How To Pair A New PS4 Controller To Your Console
For those of us who have been around long enough, it's interesting to live in a time of Bluetooth-enabled controllers. Back in the olden days, you bought a new controller for your PlayStation, you plugged it in and sat cross-legged on the floor way too close to the TV. These days, while you can still play your games like that, it is thankfully not the only option available. Both our eyes and our backs have benefitted from the upgrade to longer-ranged wireless connections on game consoles.
Through the wonders of multiple connection formats, modern PlayStation controllers, including the PlayStation 4's signature DualShock 4 controller, can be paired to either a PS4 or PS5 with either the traditional plug format or through the convenience of a Bluetooth connection. The best part is that once you've paired a controller with one connection type, you can switch between either one at your leisure.
How to pair a PS4 controller with a USB cord
The simplest way to pair a PS4 controller with a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 is to use the USB cord that should've come bundled with the controller when you bought it. If you didn't get a cord alongside the controller because you bought it used, for example, you can just use any generic Micro-USB to USB cord for the same purpose.
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Turn on your PS4/PS5 console.
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Connect the Micro-USB end of your cord to the port on top of your PS4 controller.
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Connect the USB end of your cord to the USB port located on the front of the console.
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Press the PS button on the controller to power it on.
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The controller will begin a quick setup process, indicated by the light bar blinking.
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When the setup is finished, the player indicator light on the controller will turn on.
Once you've established a pair between your console and your PS4 controller in this way, you can then disconnect the USB cord and use the controller wirelessly. As long as it's got a battery charge, your controller will remain paired with the console, even if you put it to sleep.
How to pair a PS4 controller with Bluetooth
If you don't have a Micro-USB to USB cord available to pair your controller to your console physically, you can also pair them together using their Bluetooth connections. Keep in mind, though, that to use this method, you will need to enter your PlayStation console's settings, which means you'll need a controller that's already connected to navigate the menu.
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Turn on your PS4/PS5 console.
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Open the Settings menu.
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Select Devices.
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Select Bluetooth Devices.
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On your PS4 controller, press and hold the Share button, then press and hold the PS button.
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The light bar will start flashing, indicating that the controller is in pairing mode.
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On your PS4, check the list of Bluetooth Devices for the controller's name.
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When it appears, select it to pair the controller to the console.
As a reminder, you can have up to four controllers paired to one PlayStation at a time.
Can you pair a PS4 controller to multiple devices?
Given how relatively easy it is to pair your PS4 controller to your PlayStation console, you may be tempted to use the same PS4 controller for multiple consoles at once, as well as other devices like a desktop PC. While you can pair a PS4 controller to any device it's compatible with, either through USB or Bluetooth, the ironclad rule here is that you can't pair the same controller to more than one device at a time.
Let's say you have both a PS4 and a PS5, with a PS4 controller paired with the former. If you go through the setup process to then pair that controller to your PS5, it'll lose its connection to the PS4. It's not a permanent loss, of course — you can pair the controller to a different device as many times as you want. You'll just have to go through the whole pairing process again every time you want to do it.