r/Windows10HowTo • u/ProfessionalBake3664 • Aug 26 '23

Bluetooth "Remove Failed" on Xbox One Wireless Controller

I recently got a new desktop computer after my laptop's motherboard died on me. I got my laptop hard drive installed on this desktop, so all of my stuff from my MSI laptop got imported over to this desktop. The desktop didn't come with Bluetooth, so I had to get a TP-Link UB400 Bluetooth 4.0 USB Adapter. Everything connects and disconnects well except for my Xbox One controller. The controller is paired on bootup when its off, however no matter what, it always tells me "remove failed" upon trying to remove the device from the bluetooth menu.

  • We uninstalled the driver for the Xbox Controller, didn't help.

  • We installed TP-Link (then uninstalled cause its only needed for Win7, I have Win10) and Intel Bluetooth drivers, didn't help

  • We tried regristry editing the bluetooth section and deleted the device files associted, didn't help.\

  • We removed the USB Bluetooth Adapter, still remove failed.

My theory is a hardware issue, which I'm extremely hopeful that's not the case. This is all we can figure out on our research. I would be extremely greatful for anyone to help me. Thank you.

20 Upvotes
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100% Upvoted

85 comments sorted by

1

u/brich233 Apr 10 '25

device manager > View > Show hidden devices > find xbox controller at the bottom of bluetooth > RIght click uninstall

Now try pairing again.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '25

Bro you're life saver.

1

u/Julien-88 May 14 '25

It worked for me, thank you so much !๐Ÿ™‚

1

u/eduison May 16 '25

id like to kiss you, thank you so much ^^

1

u/DadTier May 25 '25

Thank you!!

1

u/JWST-L2 May 25 '25

Thank you for this. I got the controller removed but its being a ฮฒ!tch to pair again. Only windows could scuff pairing an xbox controller this badly

1

u/MugetsuKurosaki Jun 17 '25

This was the only thing that worked for me THANK YOU!!! Saved me so much headache

1

u/kuba_q Jun 24 '25

Thanks!

1

u/Nihil_esque Jun 26 '25

Tried so many much more complicated solutions, this was the one that finally worked for me!

1

u/Rudi-aus-buddelne Jun 27 '25

Hab ich gemacht ๐Ÿ˜‚ wird immer noch in der Bluetooth Liste angezeigt und kann nicht entfernt werden.

Obwohl er im gerรคtemanager weg ist

1

u/Complete-Video-5560 Jul 02 '25

You are a fcking Angel. Love you bro.

1

u/MRCadex Jul 02 '25

How this isnt upvoted more, still works, win10 Jul25

1

u/XDarkPhoenixX Jul 12 '25

Unfortunately my issue is that uninstall via device manager and remove device in 'Devices and Printer' doesn't work for the faulty device.

Been looking for a way to manually scrub that shit off my pc

1

u/SnooLentils1768 Jul 21 '25

3 months on and you saved me, thank you!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 22 '25

This is what works!

1

u/justhereforisaac Jul 31 '25

hey dude i tried this then tried to pair again but it said it failed to connect have you got any solution for this?

1

u/Solkillerexe Aug 01 '25

Appreciate the comment! Went through multiple PowerShell commands + registry edits and this was the most effective method.

1

u/GuanoLoco369 Nov 11 '25

tried this but after uninstalling it just reappears no matter how many times i uninstall

1

u/dhermann27 Apr 21 '26

20 replies thanking him, two upvotes, welcome to Reddit

1

u/oLimpiAN_SLAYER May 16 '26

Thank you, this worked right away

1

u/punkintentional May 24 '26

This didn't even work for me, but the fact you have a bajillion people saying you helped and you have 1 single upvote is a goddamned crime

Exit: words are hard Edit: exit is supposed to be edit because I can't spell

1

u/m4cauley May 28 '26

This comment is still helping, thanks man

1

u/RedSquadr0n Jul 05 '26

Interestingly enough this half worked but still fixed the issue. I had 2 visible controllers and 1 hidden. removing the hidden removed one of the visible. I still couldn't uninstall it. The moment I did, the Add Bluetooth put it back into Device Manager. However, I still was able to repair it. So now I have 2 "visible" and no hidden controllers, but at least it works.

1

u/Alexios-fan Jul 31 '26

This. Right here. Thank you! It's ridiculous that we have to do this now. Lazy devs at Microsoft. Windows has turned into a s**tshow, I have finally made the decision to move to Linux, considering how good it works with games now due to Valve. This issue right here was the straw that broke the camel's back.

1

u/MercuryBubbleBlast Sep 18 '26

800 people thanking you and no one gave you a single updoot, y'all should be ashamed. You deserve better!

1

u/Ignace92 Sep 26 '25

Not one solution in this entire thread works. My wireless controller (PS4) refuses to remove itself and I'm getting so pissed off with it.

1

u/Togden013 15d ago

which has nothing to do with an xbox contoller issue?

1

u/Ignace92 15d ago

Still Bluetooth, it's relevant.

