The Xbox One is a pretty solid and durable gaming console – and some gamers are still using it even though it was released way back in 2013.
However, the Xbox One power supply’s orange light has driven many gamers to despair. Simply put, your Xbox won’t work when there’s an orange light showing on the power brick.
What should you do? Turns out, there are a couple of things you can try – and some that you absolutely shouldn’t!
Let’s start easy with what works, try a few reported fixes that might work, and then look at things you totally should not do.
Why The Orange Light?
The most likely reason for an orange light (other than the standby light) on your Xbox power brick being orange is that it’s in surge protection mode.
What basically happens is that your power brick shut off power to your console due to a power surge.
It has prevented damage to the console, but to get it working again, you have to reset the power supply.
Lights on Your XBox One Power Supply: What They Mean
Let’s do a quick rundown of your power supply light colors and states and what they mean.
- No light or flashing orange: Faulty power supply. Try the fix we’ll outline below.
- White light: Everything should be OK. If things aren’t working, your video cable could be an issue.
- Steady orange light: It’s just energy-saving mode – no issue with the power supply, but you can try the fixes below if you suspect there is one.
Easiest Fix For Xbox One Power Supply Orange Light
Here’s how to do a basic reset on your Xbox One power supply when it’s in surge protection mode.
- Unplug the power brick from the Xbox One and from the wall socket
- Leave it unplugged for at least ten seconds, and if you can leave it for a couple of minutes that’s even more likely to work
- Connect everything up again
- Make sure the connections are firm before turning on the power
- Power up your console and see if your issues has been resolved
From here on, the official version is that if you still have issues, your power supply might need replacing.
However, you can try leaving it unplugged for longer to see if that works. Many of the other “fixes” on forums basically just keep you busy and give the unit more time to reset itself.
Try Blowing It Out With Compressed Air
I’ve never tried this fix myself, but it deserves a mention since I found several users who reported success with it on forums.
You can get cans of compressed air at your local hardware store, so if you don’t have a compressor, try this cheap option.
Disconnect everything, blast the compressed air into the power brick’s vents, reconnect everything and give it a try. I think it’s feasible that it can work, since dust and electronics aren’t good friends.
Take It For Repair or Replace It
There are reports of people having their Xbox One power supplies repaired. There are even videos showing how you might do it.
However, we would recommend not trying this one at home unless you’re pretty experienced working with electronic equipment repairs.
Your Xbox One not working is certainly annoying – a house fire is another thing altogether, and people might even die. If you’d like to check out repair possibilities, Microsoft is out. It doesn’t support equipment as old as this any longer.
Choose a reputable electronics repair business. But before you do this, you might have a cheaper option.
There are still Xbox one cables for sale, and looking at online prices, it’s not at all expensive to just get a new one.
In my opinion, this is a better option than a repair, even if the repair actually works out.
What You Absolutely Should Not Try
Browsing all the forums for ways to fix your Xbox One Power supply’s light? Do be careful! One of the “fixes” we came upon was to reset the power supply as we outlined in our first fix. But now things get suspicious.
The commentators recommend partially plugging in the jack that goes into the back of your console until you hear a crackling noise and then wiggling it!
Now, if you know anything about electrical stuff, a crackling noise is a short. Shorting out your stuff can be seriously dangerous.
Seems like a few people have come off unscathed after doing this, but it also sounds like a very bad idea.
This one comes with red flags, warnings, stop signs, amber lights and whatever else you recognize as a warning.
What’s Likeliest to Work?
The likeliest fix for an Xbox One power supply issue is the reset we described in our first step.
And yes, we did go through all the forums and Reddit posts. It’s by far the most logical way to solve your orange light troubles.
If this fix doesn’t work after the cable has been unplugged from both power supply and device for ten seconds, just try giving it a longer time.
Read a book. Watch TV. Try again in a couple of hours or even the next day.
Other fixes we saw that involved a lot of fiddling around all have a longer unplugged time in common and didn’t seem to make any sense.
Chances are, you don’t need the extra back-and-forth: just unplug and give things time to run flat and reset.
Your final call is to try another power outlet – remember, no strips or extension cords. After that, it looks like a blast of compressed air might solve your issue.
Failing that, getting a new power supply adapter looks to be the best course of action.
Feeling stressed out? Hey, it’s pretty amazing that your Xbox One has been usable for this long. If all you need is a new power supply, you’re still getting your money’s worth out of your console.
OK. So we know how it feels to be locked out of a favorite game. We feel your pain! But chances are, this article will help you get back to gaming. Enjoy!
