If your Xbox One shows no sign of life, start with the power supply rather than the console. Microsoft’s own guidance is blunt about the likely causes: your power supply may be faulty or improperly connected, or there may be another reason. The fix below is Microsoft’s power supply reset, in its order, plus what the light on the unit is telling you.
Quick answer
- Original Xbox One: reset the power supply unit — unplug it from the console, the wall and the unit itself, wait ten seconds, then check its light before plugging it back into the console.
- Light on: reconnect and press the Xbox button. If the console still won’t start, it needs service, not a new brick.
- Light off or flashing orange: Microsoft says the power supply itself needs replacing.
- Xbox One S or One X: the supply is internal — Microsoft treats those consoles separately from the original.
- Powers on but never reaches Home: that’s a startup fault, not a power fault.
First, Work Out Which Xbox You Have
Microsoft splits this troubleshooting in two, and the split matters because the hardware differs. Its page covers Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One X, and Xbox One S consoles in one section and the Original Xbox One console in another. The original model uses the large external power brick. The One S and One X moved the power supply inside the console, so there is no brick to reset — those owners follow Microsoft’s general console steps instead.
Reset the Xbox One Power Supply (Original Console)
This is Microsoft’s procedure for an original Xbox One that isn’t receiving power from its power supply unit.
- Unplug the power cables from the console, electrical outlet in the wall, and power supply — all three, not just the wall.
- Wait 10 seconds. Microsoft is specific that this step is what lets the power supply reset, so don’t rush it.
- Plug the power cable back into the wall outlet and the power supply — but not into the console yet.
- Check the LED light on the power supply. What it does next tells you whether the problem is the supply or the console.
If you have seen the old advice to wait twenty seconds, ignore it. Microsoft’s figure is ten, and the point is the reset, not the countdown.
What the Power Supply Light Means
If the light is on: plug the cable back into the console without turning it on, check the light is still lit, then press the Xbox button on the front of the console. If it powers up, you’re done.
If it powers up only sometimes, or not at all with the light still on: Microsoft’s answer is that the console itself needs servicing. That is a repair request, not a new power brick — replacing the supply won’t fix a console fault.
If the light is off or flashing orange: Microsoft says the power supply unit is the part that needs replacing. That is the one case where a new unit is the answer.
The Part That Has Changed: You Can No Longer Buy One From Microsoft
This is where older guides, including our own previous version of this page, are now out of date. Microsoft states plainly that the original Xbox One console is no longer manufactured by Microsoft, nor is the console power supply unit. As a result, out-of-warranty support is no longer available for this particular product.
In practice that means a failed brick on an out-of-warranty original Xbox One has no official replacement path. If your console is still in warranty, request a repair through Microsoft. If it isn’t, you are choosing between a second-hand unit and moving to a newer console — and it is worth knowing that before you spend anything.
If It Powers On But Doesn’t Reach the Home Screen
A console that lights up, makes noise, or shows a logo and then stalls is not a power problem at all. That is a startup fault, and it has its own sequence — the Xbox Startup Troubleshooter, a reset that keeps your games, then an offline system update. Our guide to an Xbox One stuck on a green screen walks through that order.
If the console powers up fine but is misbehaving in software, a reset is the next lever: see how to factory reset an Xbox One, including the option that keeps your games.
If it powers on and reaches the dashboard but will not read a disc, the drive rather than the power supply is the thing to look at — see why an Xbox One stops reading discs.
If It Turns On, Then Turns Itself Off
Microsoft points at airflow rather than power here: if your console keeps turning off, it might not be getting the proper ventilation. Check the vents are clear and the console has space around it before assuming the supply has failed. A gentler first step for odd behaviour is clearing the cache on an Xbox One.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I wait when resetting the power supply?
Ten seconds. Microsoft specifies that wait, and says it is what lets the power supply reset.
My power brick light is orange — is that bad?
A steady light is normal. Microsoft treats a light that is off or flashing orange as the sign that the power supply unit needs replacing.
Can I still get an official replacement brick?
Not for the original Xbox One out of warranty. Microsoft no longer manufactures that console or its power supply, and out-of-warranty support for it has ended.
Does this apply to my Xbox One S?
No. The One S and One X have the power supply built into the console, and Microsoft groups them with the Series X|S consoles rather than with the original Xbox One.
Updated September 16, 2026: rewritten against Microsoft’s current support pages. The previous version carried several claims with no source behind them — an invented success rate, a longer wait than Microsoft specifies, a stated design lifespan, a built-in surge protector, and the advice to buy a replacement power brick, which Microsoft’s own page now contradicts. All have been removed.
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