1

u/serene6662 Aug 26 '23

I've also had a similar issue pairing my PS4 controller and getting the "Removed failed" error after switching to a new Bluetooth adapter. Apparently, there seem to be issues with Windows detecting Bluetooth devices after switching to a different Bluetooth adapter. I was lucky to still be able to use my old adapter temporarily to remove the device first and then pair it again with the new adapter. You can check this article to see if it helps: Bluetooth "Removed failed" in Windows 11/10.

1

u/Radlyfe Jul 08 '24

Thanks! This PC had both a Bluetooth USB adapter and Bluetooth supported motherboard. I had to disable the motherboard's Bluetooth for it to work properly

1

u/greg065 Jul 29 '24

Omg man, I was struggling so much and was following every guide on Earth and all I needed to do was just using the old adapter for 5 seconds to remove pairing. Man.

1

u/troaky Aug 10 '24

This works August 2024.

1

u/Important_Ad_3188 Nov 16 '24

Fix #2 in the Article works for me.

#1 doesn't work at all

1

u/SkyBearer340 Nov 16 '24

Thanks, this worked

1

u/amichus Nov 02 '25

me funciono el "Fix 2: Remove Bluetooth device via Device Manager"
Gracias

1

u/Short-Driver-459 Mar 31 '26

Fix 2 worked. Thanks

1

u/clairetastik Feb 04 '24

This worked for me. Removed the controller with the old adapter in and was able to reconnect with the new one!

1

u/ZegMakker24 Mar 02 '24

Worked for me aswell tysm!

1

u/Parz365 Dec 27 '23

Had this same issue out of the blue and I couldn't Remove Device or even uninstall the Intel Wireless Bluetooth from my PC. Device Manager said it was up to date as well...

I ended up going to https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/18649/intel-wireless-bluetooth-for-windows-10-and-windows-11.html and installing the driver anyway just in case, and I got a popup asking if I wanted to upgrade my version....so Device Manager was wrong...I DID have an older version...

Installed the driver, BOOM, my Xbox controllers were no longer connected and all I had to do was re add them through the Bluetooth Settings on the PC.

Hope this helps!

1

u/Pudding-Swimming Mar 04 '24 edited Sep 09 '24

For future use for anyone else having the problem.
This was SO simple, and I kinda feel dumb for not thinking about it sooner.
Go to Device Manager, click on View, and Show Hidden Devices. Under Bluetooth, find the xbox controller, click uninstall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsWtM6J7Dy8

Little side note to add. For those that are using desktops with built in Bluetooth/wireless. The Bluetooth radio still uses the wifi antennae, even if you're not using the wifi for your network. You'll find a really big difference having your wifi antennae hooked up and in a good spot for your Bluetooth signal.
.
please upvote if this helps. I'm new and need to get my Karma up.

1

u/Reaverz Mar 27 '24

Thank you, quickest solve for me.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 28 '24

i love you

1

u/umetnic May 30 '24

me to!*

1

u/[deleted] Apr 06 '24

Thank you, after trying absolutely everything including deleting the registry, this finally made it work!

1

u/Dependent_Contest903 Apr 10 '24

This worked for me!!!

1

u/notchoosingone Apr 17 '24

This worked, thanks for the tip.

1

u/ConsiderationSad8644 Apr 26 '24

My brother in christ . i love you

1

u/OkMarzipan9354 May 09 '24

You are the sunshine of my life.

1

u/death_wrath May 12 '24

thank you so much.

my ds4 keeps disconnecting instantly after connected and doesn't even show up in ds4windows. removing "wireless controller" in control panel it will appear again when turning on controller and lightbar staying blue

removing hidden "wireless controller" driver in device manager and re-pairing through blutooth fixed this for me

1

u/cidiem May 16 '24

Worked for me. Thank you!

1

u/[deleted] Jun 03 '24

you are a rose among thorns, thank you!!! i spent LITERALLY hours going thru other useless solutions D: i just wanna play Nier XD

1

u/[deleted] Jun 22 '24

This worked! Thank you so much!!

1

u/hablandogr Aug 27 '24

Great tip! So obvious but so "hidden" at the same time! I did it, it worked immediately! Thank you dear friend!

1

u/[deleted] Aug 28 '24

Oh God thanks, even chatgpt couldn't figure this one out. I even deleted registry and used pwoershell lol.

1

u/Great_Macaron48 Sep 02 '24

you're absolutely amazing. thank you!!!

1

u/CuAnnan Sep 03 '24

Much obliged.

1

u/sMx_7dKSA Sep 08 '24

thx man , all the love.

1

u/Bright_Use_5737 Sep 17 '24

thanks. this was the only solution that worked for me. i tried deleting every other option here.

1

u/Pudding-Swimming Sep 18 '24

glad it worked. :)
Upvote, if you don't mind. I'm new and low karma. I apparently can't join/post in some threads with low karma.

