Does this sound familiar?
- You hear the startup sound, but the TV shows nothing at all
- The picture blinks in and out when the cable moves
- The HDMI output port looks crooked, or the plug won't seat properly
- The console only showed a picture when you held the cable at an angle, and now it won't show one at all
- Other devices work fine on the same TV and cable
What goes wrong with an Xbox HDMI port
An Xbox sits still for months, then somebody moves it. The Series X in particular often stands upright, so a cable that's a bit too short or a shelf that's a bit too shallow will put steady pressure on the port. The Series S is light enough that a good tug on the cord can drag the whole console along by its HDMI cable. Either way, the port takes the strain, and it's only held to the board by a few small solder joints.
Sometimes it goes all at once. Other times you'll notice the picture flickering for a few weeks first, and you end up wiggling the cable to get it back. If you've reached the wiggling stage, stop there and bring it in, because each wiggle can do more damage to the board.
Rule out the easy stuff
Try another cable, another TV input and, if you can, another TV. Also try resetting the display settings by starting the console in low resolution mode. Our guide on fixing an Xbox or PS5 with no picture has the steps. If you get a picture back, the port may be fine and the problem may be a setting or a cable.
How the repair goes
We open the console, inspect the port and the board around it, and tell you what we see. Then we remove the damaged port, clean up the board, solder in a new port and test the console on a real TV before calling you. It's slower than swapping a phone screen because of the soldering, so ask us for a realistic time when you drop it off.
Help the new port last
- Unplug the HDMI cable before moving the console.
- Give the cable enough slack that it isn't pulling sideways.
- Give the console a stable spot where it can't get dragged off by its cord.
Great experience. Very friendly on the phone and in person. Got my grandson's phone fixed, and within a few hours at a reasonable price. I was trying to hurry and get there before he closed at 6 and he told me to call him if I'm not able to make it there by closing time and that he'd wait. Wow.
Questions we get a lot
Which Xbox models can you repair?
Bring in the Series X, Series S, or any Xbox One. They're built differently inside, but all of them have an HDMI port soldered to the board, and that's the part we replace.
My Xbox has two HDMI ports. Which one matters?
The original Xbox One and the One X have both an HDMI out and an HDMI in. Your TV plugs into HDMI out, and that's the one that usually gets damaged. It's an easy mix-up, so check that the cable is in the out port before anything else.
Will I lose my games?
A port replacement doesn't touch the console's storage. Your games and profiles should be just as you left them.
Is the repair covered by your warranty?
HDMI repairs are the exception. When a port breaks a second time, it's almost always from a bump or a pulled cable rather than the repair failing, so we tell you that up front. The care tips on this page will help the new port last.
Could it be something other than the port?
It could. Some Xbox models have a small chip behind the port that handles the video signal, and it can get hurt along with the port. We check the board when we open the console and will tell you what we find before going any further.