Xbox One Controller will not pair (bluetooth)

T

TimothyG7

Bit poster
I am trying to pair my Xbox One bluetooth controller with Windows 11 Parallels. When I turn pairing on my controller, I can see the controller in Windows 11 bluetooth. I try connecting, and it asks me for a pin. I entered 00 as mentioned in this article (https://kb.parallels.com/124771). Then I get the message "Unknown device" from Windows and it does not pair.

Is anyone else having this problem?

I tried contacting Parallels support and so far it has been futile. My ticket has not been responded to. I also tried chatting but the chat program has a very short idle timeout period so I've now gotten disconnected 3 times and having to restart each time. Very infuriating.

I purchased this software strictly for gaming. If I can't connect the controller, I will likely ask for a refund as it is otherwise pointless for me.
 
Also should mention

- bluetooth sharing is on
- accessibility and full disk access under security and privacy have a checkbox next to parallels desktop
- controller works fine in MacOS
 
Hello TimothyG7,
Unfortunately Bluetooth sharing with an Xbox one controller (or really any other Bluetooth controller) is not working properly. You will need to downgrade Parallels to version 17.0.0.1 and also use a USB cable.

See the following KB for downgrade:
https://kb.parallels.com/en/128608
 
I imagine they'll fix it at some point. But to be honest, Bluetooth support was never great to begin with. I think it would be a better experience once there's a compatible driver for the Xbox wireless adapter.
 
Fair enough. With that said, I am requesting a refund under the 30 day money back guarantee. This was a critical requirement for me. I don't want to have to downgrade my version or use a cable. Thank you for the help, anyways.
 
I got a callback about my issue with this, did a screen sharing session, tried pairing, didn't work. Then it worked for about 3 seconds, and then didn't.
They said my case would be escalated. So we'll see what the next level says.
 
Not a real concern for me - almost all my Windows games at this point are mouse/keyboard controls - but would love to have this resolved so I can at least try it out.
But as far as other Bluetooth devices (Apple Keyboard, Apple Magic Mouse, Logitech Mouse) they all work perfectly. So I think it's not a bluetooth issue at this point but something going on with the Microsoft xbox controllers.
 
I have the same problem. I would even be happy if someone can provide for me a known comparable usb-c bluetooth adapter that I can pass directly through to the virtual machine bypassing the Mac to remove the issue where the Mac keeps pulling the bluetooth enabled xbox controller back to max which is why it doesn't work in windows virtual machine, but the parallels support technician gave me a solution that doesn't match the problem. They answered a question I didn't ask and provided a fix for something I never submitted. Until parallels technical support can understand the issue, I don't see any resolution coming.
 
Jim Aloye said:
I have the same problem. I would even be happy if someone can provide for me a known comparable usb-c bluetooth adapter that I can pass directly through to the virtual machine bypassing the Mac to remove the issue where the Mac keeps pulling the bluetooth enabled xbox controller back to max which is why it doesn't work in windows virtual machine, but the parallels support technician gave me a solution that doesn't match the problem. They answered a question I didn't ask and provided a fix for something I never submitted. Until parallels technical support can understand the issue, I don't see any resolution coming.
Click to expand...
Here is the link to my USB-C question that still hasn't been answered: https://forum.parallels.com/threads...or-windows-11-arm-that-actually-works.355976/

This would be a good enough solution for me, if I can find a comparable usb-c bluetooth adapter.
 
I am evaluating Parallels for casual gaming on Windows... but it's going to be difficult if my Xbox wireless controller is not recognised.
 
If you search these forums, there have been a few discussions about this issue. Some people I seem to remember were successful getting the Xbox controller to work - not via Bluetooth but via a USB cable. I have an Xbox Controller and the Nimbus Steelseries Bluetooth controller. Both connect and work on the macOS side (though some games work with one controller and not the other) but neither will connect with the Windows ARM - at least to this point. I try again whenever there is a Windows 11 update (or even an Xbox app update) but nothing changes. So I would guess it is a Parallels sharing issue. (Then again, the xbox app in Windows for ARM has other issues - like not being able to download and install games after becoming a Gamepass member - but that is definitely a MS issue as the same issue occurs on non-Apple ARM laptops.)
 
SWANDY said:
If you search these forums, there have been a few discussions about this issue. Some people I seem to remember were successful getting the Xbox controller to work - not via Bluetooth but via a USB cable. I have an Xbox Controller and the Nimbus Steelseries Bluetooth controller. Both connect and work on the macOS side (though some games work with one controller and not the other) but neither will connect with the Windows ARM - at least to this point. I try again whenever there is a Windows 11 update (or even an Xbox app update) but nothing changes. So I would guess it is a Parallels sharing issue. (Then again, the xbox app in Windows for ARM has other issues - like not being able to download and install games after becoming a Gamepass member - but that is definitely a MS issue as the same issue occurs on non-Apple ARM laptops.)
Click to expand...

If you are not using a M1 MacBook Pro with USB-C and instead have a regular Mac with regular USB ports, you can use something like the USB-BT500 to create a dedicated bluetooth connection from your Parallels VM to the outside world, and then connect your Xbox Controller to that instead of connecting it to the Mac's built in bluetooth. The direct connect to the VM using the USB-BT500 and bypassing the Mac native bluetooth will work. I've done that on my old Mac. The problem is with new Mac's that do not have USB. I am unable to make that work using the same BT adapter and a USB to USB-C converter, thus Parallels is useless for gaming on MacBook Pro M1 Units because there is no way to connect controllers wirelessly where they actually work.
 
Jim Aloye said:
If you are not using a M1 MacBook Pro with USB-C and instead have a regular Mac with regular USB ports, you can use something like the USB-BT500 to create a dedicated bluetooth connection from your Parallels VM to the outside world, and then connect your Xbox Controller to that instead of connecting it to the Mac's built in bluetooth. The direct connect to the VM using the USB-BT500 and bypassing the Mac native bluetooth will work. I've done that on my old Mac. The problem is with new Mac's that do not have USB. I am unable to make that work using the same BT adapter and a USB to USB-C converter, thus Parallels is useless for gaming on MacBook Pro M1 Units because there is no way to connect controllers wirelessly where they actually work.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that info but this thread is in the Apple Silicon forum and to my knowledge all M1 Macs (like my iMac) no longer have regular USB ports, only USB-C ports.
 
SWANDY said:
Thanks for that info but this thread is in the Apple Silicon forum and to my knowledge all M1 Macs (like my iMac) no longer have regular USB ports, only USB-C ports.
Click to expand...
Yes, that's why I mentioned that I am unable to make that work using the same BT adapter and a USB to USB-C converter. There is a device detected in Windows 11 but it remains "unknown" so I don't know if that is due to incompatibilities with the M1 Bridging between USB and USB-C (on M1 Silicon) or if there are no Windows 11 device drivers for the USB-BT500.
 
This is the type of USB to USB-C adapter I am using.
71xWh67sBNL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
Ah - now I understand why you were posting it here. I don't see why the M1 machines would have an issue with the USB-USB-c adapter. I have the USB-C to Lightning cord that Apple ships with the M1 iMac and I purchased a USB-C to USB cable (so that I could attach some USB flash drives) and they all work perfectly. I would assume the issue is the Bluetooth adapter itself and whether Windows 11/ARM needs a driver for it to operate.
 
Same with my 8bit controller with xbox mode on my Mac mini m1, it should be fixed with wireless connection instead of wire one, it was confused to try cable connection every time when play the games, it was not convenient at all.
 
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