There are a few ways to get your headphones hooked up to your Xbox One, but they can be a bit confusing. Here is our step-by-step guide to getting connected.
For many gamers, a headset is just as essential to the gaming experience as a controller. Voice chat for online play has been a norm for over three generations of consoles at this point, and there are plenty of reasons you may choose to use headphones even if you’re playing a single-player game. You might use headphones to game so that the TV’s volume doesn’t disturb anyone in your home, especially sleeping children. Conversely, you may want to use noise-canceling headphones to drown everything else out, or perhaps you prefer surround sound headphones’ ability to create a more immersive gaming experience.
Whatever the reason, there are several ways you can connect headphones to your console — though the process is not uniform across generations. The headphone jacks on controllers for the Xbox 360 and Xbox One were an imperfect solution, and even the Xbox Series X|S doesn’t support true built-in Bluetooth. As a result, it can be confusing when connecting a new headset to your Xbox One, whether it’s wired or wireless. To make the process easier and get you in a party chat as soon as possible, here’s a step-by-step guide to connecting headphones to an Xbox One.How to connect wireless headphones to an Xbox One
Although the Xbox One doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth, that doesn’t mean you can’t use wireless headsets. In fact, some of the best Xbox One headsets available are wireless. Not all wireless headsets are compatible, so it’s important to make sure yours is. The Xbox Wireless Headset, made by Microsoft, is always a safe, solid choice. While the process may differ slightly for third-party accessories, here’s how to pair the Xbox Wireless Headset with the Xbox One:
If you have headphones that can only connect with Bluetooth, you may still be able to use them with your Xbox One. Rather than pairing the headset with the console, you can use one of the USB ports on the Xbox One to plug in a compatible Bluetooth receiver, which many headsets come with. In nearly all cases, however, a third-party Bluetooth dongle that didn’t come specifically with a headset won’t work with an Xbox One.
