Xbox Controller Test: Buttons, Sticks and Drift
Test an Xbox Wireless Controller over USB or Bluetooth: A, B, X, Y, bumpers, triggers, stick drift and rumble. Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Runs in your browser. Your button presses and stick readings never leave this device. No upload, no sign-up.
Waiting for a controller. Press any button on it.
Connect your controller, click this page, then press any button on the controller. Browsers show a controller to a page only after one of its buttons is pressed.
If nothing happens when you press a button:
- Click anywhere on this page, then press a button again. Browsers send controller input only to the window in front.
- On a cable, try another USB port and a cable that carries data. Some cables only charge.
- Over Bluetooth, check that the controller shows as connected in your system's Bluetooth settings.
- Close apps that can take over the controller, such as Steam, DS4Windows or a game, then reconnect it.
- Still nothing? Try another browser, then work through the fixes further down this page.
| Controller | – |
|---|---|
| Mapping | – |
| Reports | – |
| Slot | – |
| Rumble | – |
Buttons
0 tested- A
- B
- X
- Y
- LB
- RB
- LT
- RT
- View
- Menu
- LS
- RS
- ↑
- ↓
- ←
- →
- Xbox
Press each button once. Each one turns green when it works.
Sticks
Move each stick around the edge in slow circles. The dot should reach the circle in every direction and come back to the middle when you let go.
Triggers
Press each trigger slowly all the way down, then let go. The curve shows how the reading rose and fell.
Not pressed yet
Press it slowly all the way down, then let go.
Not pressed yet
Press it slowly all the way down, then let go.
Stick drift
Put the controller down, press Test stick drift and don't touch it for 7 seconds.
Left stick Not tested
| Rests at | – |
|---|---|
| Jitter | – |
| Furthest from center | – |
| Suggested dead zone | – |
Right stick Not tested
| Rests at | – |
|---|---|
| Jitter | – |
| Furthest from center | – |
| Suggested dead zone | – |
Rumble
- Strong motor
The deep rumble, usually in the left gripFelt it? - Weak motor
The lighter buzz, usually in the right gripFelt it? - Both motors
Both at once, at full strengthFelt it? - Trigger motors
The small motors in the triggers, on controllers that have themFelt it?
Rumble works from web pages in Chrome, Edge and Safari 16.4 or later on a Mac.
Polling rate
Press Measure polling rate, then move a stick in circles until it finishes, about 3 seconds.
Raw values from the browser
Buttons
Axes
Your report
Run the test above. Your results will appear here as plain text you can paste into a support chat, a return request or a forum post.
How to test an Xbox controller
- Connect your Xbox Wireless Controller with a USB cable, over Bluetooth or with the Xbox Wireless Adapter (the steps are below). Click this page, then press A or any other button.
- Press every button once: A, B, X and Y, LB and RB, View and Menu, the D-pad, both sticks (push them in) and the Xbox button. Xbox Series controllers also have a Share button in the middle.
- Move both sticks around the edge in slow circles, then press LT and RT slowly all the way down and let go.
- Put the controller on a table and press Test stick drift. Don't touch it for 7 seconds.
- Try the rumble buttons, then press Copy report to keep the results.
Xbox controller buttons in the browser
The standard button numbers that browsers and web games use follow the same order as an Xbox controller's buttons: A is button 0, B is button 1, and so on.
| Number | Xbox controller | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | A, B, X, Y | Bottom, right, left and top face buttons |
| 4, 5 | LB, RB | The bumpers |
| 6, 7 | LT, RT | Analog: 0 when released, 1 when fully pressed |
| 8 | View | The button with two overlapping squares |
| 9 | Menu | The button with three lines |
| 10, 11 | Left and right stick press | Push the sticks in |
| 12–15 | D-pad up, down, left, right | Four separate buttons |
| 16 | Xbox button | On Windows it may also open Game Bar |
| 17 | Share | Series controllers, on some systems only; usually not on Windows |
| As mapped | Elite back paddles | They send whichever buttons they're mapped to |
The left stick is axes 0 (left and right) and 1 (up and down), and the right stick is axes 2 and 3. Pushing a stick up gives -1 and pulling it down gives 1. Xbox 360 controllers work here too: the wired one over USB, and the wireless one with its USB receiver.
Connect an Xbox controller to a computer
With a USB cable
Xbox Series controllers use a USB-C cable and Xbox One controllers use micro-USB. Use a cable that carries data; some only charge. Windows 11 sets the controller up by itself in a few seconds. A cable is also the quickest way to rule out wireless problems.
Over Bluetooth on Windows 11
- Turn the controller on with the Xbox button.
- Hold the small Pair button on top of the controller, next to the USB port, until the Xbox button flashes quickly.
- Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Add device → Bluetooth and choose Xbox Wireless Controller.
- When the Xbox button stays lit, click this page and press a button.
The first Xbox One controllers have no Bluetooth. If yours never shows up in the Bluetooth list, connect it with a cable or the Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows: press the button on the adapter, then hold the Pair button on the controller until its Xbox button stays lit.
