7 Ways To Fix PS4 Controller That Won’t Turn On/Light Up

Have you ever been playing a game on your PlayStation 4 and suddenly your controller stops working? You can’t see the buttons, and it feels like you are holding a brick in your hand.

To give you a quick answer, you should change the batteries in your controller, clean the charging port, and make sure to reset it. After you’ve done all these steps, your controller should light up and turn on the way it should. Also, make sure to use only the original power cable/adapter for your PS4.

Don’t worry; we are here to help! In this blog post, we will teach you how to fix a PS4 controller when it won’t turn on or show any sign of life. Follow these simple steps, and you will be gaming again in no time!

How to Fix the Problem

By following these steps, you should be able to fix a PS4 controller that won’t light up.

1. Change the Batteries

If your PS4 controller doesn’t light up, it might be because the batteries are low. Try replacing the batteries and see if that solves the problem.

To check the battery, remove it from the controller and try charging it using a battery charger.

If it doesn’t charge, the battery is probably bad and needs to be replaced. You can buy a replacement battery from most electronics stores or online retailers.

Make sure to always use the original equipment. Using a third-party USB cable and adapter can cause your controller not to light up.

Tip: Sometimes the batteries inside the compartment can get loose without you realizing. If you suspect that can be the case, try placing a small piece of paper on top of the batteries and close the compartment for a better connection.

2. Clean your Controller

If your PS4 controller is still not lighting up, there are a few things you can do.

If it’s not the batteries, try cleaning the controller’s contacts, the charging port, and the body of the controller itself with a Q-tip and some rubbing alcohol. 

Clean the battery compartment as well and see if there are any signs of corrosion.

Blow around the ball at the base of the controller stick to remove the dust.

Try pressing and twisting all the buttons on your controller to make sure none of them got stuck.

You can even twist the body of the controller carefully, that can help if the issue was caused by a hardware glitch.

3. Check the Cables

If you are using a wired controller, the first thing you want to do is check the cable. Make sure it is not damaged and that there are no loose wires.

If the cable is fine, try plugging it into a different USB port on your PS4.

4. Reset the Controller

To do this, we will use a dedicated Reset button at the back of your controller. This method is great if your controller doesn’t work, and you can’t get to any other setting.

1. Turn off the console and unplug your controller first. 
2. Locate the small reset button on the back of the controller near the L2 shoulder button.
3. Use a paperclip to push the button inside the hole.
4. Hold the button down for about 5 seconds.
5. Connect the controller to the PS4 using a USB cable.
6. Turn on the PS4 and wait for it to boot up.

Press the PS button on the controller to log into the PS4. When the controller is paired, you can disconnect the USB cable.

When your device is ready, log into your account and see if the controller has stopped misbehaving.

There are other methods of resetting your PS4 even without the controller, we have a dedicated article on this topic below.

Related Post: How To Quickly Reset/Factory Reset PS4 Without Controller?

5. Power Cycle your PS4

In order to perform this procedure, follow the steps below. This will help if the issue was originally with your console, not the controller.

1. Connect your PS4 console and the controller via a USB cable.
2. Make sure your console is powered on.
3. Unplug the USB cable from the back of the console.
4. Wait for 30 seconds.
5. Reconnect the cable to the console, and wait for it to power on.
6. Try reconnecting the controller to the console.

If the reset was successful, your controller should light up and turn on.

6. Check for Physical Damage

If you have tried all the solutions above and nothing has helped, there might be the case of physical damage to your controller, like a damaged micro USB port.

In this case, you can get a PS4 controller charging unit.

This might help greatly if the issue was with the actual micro USB port, since that charging unit uses a different port to charge your controller.

7. Talk to Professionals

If neither of these solutions works, then there could be a more serious problem with your controller.

It is possible that the hardware inside the controller has become damaged and needs to be replaced. We recommend taking your controller to a professional to get it fixed.

PS4 Controller Won’t Turn On When Plugged In

If your PS4 controller doesn’t turn on when plugged in, there are a few things you can do.

Try changing the batteries, cleaning the controller’s contacts, or resetting the controller. The detailed instructions on how to do that are given in the article/

If none of these solutions work, then there could be a more serious problem with your controller, and you should take it to a professional to get it fixed or replaced.

PS4 Won’t Turn on, But Controller Blinks

If your PS4 doesn’t turn on but the controller blinks, it might be because the controller is not paired with the console.

To fix this problem, try pressing the PS button on the controller to connect it to the console.

If that doesn’t work, try resetting the controller or changing the batteries.

Conclusion

This can be fixed by following a few simple steps. First, check to make sure that the controller is properly plugged into the console.

If it is plugged in and still not lighting up or turning on, try cleaning the charging port on the controller using a cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol.

If that doesn’t work, you may need to purchase a new battery for the controller and reset it.