
- Choose the reset option you want: The first option is to Reset and remove everything. This full reset will remove all data from your Xbox or Reset and keep my games & apps. This partial reset will not delete your games or game data (Good if you cannot back up your data).
Resetting your Console via USB Flash Drive
- Insert your USB drive into your PC.
- Open File Explorer.
- Right-click your USB drive in the left-hand window and click Format.
- In the File System menu, select NTFS.
- Click Start. Do not remove the USB drive.
Keep your USB drive plugged in, and follow these steps to get the reset file.
- Download the zipped recovery file from Microsoft.
- The file will be compressed once it is finished downloading. Extract All the file's contents.
- Open the unzipped folder and copy the $SystemUpdate file to the USB Drive.
- Remove the USB drive from the PC and plug it into your Xbox.
- Disconnect the ethernet cable from your Xbox One if you're using a wired connection.
- Please turn off the Console and disconnect the Console from Power.
- Please wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in.
- Plug the flash drive into the USB port on the front of the Xbox.
- Press and hold the Pair and Eject buttons on the Console. Then, the Xbox button is on the Console.
- Hold down the Pair and Eject buttons for 10–15 seconds.
- Listen for two power-on sounds a few seconds apart. Once you hear them, release the Pair and Eject buttons. If you don't hear two power-on sounds after 15 seconds, the process fails, and you should restart from step 6.
- Once the console restarts and the digital experience setup guide appears, remove the flash drive and follow the instructions to reset your Xbox One.
Internal Hardware Issues
If all else fails, then your issue might be caused by a damaged internal component.
Bad Hard Drive
If your Console still turns on and then off shortly after, the hard drive may have failed.
- You can test this by replacing the hard drive with a known working one or a new one if needed. It should then boot to a troubleshooting screen with an error code. You will then need to reinstall the OS.
Damaged Cooling Fan
Listen to your Console to see if your device's internal cooling fan is spinning. If you are unable to hear the fan, then there is a good chance that the fan is damaged and likely needs to be replaced.
- You can follow iFixit's official Xbox One Fan Replacement guide, and you can purchase the fan right on iFixit as well.
Damaged Motherboard
While inspecting your Console's internals, you will want to inspect the motherboard for any damage. Minor defects in the motherboard can cause significant issues with your Console's performance.
- Perform a thorough visual inspection of the Console's boards for any signs of burns or damaged components. If you observe any visible damage, such as burns or components that appear to be physically damaged, the affected board likely needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, you will need to replace both the Motherboard and the Disk Drive, as the two are paired components.
Questions other people have asked about this
- Xbox Powers on and immediately powers off
- Why is my Xbox one keep turning off and on with the sensor beeping? X
- Xbox One turns on then turns off after a few minutes
crwdns2944067:051crwdne2944067:0
Nothing I’ve read above works any other ideas of what it could be? My game is not hot or heating up if it doesn’t even stay on. It just shuts off repeatedly after the Xbox logo.
destinationz24 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I have gotten this problem as well.
Morgan Frandy -
Have you tried a offline update ? or Hard drive failing
Kelly Moore -
I have also gotten the same thing some times it won't Evan show the xbox logo
Albert eighnstine -
My one loads up fine then after a period of time turns off & the power supply has a red light and won’t turn on. The power brick is brand new, would this be a overheating problem or a hard drive on the way out ?
Kelly Moore - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Mine Turns on, doesn’t Show anything on the tv makes a Quiet Humming Noise, then turns itself Off.
Jaden - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Mines just started doing this have you had any luck?
Lauren Ashton -
I haven’t Had time to Attempt it, but if I get the time, I will reply to this thread weather it worked or not.
Jaden -
Mine’s done this exact thing. No online solve I can find.
jcsutherlin -
same myn just turns on nothing on the tv it turns off with a click and most of theese i cant do
wyatt eckley -
Same issue. Bought a new power cord and it did nothing. Could be something to do with my HDMI, but I might just send the console somewhere to see if they can figure out the issue.
Bode Russell -
This has just happened to mine and a friends xbox in the same week (identical models, bought at the same time) - was there a xbox update last week?
(Xbox One S)
Tim Bateman - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I replaced my power supply and started playing after weeks of playing for 20 minutes and then the Xbox one S turning off and not being able to turn back on for about an hour if at all that day. It worked after replacing the power supply for a few hours then turned off again. There is nothing on top it sit all by itself on a end table… I don’t get it I have only had it 6 months… any ideas ???