On a Mac
Put the controller in pairing mode as above, then open System Settings → Bluetooth and click Connect next to Xbox Wireless Controller. A Mac may not recognize an Xbox controller over a USB cable without extra software, so use Bluetooth. If it won't pair, update the controller's firmware on a Windows PC or an Xbox first.
Xbox controllers in the browser: what's different
- The name. On Windows, Chrome and Edge may read Xbox controllers through XInput, Windows' own controller system, and call them Xbox 360 Controller (XInput STANDARD GAMEPAD), whatever the model. Other controllers in Xbox mode get the same name. The test works the same.
- The Share button. XInput has no Share button, so on Windows the press usually doesn't reach web pages. On other systems it may appear as button 17.
- The Xbox button. Windows may open Game Bar when you press it. The test still counts the press; close Game Bar and click this page again.
- Impulse triggers. The small motors in LT and RT run only where the browser supports trigger rumble. When it does, a fourth rumble row, Trigger motors, appears in the test.
- Elite paddles. They send the buttons they're mapped to, so they light up as those buttons. Change the mapping in the Xbox Accessories app.
- Headset jack and chatpad. A browser's controller support doesn't include them, so they can't be tested here.
What the results mean for an Xbox controller
A button works if it lights up while you press it and goes dark when you let go. The bumpers and the D-pad are worth pressing at different points along their length: a button that works only at one end has a worn contact.
Xbox sticks report fine steps, so the readings can move a little even when you don't touch the stick. The drift test calls a stick normal when it rests less than 0.03 from center, slight drift from 0.03 to 0.08 and severe drift above that, and suggests a dead zone for your games. How to fix controller stick drift explains what to try next, from dead zones to cleaning and repair.
LT and RT should rise smoothly from 0 to 1.00 on a slow press and fall back to 0 when you let go. A trigger that stops short or doesn't return to 0 at rest (the drift test checks that) usually has dirt under it or a tired spring. Weak or missing rumble on a wireless controller can mean the batteries are low.
Xbox controller not working on your computer?
Your Xbox controller isn't found
Browsers show a controller only after you press one of its buttons while the page is open, and only to the window in front. If that doesn't help, check that your computer sees it.
Windows 11
- Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices and check that Xbox Wireless Controller shows as connected.
- Connect it with a USB cable, open the Xbox Accessories app from the Microsoft Store and install any update it offers for the controller.
macOS
- Pair it over Bluetooth in System Settings → Bluetooth; a USB cable may not work on a Mac.
- If it won't pair, update the controller's firmware on a Windows PC or an Xbox, then try again.
Some older Xbox One controllers have no Bluetooth: use a cable or the Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows.
Pressing the Xbox button opens Game Bar
- Close Game Bar and click this page again. The test already counted the press.
- To stop it, open Settings → Gaming, go to the Game Bar settings and turn off the option that lets a controller open Game Bar.
It disconnects, or the rumble is weak
- Put in fresh AA batteries or charge the battery pack. Low batteries cause dropouts and weak rumble.
- Update the controller in the Xbox Accessories app.
- Move closer to the computer or the adapter, and away from USB 3 hubs and Wi-Fi routers.
- If it works on a cable but not wirelessly, the batteries or the wireless link are the problem, not the buttons.
The Share button or the Elite paddles don't show up
On Windows, browsers read Xbox controllers through XInput, which has no Share button and no separate paddles.
- Map the paddles to other buttons in the Xbox Accessories app; they then light up as those buttons.
- To check the Share button, use it on an Xbox console.
Common questions
How do I connect an Xbox controller to my PC over Bluetooth?
Turn the controller on with the Xbox button, then hold the small Pair button on top until the Xbox button flashes quickly. On Windows 11, open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Add device → Bluetooth and choose Xbox Wireless Controller; on a Mac, use System Settings → Bluetooth.
Why does the browser call my controller Xbox 360 Controller?
On Windows, Chrome and Edge may read Xbox controllers through XInput, which can name any of them Xbox 360 Controller, including Xbox One and Series controllers and other controllers in Xbox mode. The name doesn't change the test: the buttons, sticks and triggers work the same.
Why doesn't the Xbox Share button show up in the test?
XInput, which browsers use for Xbox controllers on Windows, has no Share button, so the press usually doesn't reach web pages there. On some systems and connections it appears as button 17; if it doesn't, check it on an Xbox console.
Why does pressing the Xbox button open Game Bar?
Windows opens Game Bar when you press the Xbox button, and the test still counts the press. To stop that, open Settings → Gaming, go to the Game Bar settings and turn off the option that lets the controller open it.
Is my Xbox controller drifting?
Set it down, run the stick drift test and don't touch it. Under 0.03 from center is normal, 0.03 to 0.08 is slight drift, and more than 0.08 is severe; the test also suggests a dead zone to set in your games.
Can the Xbox Accessories app fix stick drift?
It can update the controller's firmware, which fixes some connection and input problems, but it has no stick calibration. For drift, set a dead zone, clean the stick or have the controller repaired.
Can the test check the impulse triggers?
Only where your browser can drive them. If it can, a Trigger motors row appears in the rumble test; if you don't see it, your browser can't run the trigger motors from a web page, although games still can.
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