How To Sync PS5 Controller To PS5? 2 easy methods

Pairing a DualSense controller is easy. If you want to know how to sync PS5 controller with PlayStation 5 then you are in the right place.

As a general rule, follow the below steps to sync the PS5 controller:

• Use the power button on your PS5 to turn it on.
• Use a USB cable to connect DualSense to your PS5.
• Press the PlayStation button on DualSense.
• The light bar will now show a steady light.
• Disconnect USB & use the controller wirelessly.
• DualSense is now synced with PS5.

We will explain the procedure to sync PS5 controller to the PlayStation 5 console in detail using two methods, such as wired and wireless. We will also let you know how you can re-sync the DualSense and finally we will discuss troubleshooting steps you can take to resolve pairing issues.

How to sync PS5 controller to PS5?

There are broadly two ways in which you can sync PS5 controller to your PS5: 

• USB connection (mandatory for the first controller).
• Bluetooth connection.

How to sync PS5 controller to PlayStation 5 using a USB connection?

As mentioned by Sony, the first time you use a controller on PS5, you’ll need to pair it with your console. The wired connection is the easiest way to pair DualSense to the PS5 console. Please keep a USB cable handy, such as the one you received with your PlayStation 5 console, to follow the steps mentioned in this section.

Follow the below steps to connect the PS5 controller to PlayStation 5 console using a USB connection: 

• First, power on your PlayStation 5 using the power button present on the console itself. 

• Grab a USB cable such as the one you received with your PlayStation 5 and connect the DualSense to one of the USB ports on PS5.

• After the wired connection, press the PlayStation button on the DualSense to start the sync process.

• The light bar present on the controller might blink for a few seconds during the sync process and, after it completes the pairing, then the light bar will start emitting a steady light. 
• Both the light bar and a small white light will light up on the DualSense. The color of the light bar and the number of white lights determine the player number on PlayStation 5.
• Your controller might also start pulsating orange color, so it is in charging mode.
• After a successful wired connection, you can remove the USB cable from the DualSense controller if it has sufficient charging available or the charging of the PS5 controller has been completed, and then use the DualSense wirelessly.
• DualSense is now synced with PS5.
• You will then need to assign a user profile to your DualSense. For this, PS5 will present you with a user profile selection screen.
• On the user profile selection screen, if you select an existing profile to which a controller is already attached, then the old controller will be removed and PS5 will assign the new controller to that profile.
• If you want to assign a different profile to the controller you just connected, then click “Add User“ on the user profile selection screen.
• With the new wireless controller, the user can set up a new PlayStation Network account, sign in to an existing PSN account, or play as a guest on the system.

We recommend you sync DualSense using a wired connection through a USB cable to connect the DualSense directly with your PlayStation 5. After a successful connection, you can use that DualSense wirelessly as well.

How to sync PS5 controller to PlayStation 5 using a Bluetooth connection?

The other method to sync PS5 controller to the PS5 console is via a wireless connection, namely Bluetooth. Please note that you will require an existing controller already connected with PlayStation 5, e.g. a DualShock 4 or DualSense, to follow the steps mentioned in this section. 

Follow the below steps to connect the PS5 controller to the PlayStation 5 console using a Bluetooth connection: 

• Ensure that the light bar of the new controller is off. In case the light bar in DualSense is on, press and hold the PS button to turn it off.
• Now, with the help of an already paired controller, open PS5 “Settings Menu”.
• Next, go to the “Accessories” option.
• Then, select “General“.
• Then click “Bluetooth Accessories Menu“.

• Take the new controller that you want to pair, and press and hold the PlayStation button and the Create button simultaneously. 

• You’ll notice that blue light starts blinking rapidly on the PS5 controller. This means that the controller is now in pairing mode.
• On the PS5 screen, a wireless controller will show up under “Accessories found“ in the Bluetooth Accessories list.
• Swiftly pick up the already paired controller and select the new wireless controller from the list shown on your PS5.
• PlayStation 5 will ask you to assign a user profile to the new DualSense.
• On the user profile selection screen, if you select the old profile to which a controller is already connected, the old controller will be removed and PS5 will assign the new DualSense to that profile.
• If you want to keep both controllers, click “Add User“ on the user profile selection screen.
• With the new wireless controller, the new user can create a new PSN account, sign in to an existing PSN account or play as a guest.

You can also connect additional controllers to PS5 using Bluetooth, but there’s also a limit to no. of PS5 controllers you can connect to the PS5 console.

How to re-sync your PS5 controller?

Apart from PS5, when you connect your PS5 wireless controller to other devices such as a Smartphone, you may notice that the DualSense will not connect back to PlayStation 5 wirelessly. This is because when you press the PlayStation button on the DualSense, it will try to connect back to your smartphone using the wireless connection. 

To solve the above issue and re-sync your DualSense with your PlayStation 5, we recommend you connect it with PlayStation 5 using a USB cable to restore the connection. Once the DualSense is connected back to your PS5, press the PS button on your DualSense and it will connect right away after restoring the connection with the PS5 console. You can now remove the USB-C to USB-A cable and use PlayStation 5 wirelessly as well.

If you don’t have any USB cable with you currently, then you will have to soft reset DualSense Controller i.e. delete it from the Registered accessories list on the PlayStation 5 console. Go to, “Settings Menu”>“Accessories”>“General“>“Bluetooth Accessories“>“Registered Accessories“>“Wireless Controller“>“Delete“.

After the controller settings update, sync PS5 controller again using Bluetooth as described in the previous section. Please note that you will require an already connected controller to sync another DualSense using a Bluetooth connection.

Troubleshooting steps for PS5 controller sync issues.

If your PS5 controller can’t connect to your PS5 console, then you can follow the below steps to troubleshoot the sync issues:

• Try a wired connection using a USB-C cable.
• Use a different USB cable to connect DualSense with the PS5 console.
• Try a wireless connection using Bluetooth.
• Update DualSense and PS5’s firmware.
• Reset the DualSense using the reset button.

Frequently Asked Questions