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'Why does my Xbox One turn on by itself?': How to stop your Xbox from turning on without your command

Power button sensitivity

'Why does my Xbox One turn on by itself?': How to stop your Xbox from turning on without your command

Kinect or Cortana could be responsible

Kinect or Cortana could be responsible

If you have a Kinect device, you can issue several verbal commands to your Xbox One console. Saying "Xbox on" will allow Cortana to turn on your Xbox One. So it's possible that the Kinect device or Cortana might be misinterpreting phrases that sound close to "Xbox on."

To test whether or not this is the cause of your Xbox One's abrupt booting, go into your Xbox One's "Power & startup" settings and disable this feature. You don't need to get rid of the Kinect.

If your Xbox no longer turns on without your explicit command, you'll know what the issue was.

Controller fault or failure

Controller fault or failure

The Xbox button on the controller allows you to turn on your Xbox One, and it might be activating your console by itself.

Test the controller; for example, try removing the controller's batteries for a while and looking for any changes to your console's performance.

If it is your controller, make sure the power button isn't stuck down. If you can't solve it, some repair shops will work on controllers. And if all else fails, retire it in lieu of a new controller.

System updates are waiting to be installed

System updates are waiting to be installed

If your Xbox One hasn't had any system updates in a while, or has been updating automatically, this could be causing the console to turn on by itself as it attempts to install new firmware.

Make sure it's fully updated, or disable settings related to automatic updates.

Power cycle the console

Power cycle the console

If all else fails, you can always unplug your Xbox One's power cord, wait a little while, and then plug it back in. This is called "power cycling," and can often help fix basic software issues.

Alternatively, you could try plugging the power cord into a different outlet, or fully power the console off and then back on again. These are unlikely to fix any serious issues, but you might get lucky.

Also note that certain television sets can activate the Xbox directly through the HDMI cable. This means that in some cases, when you turn on the TV, the Xbox will turn on with it (and vice versa). To fix this, you'll want to check your TV's settings to see if you can turn this control off.

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