If you are having issues connecting/syncing your Xbox Controller to your Xbox Series S / X then follow the 5 steps below to fix this issue.
Step 1 : First, you want to ensure your batteries are charged and installed correctly. Whether you are using AA batteries or a charge kit it’s best just to rule that out as an issue and double check they are OK.
Step 2 : The next step is to try and re-sync with the console itself. So, first of all, you want to go ahead and press the small black button on the lower right of the console (when positioned vertically). The console light will start flashing intermittently, then pick up your controller and on the top left hold down the same sync button. They should both flash and when they have synced the lights on both the console and the controller will turn a solid white.
Step 3 : This is a relatively simple step. You want to get the original USB cable that came with your controller/console. Plug this into your console and then connect directly to the controller. This should then force a sync between the controller and the console.
Step 4 : For this step, we are going to try and update the controller software. It is worth checking even if you managed to get the controller to sync again. This is buried in the console settings under the device settings. Please see the video for a detailed demo of this process.
Step 5 : The final step if nothing else works is to fully shut down the console. Once the console has been fully shut down, please remove the power cord from the back. Leave the console unplugged for 10 seconds & then plug it back on and turn it on.
After the final step, you may need to run through the steps above again to be sure that this fixes the issue.
Hope this helps some of you out there. Leave a comment below if you have any questions!
UPDATE
Another step that may work : perform a hard reset by holding the Xbox button on the console for 10 seconds, releasing it only when the device shuts off. After powering the console back on, the controllers should be functional.