In the war of big gaming consoles, only two products are popular in the market and Xbox from Microsoft is one of them. Their current lineup is the Xbox Series X and Series S, launched in 2020. The previous series, the Xbox One, and its corresponding successors were all well received by the community. Despite being a top gaming console, the Xbox One faced an occasional problem with a Black Screen. What is this Black Screen of Death? How to fix Xbox One Black Screen issue?
If you are facing this problem with your Xbox One console, then this guide is for you. Apart from Xbox One, you can also use this guide for other consoles in the Xbox lineup.
A Brief Note on Xbox One
Microsoft launched the Xbox One as a successor to the Xbox 360 in November of 2013. The upgraded user interface and excellent performance (may be due to the shift from PowerPC to AMD), made the Xbox One a popular console.
The original Xbox One had a custom APU from AMD (a combination of CPU and GPU on the same die) with a clock frequency of 1.75 GHz. It also has 8Gb DDR3 Memory, support for 720p and 1080p displays, 7.1 Surround Sound with Dolby Atmos, and DTS: X.
After the success of the Xbox One, Microsoft launched two more models, Xbox One S in 2016 and Xbox One X in 2017.
The Xbox One S retained the same APU but supported both 1440p and 4K display resolutions and HDR10 as well. While the original Xbox One has support for regular Blu-ray discs, both Xbox One S and X supported UHD Blu-ray playback.
Controllers are a very important part of the overall gaming console experience and the Xbox One’s controller delivered it perfectly. Microsoft redesigned the Xbox Controller this time. Even though it isn’t comparable to the DualShock 4, rumbling feedback from the triggers is quite good.
What is Xbox One Black Screen of Death?
Enough about the specs and let us now focus on the Xbox One Black Screen of Death problem. So, what is this issue? Some Xbox One users reported that when they turn on the console and the TV, all they see is a pitch-black screen without any content.
Users called this problem the Xbox One Black Screen of Death as a reminiscence to the Windows’ famous Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
There are several reasons for the Black Screen problem on the Xbox One gaming consoles.
One of the simplest reasons was an incorrect setup of the user’s TV. Silly it may sound. But this is a legit reason for Xbox One Black Screen.
But not so silly reason was a software update, especially for those users who are in the Xbox Insider Program. Apparently, Microsoft released the software update without properly testing it, resulting in the users staring at a black screen on their TV.
Another reason for the Xbox One Black Screen of Death was a software glitch in the UI of the Xbox Dashboard. Some users also reported that the Black Screen was a result of Xbox Live being out.
Xbox One has a built-in Blu-ray player, which, for many users, is a default option for watching Blu-ray movies. There are also reports that when users start a movie using the Blu-ray player, they immediately get a black screen.
How to Fix Xbox One Black Screen?
Irrespective of the reason, if you faced a Black Screen problem on your Xbox One gaming console, we know how frustrating it can be. One of our colleagues has the issue.
So, to help you out, we listed some of the common solutions to fix the Xbox One Black Screen issue.
Restart Xbox One
The first and most obvious solution is to restart your Xbox One console. Locate the “Xbox” Button on the console. Press and hold this button for at least 10 seconds. The console will turn off.
Now, remove the power cord from the outlet and wait for another 10 seconds.
During this time, make sure that all the connections to your TV or AV Receiver, speakers, etc. are okay.
After that, insert the cord back into the outlet and turn the console on. You should see a green startup animation on the screen.
Disconnect Peripherals
You might connect several external devices and peripherals to your Xbox One. Some of them are USB Hard Drives, Expansion Cards, Battery Charging Systems, etc.
These devices might interfere when the system is trying to update its software and result in a black screen.
Disconnect all the external peripherals and devices except the main power cord, the ethernet cable, and the HDMI cable. You can connect the peripherals after it finishes updating the software.
Check the Connections
If the TV screen goes black after you turn on the console, then there could be a problem with the connections.
Check if you turned on both the Xbox One and the TV. Now, see if the HDMI connection between the console and TV is proper and secure.
After this, make sure that the TV is set to the correct HDMI Input. You can try and connect to different HDMI Ports on your TV. Every time you change to a different port, just set the TV’s input to that HDMI Port.
If you have a spare HDMI cable, you can use it as well. The last possible way to check the connection is to connect the console to another TV or monitor.
Some users use an AV Receiver to connect to the Xbox One console. If you are one of them, then you can try and connect the console directly to the TV.
Is Blu-ray Player the issue?
Some video settings can cause the Xbox One Black Screen problem when you watch a Blu-ray movie. If you inserted a Blu-ray disk into the console, eject it and power cycle the console.
Now, after it restarts, press the “Xbox” button to open the guide. Navigate through Profile & system and then Settings.
In the “General” category, go to TV & display options. Select video modes and turn off the “Allow 24Hz” option.
Hard Reset Your Xbox One
The next solution should be your last resort. Here, you can try and hard reset the Xbox One console. Before proceeding, you need to remember that resetting your Xbox One console will erase all the data, including your account details, games, and other important information. Proceed with caution.
There are a couple of ways in which you can reset your Xbox One Console. If you are getting a display output, then press the “Xbox” button to open the guide.
Now, go to Profile & system, Settings, System, and Console info. Select the “Reset Console” option. Here, you will get two sub-options. Select the “Reset and remove everything” option.
The second method is suitable if you have a black screen on your console. To proceed further, you need a computer with an internet connection and a USB flash drive with at least 4GB capacity.
First, format the USB drive to NTFS format. Now download the Factory Reset file for Xbox One from this link. Extract the contents of the zip file.
Copy the “$SystemUpdate” to the USB drive. Make sure there are no other files or folders on the flash drive.
Detach the USB drive from the computer. Turn off the console, unplug the power cord from the outlet, and wait for at least 30 seconds. Plug the power cord back into the outlet but do not power it on yet.
Now, insert the USB Drive into the USB Port. Press and hold the pair button and the eject button. Now, while continuing to hold them, press the “Xbox” button on the console. Continue holding the Pair and Eject buttons for at least 10 to 15 seconds.
You will get a couple of “power-up” tones, roughly two seconds apart. Release the buttons. It will restart automatically. Remove the USB drive when it restarts and follow the onscreen information to reset the Xbox One console.
Conclusion
Xbox One, a popular gaming console from Microsoft, had one the peculiar problems. Due to a wide number of reasons, the display turns black and does nothing. This error is famously known as the Xbox One Black Screen of Death.
In this guide, we saw some possible reasons for this black screen issue. After that, we also saw the solutions to fix the Xbox One Black Screen of Death problem.
