Although the PS4 has become very reliable at the end of its life cycle, some annoying problems can still arise from time to time. While many have moved on to the PS5, there are still plenty of reasons to keep your PS4, or at least the controller, up and running.
Problems aside, we can’t overstate the convenience of having wireless controllers. from PlayStation 4, but you must sync them to your system to use them. For PS4 or PS4 Pro owners, syncing your PS4 DualShock shouldn’t be a problem, but we’re here to clear up any confusion. We’ll go through all the common PS4 controller problems, so you can focus on choosing which games to play.
If you want to ditch your console, we’ve also put together a guide to connecting your PS4 controller to your PC.
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How to Sync a PS4 Controller
Syncing a PlayStation 4 DualShock controller to a PS4 is extremely easy, but it does require a piece of hardware : a USB to Micro-B cable. There’s no wireless solution to pairing controllers over Bluetooth, so to sync new controllers to your PS4, you’ll need a cable (although you can connect a PS4 or Xbox controller to your smartphone or tablet). Your DualShock 4 controller comes with a cable, but any USB 2.0 to Micro-B cable will work.
Step 1: Connect the USB cable to the controller, then to the USB port on the PlayStation 4.
Step 2: when you turn on your PS4, your controller should automatically connect with your PlayStation, thanks to the USB cable. You will need to press the PlayStation button in the center of the controller to activate the controller. When you do that, the PS4 should take you to the login screen to choose a gamer account for that controller.
You’ll be able to tell the controller is working by the LED light bar at the top. of the controller will turn blue (or another color, if it is not the first controller connected: red for player 2, green for player 3, and pink for player 4). That cable will also recharge your controller, lighting up yellow when the controller is charging but not turned on.
Troubleshooting: Repairing Your Controller
When You Have Problems With A Controller doesn’t work wirelessly with your PS4, the usual problem with pairing is that the controller’s battery is dead. If it sounds like the solution to the “unplug it then plug it in” problem, it is.
Step 1: Make sure the controller is charging when you plug it in — when it’s not is in use, you will see the light bar at the top turn yellow. If it’s not charging, you might have another problem, such as a bad controller port or a bad cable.
Step 2: If your pairing issues aren’t related to power or your cable, you may need to reset your PlayStation controller and reset your PlayStation 4 to pair again. If you have a controller that still works, you can do it in the PS4 settings menu. It’s on the home screen on the far right, represented by a Suitcase icon.
Step 3: Navigate down to the Devices menu and then select Bluetooth Devices. In the Bluetooth settings, you’ll see all your controllers there, as well as any other Bluetooth devices that are compatible with your PlayStation, like PS4 headsets and the enhanced PDP PS4 Bluetooth Remote. Choose the one you are trying to reset (it can be hard to tell and you may need to turn on all your controllers if you have more than one), select it and press the X button.
Now press the Options button on your controller to bring up a context menu and select Forget device. Doing so will unpair your controller with your PlayStation 4.
Once this is done, you should be able to plug in the controller with your USB adapter to pair it with the console again, as mentioned at the beginning. of this guide.
How to hard reset your controller
If re-pairing your controller doesn’t work, the problem could be be with the controller itself and not the PS4. In that case, you’ll need to reset the controller. You’ll need an unfolded paper clip (or something similar thin and sturdy) with which to press a hidden button on your PS4 controller to reset it.
Step 1: Turn off your PS4 and unplug it along with your internet router or modem so that your controller does not receive any network signal when you restart
>Step 2: When done, turn the controller over and find a small hole on the right side.Push the clip into the hole and press the button inside for three to five seconds.Best to hold and count to 10 to be sure.
Alternative: Using USB Only
It is also possible to skip Connect wirelessly with Bluetooth and play your DualSho ck 4 just like a wired controller, with a USB-enabled connection. Obviously, that’s not ideal when you could game wirelessly, but it’s a possible solution when connectivity and signal issues persist. You can set a controller to only communicate with the PS4 over USB when it’s plugged in by changing the controller settings in the Devices menu, as noted above. Under Devices, navigate to Controllers, and then set the controllers to only communicate over USB when connected. That way, signal or Bluetooth issues shouldn’t affect the controller, as long as you have a wired connection.
Thinking of upgrading to the PS5? Take a look at our guide to see how the PS4 and PS5 compare.
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