Why won‘t my Switch Pro Controller turn on?

Let‘s kick things off with the most likely culprit – an uncharged battery. The rechargeable battery inside the Pro Controller probably just needs some fresh juice after too many hours battling baddies in Hyrule.

As a seasoned Switch gamer myself, I can‘t tell you how often I‘ve gone to pick up my controller only to find it unresponsive because I forgot to charge it!

Recharge That Sucker

According to Nintendo‘s support page, a full battery charge for the Switch Pro Controller lasts about 40 hours. That‘s a decent amount, but still nowhere near my personal record of over 100 hours in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild!

To recharge, simply connect your controller to the Switch dock or any handy USB power source. Try to give it at least 30 minutes before attempting to turn it on again.

Watch For Charging Indicators

While charging, check that orange LED light above the USB-C port on top. If the battery is completely dead, even this charging indicator may not come on at first.

I definitely recommend leaving it plugged in for a full hour before assuming other problems if the orange light doesn‘t activate. Believe me, after letting my controller sit all night, I‘ve seen that beautiful glow suddenly appear!

Charge Time and Battery Health

According to Nintendo, a full charge takes around 6 hours. I‘ve found third-party chargers sometimes juice up even faster.

If you still aren‘t seeing signs of life after lengthy charging attempts, the battery could be reaching the end of its functional lifespan. These rechargeable batteries can only handle so many cycles before needing replacement.

Try Re-Syncing It

Another sneaky culprit for a Switch Pro controller not turning on is losing its sync with the console itself.

This can happen if you connected the controller to a different Switch system. Or sometimes just using the controller for Wake From Sleep will eventually knock it out of alignment.

Here‘s a simple way to get your Pro controller happily synced up again:

1. Go to Controllers in your Switch settings
2. Select Change Grip/Order
3. Press the small circular sync button on top of the Pro Controller

When it shows "Paired" on screen, you can exit back out and things should work smoothly!

Inspect That Charging Port

Let‘s consider some other reasons a Pro Controller could fail to turn on even after recharging attempts…

If you notice the charging/sync port on top looks bent or pushed in, physical damage could be preventing normal function. This USB-C port is a thin piece of hardware that sticks out, so it‘s pretty vulnerable!

I‘ve definitely noticed function issues after an encounter between my controller and the corner of the coffee table… Pro tip: watch where you toss your gear after an intense multiplayer battle!

In most cases like this, you‘ll probably need to send the controller to Nintendo for repair. The nice thing is that physical damage may still be covered under warranty if less than a year old.

Reset The Whole Dang Thing

When all else fails, resetting the controller firmware can work magic.

Hold down that pesky sync button for at least 15-20 seconds until – BAM – the lights flash to indicate reset complete.

This essentially functions like a force quit to clear any software gunk mucking up operations behind the scenes. It‘s always worth a shot before crying fuse failure!

Power Issues Comparison

So in summary – very often a Switch Pro controller not turning on comes down to mundane battery charging. But don‘t overlook sync and software issues too!

Hopefully these power troubleshooting tips help revive your controller to battle another day. Game on friends!