Phillip Bunk - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
When the Xbox One S was released my roommate bought one and let me use so we could play online together, after a couple months 6ish, It got to where after playing it for sometime then it would turn off by itself… Sometimes it would take multiple tries to get it to come on and stay on and sometimes it would just come back on for another random amount of time. Over a short period of it doing this it continued to get worse and worse until eventually I had to end up spamming the power button, unplugging it, plugging it back in after a minute or so over and over until it would come on for another short period of time mostly. On occasion it would stay on for like 3,4,5,8 hours but was rare. I found pressing the disc eject would sometimes get it to come on and stay on.. there was a method I read to it but don’t remember it mostly. From my research my conclusion is the most likely issue is with power supply maybe, or a bad software update but I doubt it, We got replacement via warranty, had no water damage. Sorry4You
Shawn Jones -
My xbox comes on but stays on green screen that says xbox after awhile turns self off. Never loads any ferther
Patrick Blough - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
If you have external hard drives one or more of them might be causing the problem. I have a 5tb that cause mine to turn off during start up.
Morgan Frandy - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Mine xb1 wont turn on with the kinect plugged in or if it does turn on I can only play it for like 10-30 mins before it just dies. If I unplug the kinect it works
Adrian Richard - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Sounds like failing power supply. It doesn't turn on or will turn of after some time because the power supply can't keep up with the extra juice the Kinect sensor is using, If when you unplug the Kinect the Xbox stay on and doesn't cut off by itself anymore that lends hand to that being the issue. It also means as time goes on it will fail more until it quits working and fails completely.
Shawn Jones -
I have no problems with my Xbox 360 red Ring of death can kill you because it says death on the end of the name don't touch it or look at it if you are staring at it try to find a safe place to stare at it
Zoza Habozo - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Green ring is the ring that does not cause any problems to you
Zoza Habozo - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I've replaced the thermal paste as many have suggested and it still turns off after approximately an hour.
Nicholas Carrelli - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Ive been an xbox guy for years. My xbox wont turn on and cant get any customer service to help. &&^& YOU MICROSOFT. Im going back to playstaion. Yall suck
Mikeal Jock - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Why dose my son xbox 1 turn off as soon as he put it on
Mohammed Salim - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My Xbox one s turns off randomly during night.. I've tried switching cables and outlets.. Haven't found a solution yet but I think it could be due too the power outlet? If had the same problem with my TV once all of sudden turned off and never came back on.. That's because I had too many wires plugged into the outlet and it cooked my TV power cable.. This could be the same situation with people's Xbox randomly turning off? Maybe a power surge fried your Xbox power supply and it may need replacing.. Haven't found a solution for my problem but I've had bad outlets around my house for along time so I don't know if it's my outlets or my xbox completely..
Shayla Woods - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I know it's not recommended but I decided too shake my xbox one s in my hands and loads of dust ect fell out.. since then my xbox has on automatically turned off like 3-4 times tonight which it normally does it 6-7 times it's quite odd as it only turns off during Night persifically between 12-6 Am.. Maybe I could switch time schedules so I'm asleep by then and see if it turns off during the day? Probably will but I left my xbox on when I went too bed after 7 in the morning and I woke up too it still on? Like right now it's 6.16 and 20 minutes ago my xbox turned off twice within 10 minutes but since then it's been working fine..? I'm extremely confused because this has just started happening like 4 days ago.. never looked like it has problems or sounds like it.. just turns off randomly..
Shayla Woods -
So power supply is fine nothing wrong there ventilation is fine all areas needed are cleared in an open area it has been cleaned few months ago very thoroughly so no blockage of air way so wtf is wrong with my xbox one s it the white one ??
rex.molly - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My Xbox one has recently just start turning off. Sometimes it stays on for an hour then go off and sometimes it may stay on for 10-15 mins and go off. But I've noticed when I try to play a game it'll go off a lot quicker. Maybe 5 mins after I start playing. I've tried pretty much everything I was told to try to fix it.
Jarard X - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Hi need assistance please. I’ve been having overheating problems with my Xbox one so I wanted to clean it. I followed the step by step tutorial on YouTube and I successfully removed the The side assembly and the top assembly but then in the process of removing the front assembly I accidently removed the small plastic bit attached to the flimsy blue flat wire on the front assembly. I proceeded to clean the fan and got rid of most of the dust covering the ventilations. When I put everything back together my Xbox would not turn on from the console button but from pressing the home button on a control. After a few seconds it would immediately turn off by itself. Is this a problem I can easily fix or should I take it into a tech repair shop? Thank you for your time :)
deathdonkey - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My power button lights up and within seconds shuts off. No signal to the screen at all not even a blip, attempted hard resets, can't access on screen trouble shooter. Any ideas?
