For a console owner, there’s nothing scarier than turning on your games console and being hit with nothing but a black screen and an error message. For Xbox One owners, the so-called Xbox One Black Screen of Death is a terrifying prospect, an error that leaves you unable to do anything, even play games. We’re getting reports that many Xbox One owners are experiencing the Black Screen of Death right now. What is this terrifying issue? Why is it affecting your Xbox One console now? Is it affecting all Xbox One consoles? Is Microsoft aware of the problem and are working to fix it? Can you fix it yourself? Here’s everything you need to know about this scary error, and what you can do about it.
What is the Xbox One Black Screen of Death?
The so-called “Black Screen of Death” has struck Xbox One, Xbox One S, and Xbox One X owners since the console launched, and is related to the console’s main dashboard. Presumably it is related to Xbox Live, or an error related to an automatic update. It essentially stops players from doing anything at all, including playing games, accessing the dashboard, going online, using Xbox Live, or even simply logging in to their Xbox One console. In most cases the home screen will be almost completely black, hence the name of the error. Scary stuff.
Why am I getting a black screen on Xbox One now?
If you’re experiencing an Xbox One Black Screen of Death right now, as many Xbox console owners will be, you might be worried that it’s something wrong with your system. We can reassure you on that front at least, since this particular error seems related to Xbox Live. According to the Xbox Live Server Status website, access to Xbox Live is limited right now, and the site itself was actually down until recently. We’re not sure if this was related to the current issue or whether the site was simply overloaded by desperate Xbox One owners searching for an answer, but either way this is a problem right now, and you’re not alone.
Are Microsoft aware of the issue?
The Microsoft support team has tweeted out that they are aware of issues related to “console startup, title update and sign-in errors,” and subsequently tweets confirm that they are working on a fix. In just the last few minutes, as of the time of writing, the support team confirmed that they had “identified the cause for our earlier issues and are continuing to address these now.” They thank Xbox One players for their patience, although judging by the replies some of these tweets have received, a lot of them are running out. Nevertheless, Microsoft is indeed aware of the Black Screen of Death error, and are working on solving it.
We are aware of reports of Xbox One console startup, title update and sign-in errors. We will keep everyone informed once we have more information to share. Thank you all for your patience.
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) January 30, 2019
Is there a fix for the Xbox One Black Screen of Death?
There are a number of possible fixes for the Xbox One Black Screen of Death for players to try out, although there is no guarantee that any of them will work out in this case. Some simply require button combinations or screen changes, others may seem a bit more drastic. You may not get anywhere, but it can’t hurt to try if you’re desperate.
The first fix is the simplest: press either Right Trigger + Y or Xbox Button + A. These may require pressing the buttons multiple times, or moving around the pins or tabs at the same time as pressing these. In some cases users have reported their console returning from a fading black screen to full functionality, simply thanks to pressing these buttons and moving around the screen. Alternatively, you may simply get more information about the error, as one Twitter user discovered that the problem was down to Xbox Live trying to download an update that wasn’t available. Give it a go anyway.
Alternatively you can trying opening the Xbox One guide, pressing “Home,” and then navigating immediately away from the dashboard to another tab. You can also trying opening up the guide and visiting the Xbox Store, then immediately pressing A to open the main banner ad. Sometimes if you return to the dashboard from here, your Xbox may start working again.
Finally, you can try “offline mode.” Disconnect from Xbox Live using your console’s Wi-Fi settings, then reboot, and hopefully your console will be working again, albeit without internet for the time being. Alternatively, you’ll just have to be patient and wait for Microsoft to fix it. You don’t need to play Overwatch right now, do you?
