Questions
Xbox controller will not connect to a Mac
Three things account for nearly every Xbox controller that refuses to pair with a Mac: the controller has no Bluetooth, its firmware is old, or it is still paired with an Xbox. Check them in that order.
Does your controller have Bluetooth?
Look at the plastic around the Xbox button. If it is the same colour as the face of the controller and there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the bottom, it is a 2016 or later Xbox One controller, or a Series controller, and it has Bluetooth. If the plastic around the Xbox button is glossy and matches the top bumpers, with no headphone jack, it is a first-generation Xbox One pad: no Bluetooth, cable only. The Elite Series 1 also has no Bluetooth; the Elite Series 2 does.
Update the firmware
Xbox controllers ship with firmware that pairs badly with anything that is not an Xbox, and the fix is an update, which runs on an Xbox console or on Windows through the Xbox Accessories app. Not on a Mac. If you have neither, a friend with either will do; it takes two minutes and sticks.
Unpair it from the Xbox
A controller bound to an Xbox will keep trying to reach it. Turn the console fully off, or pair the controller to the Mac while out of the console's range, and it stays with the Mac. Holding the pairing button for a full three seconds until the Xbox button blinks fast is what actually forgets the old pairing; a short press just turns it on.
Then pair
Forget any old entry in System Settings, Bluetooth. Turn the controller on, hold the pairing button on the top edge until the Xbox button blinks fast, and click Connect when Xbox Wireless Controller appears. A cable is the fallback for every model: USB-C on Series pads, micro-USB on Xbox One.
Questions
Which Xbox controllers work with a Mac over Bluetooth?
Xbox Series X|S controllers, the Elite Series 2, and Xbox One controllers made from 2016 on, the ones with a headphone jack. Earlier Xbox One pads and the Elite Series 1 are cable only.
How do I update Xbox controller firmware without an Xbox?
Through the Xbox Accessories app on a Windows PC. There is no Mac version.
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