How to Connect Bluetooth Headphones to Xbox Series X: Step-by-Step Guide
If your setup centers on a modern living room display, Smart TV audio passthrough eliminates the need for extra dongles. Modern screens from LG, Samsung, Sony, and TCL come equipped with native Bluetooth transmitters capable of driving personal audio directly from whatever source appears on the screen.
[Xbox Series X] ──(HDMI 2.1 eARC / Audio)──> [Smart TV] ──(Native Bluetooth)──> [Bluetooth Headphones]
- Power on your Xbox Series X and switch your television to the console's active HDMI input.
- Navigate to your television's primary Settings menu and select the Sound or Audio Output section.
- Switch the output option from "TV Internal Speakers" to "Bluetooth Audio Device" or "Bluetooth Speaker List."
- Put your headphones into pairing mode, select them from your TV's device list, and confirm the connection.
- In your TV’s advanced audio settings, ensure the digital audio output format is set to PCM or Pass-Through rather than Auto to strip away artificial processing delay.
This path works cleanly for narrative single-player titles like Senua's Saga: Hellblade II or Starfield. You avoid draining your controller battery through an external adapter. However, this method completely isolates you from the Xbox operating system: you will receive zero party chat audio through the headset, and microphone input remains completely unavailable.