Chris Grizzard - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Mine just beeps light button flashes then shuts off i replaced the internal power supply unit but still same problem only this time the buttons quit working what is going on with it can some one help
Brett Clark - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
i updated the controllers. I was told i would have to replace some things in it. Instead, I just bought a wired controller and it’s been fine. Microsoft puts in parts that will last for a few years then, like other tech companies, they set you you up to keep buying their products. It is the monopoly of the tech companies, I guess.
destinationz24 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
my game loads the it turns off xbox name xjxjgoated pass ##############
JOSEPH PERKINS - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My roommate bought a Xbox 1 S soon after release and let me use so we could play online together, after 6ish months maybe, It got to where after playing it sometime it would turn off by itself… Sometimes it would take multiple tries to get it to come on and stay on. Sometimes it would just come back on for another random amount of time. Over a short period of it doing this it continued to get worse and worse until eventually I had to end up spamming the power button, unplugging it, plugging it back in after a minute or so over and over until it would come on for another short period of time mostly. On occasion it would stay on for like 3,4,5,8 hours but was rare. I found pressing the disc eject would sometimes get it to come on and stay on.. there was a method I read to it but don’t remember it mostly. From my research my conclusion is the most likely issue is with power supply maybe, or a bad software update but I doubt it, We got replacement via warranty. Try contact a circuit board repairman and let them
Shawn Jones - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Why does my xbox one automatically turn off while playing games ?
Christian Williams - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Did you not read anything on this entire page? No one here can exactly diagnose the issue unless they have the technical expertise to do so or is willing to help along with having the device within them.
Shawn Jones -
my xbox will work for about 15-20 minutes then $@$* off and the light on the PSU turns off then ill have to unplug it for a bit just to use it for 15-20 more minutes
Noah Haas - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
The DLC addons seem to cause it for me. I have uninstalled all of the Wonderlands content and re-installed just the base game. No crashes since until I tried re-installing Coiled Captures. The Xbox X started turning off again. I have not tried this only the 2nd DLC yet.
BRETT RAGAR - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Just got the same problem it's on but shows nothing
Mueez Paulse - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My Xbox was turning off after a second after I turned it on. How I got it to work was prayer and repeatedly pressing the logo to turn it on and then holding it for a hard reset. It took like ten minutes to time it. But once I knew I timed it, was by noticing that the logo didn’t instantly turn off after a second. After that, I took out the power cord waited ten seconds and plug it back in and turned it on and It worked.
Marcelo Bortolotti - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
The Xbox ones power block turns orange for a split second then just completely turns off can’t even turn the Xbox on no light no nothing
Ghxst - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My one S is turning off only while playing a game otherwise stays on infinitely even though it's properly ventilated and the supply and cord are perfectly fine.
Connor Wagenaar - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Same thing happened with my old Xbox one s it would turn on show the power light for like 3 seconds then turn off instantly and after it hadn’t worked for about 6 months I’ve found an older Xbox one that worked for a few days and now the same thing is happening to it. Don’t think it can be fixed by the looks of this thread instead I rekon xboxs r just designed to do this after a certain period of time so you buy a new one . Trust I’ve tried every possible fix method only thing that would get it on for 20 mins without waiting a day would be by hairdrying all the vents on the Xbox for 10 mins
Arian James - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My Xbox one x shuts off before play games. It just shuts off without warning
John Cullen - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Look at my post, your problem is the thermal paste of your power brick transistors!
emilic -
My xbox one just randomly makes a noise freezes then switches off im so sick of this BS!! I get a ban on Halo3 each time this happens ... worst design ever. Didnt have this problem with xbox 360
Sonia - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My Xbox 1 has green and yellow line on the tv screen and it won’t play a disk
Lisa Conley - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
It was fine until I turned it on just now it has green and yellow and red lines on it and won’t play the disk
Lisa Conley - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
If your xbox is turning off randomly (mostly after turning it on)... and its related to the power supply : if you unplug the power supply, wait a few min and you plug it back on and it is back to working conditions just to turn off after you try to launch a game...
Well then the issue is the thermal paste of the transistors of your power supply.
Open your power supply, unscrew the transistors, clean the old thermal paste, put new thermal paste, screw them back in.
DONE! Solved my problem, now xbox not shutting down by it self...
emilic - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Mine turns on for 20 seconds then off the fan doesn't spin and there no hdmi output
mjj everything - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My game still cutting off by its self I don’t no what to do because I’d will never stop cutting off
Glennis Gilmore - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I haven't used mine in almost 3 years. I just cleaned it off and blew away all the dust and stuff. It still turns off by itself. Does anyone know why?
Harlow “Bullet” Tucker - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0