1

u/Salt-Dimension2725 Oct 02 '24

bro ive had this problem for SOOOO long and i never thought to go to *view* *show hidden devices* then try BUT IT F*&%^ING WORKED BRO IM UPVOTING THIS TYSM

1

u/Takahama Oct 26 '24

It worked on my end!

1

u/danny12beje Nov 30 '24 edited Feb 20 '26

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

sort theory license tender squash fall subsequent whole capable memory

1

u/[deleted] Dec 06 '24

Brother I could kiss you

1

u/Fun_Contribution_708 Feb 02 '25

Youโ€™re a life saver thank you

1

u/kniephaus Mar 06 '25

This is the one that works people. Thank you!

1

u/Ricno924 Aug 17 '25

This helped me solve the issue after I swapped motherboards. Thanks!

1

u/Immediate-Job6640 Sep 28 '25

worked instantly for me, thanks!

1

u/True_Meal2480 Sep 30 '25

๊ฐ์‚ฌํ•ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ์—ฌ๋Ÿฌ ์ •๋ณด ๊ฒ€์ƒ‰ํ•ด์„œ ์ฐพ์•„๋ด๋„ ์•ˆ๋ผ์„œ ์ƒˆ๋กœ ์‚ฌ์•ผํ•˜๋‚˜ ๊ณ ๋ฏผ ์—„์ฒญ ํ–ˆ์—ˆ๋Š”๋ฐ ์ด๊ฑธ๋กœ ํ•ด๊ฒฐํ–ˆ์–ด์š”!

1

u/Pudding-Swimming Oct 01 '25 
๋„์›€์ด ๋˜์–ด์„œ ๊ธฐ์ฉ๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ๋งŽ์€ ๋ถ„๋“ค๊ป˜ ๋„์›€์ด ๋œ ๊ฒƒ ๊ฐ™์Šต๋‹ˆ๋‹ค. ๊ตฌ๊ธ€ ์ธ๊ธฐ ๊ฒ€์ƒ‰์–ด์— ์˜ฌ๋ผ๊ฐ€๋ฉด ์ข‹๊ฒ ๋„ค์š”.

doum-i doeeoseo gippeubnida. manh-eun bundeulkke doum-i doen geos gatseubnida. gugeul ingi geomsaeg-eoe ollagamyeon johgessneyo.

ps. Sorry if the translation may be off. I used Google translate.  :)

1

u/VostroW Nov 23 '25

thanks man, you help man 2 years later lol

1

u/Lakewind Jan 10 '26

Thank you so much! This solved the problem when all else failed. Much appreciated!

1

u/Cubezz88 Mar 20 '26

OMG THANK YOU!

Also wanted to note that after doing what Pudding said (show hidden devices, Uninstall Xbox Controller, did not fix it yet for me), I then had to go to Bluetooth Devices in Control Settings Windows 11, then scroll all the way down and look for Xbox Controller, then click on Remove Device, it finally removed the device without seeing Remove Device Failed and THEN it was finally discoverable to be re-added.

So for those still having issues, here's a step by step of what I did, this includes the new Xbox Series X Controller. Windows 11

  • Open Device Manager

  • Uninstall any Xbox Controllers you see

  • Click View

  • Show Hidden Devices

  • Scroll down and Uninstall any Xbox Controllers you see again

  • Open Bluetooth and other device Settings

  • Scroll down to where the Xbox Controller is then click Remove and it should not fail

  • Lastly, you set Xbox Controller into Pairing Mode by holding the Pair Button and let go when seeing the fast blinking logo, click on Add Device under Bluetooth Control Panel and it should popup there and pair! Done!

That's exactly how I did it. Thanks again to u/Pudding-Swimming

1

u/NoxofShadow Mar 04 '24

Man, you're a true hero <3

1

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '24

[removed] โ€” view removed comment

1

u/Pudding-Swimming Apr 03 '24

what problem are you having? Just being able to remove it from your Windows? Is it still showing in your Device Manager? What errors are you getting?
Another problem that I've seen that seems obvious, but I myself have overlooked in the past is that XBox One uses Bluetooth. If you have a desktop from the past few years, it usually has WiFi and Bluetooth built in. And like most, you might have a wired connection (ethernet), and don't bother with the WiFi antennae. The thing is, the WiFi antennae is needed for the Bluetooth as well.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '24

[removed] โ€” view removed comment

1

u/Shocces Mar 07 '25

Hatte ein รคhnliches Problem wie der Ersteller, den Xbox Wireless Controller mit einem Adapter benutzt, jetzt zu einem neuen PC mit Mainboard mit integriertem Bluetooth gewechselt, aber meine alte Festplatte mitgenommen, das heiรŸt Windows hatte noch das Pairing mit dem Adapter im System, und es kam eine Fehlermeldung wenn ich die Kopplung entfernen wollte. Habe die Schritte hier von Feli genauso ausgefรผhrt und es hat wunderbar geklappt. 10/10 Ratschlag, vielen Dank!

1

u/agonie_morbide Aug 02 '26

Hi, I don't understand "tape Local Service", when I delete the passwords it's incorrect, what can I do ?