PS5 Controller Not Charging: 5 Common Reasons & Fixes!
If you’re like me and many others, you were probably excited to get your hands on the new PS5. If your PS5 controller is not charging here is how to fix it in seconds. Maybe you had your Playstation 5 back-ordered for months, or maybe you paid a premium price to purchase the Playstation from a third-party seller. Either way, it may have been a long and sometimes frustrating process to finally get your Playstation in your possession and set up on your home entertainment system. If this is the case, the last thing you want is for any issues to come up that may prevent you from enjoying your gaming time.
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Why won’t my PS5 controller charge?
If you are having trouble with your PS5 properly charging, it can be typically due to an issue with the charging cable, the controller, or the Playstation console. You will need to troubleshoot each of these potential issues in order to fix a PS5 controller that will not charge.
In addition to a potential problem coming from the charging cable, the controller, or the console, it is important to note that often a Playstation 5 controller will not charge if the console is in Sleep or Standby mode. Also, sometimes the issue could stem from an intermittent fault that may cause the controller to charge for a short period of time and then stop charging.
Let us take a closer look at how to properly troubleshoot your Playstation 5 controller charging issues by identifying some common problems, how to fix them, and in what order you should troubleshoot the different components of the PS5 controller and charging apparatus.
How To Troubleshoot A Ps5 Controller Not Charging
If your Playstation 5 controller is not charging, the very first thing you should do is check to see if your Playstation is in rest mode and if that is causing the controller not to charge.
There have been some PlayStation owners who have reported this issue in the past, and if this is the case, it could potentially save you a lot of time and money to simply test whether or not rest mode is affecting whether or not your controllers are charging. If your PS5 controllers are not charging properly in any mode, then you will want to troubleshoot the following components in this order.
The most common reasons a PS5 controller will not charge
The first thing you should want to check to be the cause of the issue is the charging cable. Most often, if the rest mode issue does not apply to your situation, it is the charging cable that is the culprit.
Charging cable
The charging cable could be fried or some of the internal wirings could have come loose causing your charging cable to not send the proper electrical charge from the console to the controller to charge the PS5 controller battery. This could definitely be the case if you have more than one controller, however, it is only one controller that is not charging properly.
To troubleshoot the charging cable, the process is simple. Since the charging cable is a typical USB cable, you could always check if the charging cable is working properly by plugging the charging cable into another device that you may have. It could be a smartphone, tablet, Bluetooth speaker, or even another PS5 controller.
Another way to troubleshoot the cable is to have one of your friends bring over one of their cables to see if their cable will charge your PS5 controller. If you plug in the alternate charging cable and the controller starts to charge, then you know your charging cable is bad and you may need to buy a new one.
Controller battery
If after you troubleshoot your charging cables and your Playstation controller still does not charge, then you could have an internal issue with the battery inside of your controller.
Each PS5 controller has a battery, and if for some reason it cannot hold a charge or it will not charge, you may need to have your controller looked at by a professional. A professional then may be able to simply replace the battery within the controller or recommend that you purchase a new controller.
Cable connection ports
There are connection ports on both the Playstation console and controller. If the charging cables are working fine with other devices or controllers but your controller is not charging properly, then it could be an issue with one or more charging ports on either the controller or the console itself.
If only one controller is not working and the cables are fine, then this could be the culprit.
Unfortunately, if one of the connection ports on the console or controller is not working properly, then you may need to seek professional assistance. Before you seek professional assistance, go ahead and give the connection ports a proper cleaning to remove any dust or debris that may be causing the connection port to not give a proper signal when it is engaged.
If used properly, compressed air may be the best option to clean out the connection ports on the Playstation console and controllers. Never use water, harsh chemicals, or metal objects like a paperclip to clean out the connection ports.
If a metal paperclip, although handy, roughly comes into contact with the internal components of the connection port and scrapes the metal connection points, it can cause the PS5 controller’s connection port to become damaged and ineffective.
If after a proper cleaning you still suspect you are having problems with one or more of the connection ports, a professional Playstation technician may be able to replace the damaged connection port.
Firmware issue
If the firmware of your Playstation 5 needs to be updated, then your controller may have issues charging until the firmware update has been complete.
If you have a minimal charge on your controller or if you can borrow a friend’s controller to start up the PS5 and check for firmware updates, do it. Updating the firmware may be the solution to your PS5 controller charging problem.
Internal console issues
Unfortunately, internal console issues can occur when a PlayStation 5 is improperly handled, dropped, had liquid spilled on it, or overheated.
These types of issues will need to be addressed by Playstion technical experts who may need to open the console and investigate the root cause of the issues concerning your Playstation 5.
One of the main causes of internal issues besides improper handling and exposure to liquids is overheating. Overheating can occur if the Playstation is left on for extended periods of time. This may occur if someone is looking to download a game or an update while they are sleeping overnight or when they are away from home for the day.
Overworking a Playstation 5 can cause the fan motor to burn out or for other electronic components to fry. If the fan inside of the Playstation 5 should happen to burn out, it will need to be replaced immediately to prevent any further damage from overheating.
In order to help prevent your Playstation 5 from overheating and from overworking when you are looking to download large game files and updates, you should enable your Playstation to automatically download and install games, game updates, and software updates when the PS5 is in rest mode. Doing so can help to prevent your PS5 from overheating as well as save energy and money on your electric bill.