PS5 won’t turn on: what to try before paying for a repair?

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Your PS5 won’t turn on: no light at all, a light that blinks but the console never starts, or a screen that stays black. Start with the simplest causes, the cable and the outlet, then move on to a system software lock-up that Safe Mode can repair.

Common symptoms and causes

• No light at all: no power (cable, outlet, power strip) or a failed internal power supply.
• The light blinks white, stays solid blue or blinks blue: the console is stuck on an error.
• The light is solid white but there is no picture: HDMI cable, TV input, resolution or HDCP.
• The console won’t turn on with the controller: it is fully off rather than in rest mode, or the controller is neither paired nor plugged in over USB.
• After a power cut or a forced shutdown: the software or the database is stuck.
• After overheating: vents blocked by dust or by a closed cabinet.

To read the light: blue then white at startup, solid white when the console is on, solid orange in rest mode, no color when it is off. A white light that pulses and then goes out is a normal shutdown.

Good to know: the blinking red overheating light belongs to the PS4, not the PS5.

Before you start

• A DualSense controller and its USB cable, needed for Safe Mode.
• Your console model: standard, Digital, Slim or Pro. Some settings only exist on the CFI-2000 and CFI-7000 models.
• A backup of your data on a USB drive or in PS Plus online storage, if the console still starts and you might end up having to reset it.

Warning: unplug the console from the wall before any cleaning or opening, and never work on a device that is plugged in. Do not open the console or its power supply, and do not remove the fan or the heat sink. The capacitors in a power supply stay charged after unplugging: do not touch them.

Warning: both “Reset PS5” options in Safe Mode erase your user data. Back up before using them.

Warning: opening the console can void the warranty. Check the warranty end date before doing anything.

Solution 1: check the power cable and the outlet

1. Plug the console straight into a wall outlet, without a power strip.
2. If nothing happens, try another wall outlet.
3. Swap the power cable for another compatible cable if you have one.
4. Unplug the power cable and wait 3 minutes.
5. Plug the cable back in, then press the power button.

The light should go from blue to solid white. Orange light? The console is in rest mode: solution 3 explains how to wake it.

If the power cable is the culprit, here is a two-pin C7 cable to plug in instead.

kenable C7 (figure 8) power cable, 2 m, European plug

Two-pin mains cable for devices with a figure-8 inlet, such as game consoles. It lets you rule out a faulty cable or place the console farther from the wall socket.

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Solution 2: the console turns on but the screen stays black

The light is solid white, the TV stays black.

1. Check that the HDMI cable is pushed in firmly at both the console and the TV.
2. Inspect the HDMI cable and replace it if it is bent, crushed or damaged.
3. On the TV, select the HDMI input the console is plugged into.
4. Try another HDMI port on the TV, or another screen.
5. If the screen stays black, start the console in Safe Mode (procedure in solution 5).
6. Choose Safe Mode > Change Video Output > Change Resolution.
7. If the picture doesn’t come back, choose Safe Mode > Change Video Output > Change HDCP Mode.

The picture should come back on the TV. HDCP is the copy protection on the HDMI signal.

If the HDMI cable is damaged, here is an Ultra High Speed cable that suits the PS5.

Belkin Ultra High Speed HDMI 2.1 cable, 2 m

Certified Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, built for 4K at 120 Hz and HDR. It replaces a bent or damaged cable that cuts the picture.

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Still nothing, with a solid white light? Contact PlayStation Repairs.

Solution 3: the PS5 won’t turn on with the controller

The PS button on the controller turns the console on from rest mode. A console that is fully off turns back on with its own power button.

1. Look at the console light: solid orange means rest mode, no color means the console is off.
2. If no light is on, press the console’s power button.
3. If the light is orange, hold the PS button on a controller that is already paired.
4. If the console doesn’t respond, plug the controller in with the USB cable and hold the PS button again.
5. Once the console is on, turn on Supply Power to USB Ports among the features available in rest mode, so controllers keep charging in rest mode. The CFI-2000 and CFI-7000 models also offer the Adaptive option.

The light should turn white.

Good to know: a short press on the power button puts the console in rest mode and switches the controllers off. With no feature enabled, it then draws less than 0.5 W.

If the controller itself no longer connects, follow our guide on a PS5 controller that won’t connect to the console.

Solution 4: the PS5 won’t turn on after overheating

These checks don’t require opening the console.

1. Turn the console off by holding the power button for 3 seconds, then unplug it from the wall.
2. Take the console out of a closed cabinet and don’t put it on a rug.
3. Clear the dust from the vents, the slots where air goes in and out.
4. Set the console back up somewhere airy, with the vents clear.
5. Plug the console back in, then press the power button.

The light should turn solid white. If not, go to solution 5.

Solution 5: repair the system in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is a minimal startup that gives you access to repair tools.

1. Turn the console off by holding the power button for 3 seconds: the light blinks, then goes out.
2. Press the power button again and keep holding it.
3. Release it at the second beep, about 7 seconds after the first.
4. Plug the controller in with the USB cable.
5. Press the PS button on the controller.

The Safe Mode menu should appear.

Tip: the first beep sounds as soon as you press. Keep your finger on the button until the second one, otherwise the console starts normally.

Try the options in order. If the console still doesn’t start normally, reopen Safe Mode and move on to the next one.

6. Choose Restart PS5.
7. Choose Clear Cache and Rebuild Database > Rebuild Database. The console rescans its storage and rebuilds the list of your content, with no data loss.
8. Choose Repair Console Storage, which doesn’t erase your data.
9. Choose Update System Software, over the internet or from a USB drive.

Warning: the next step resets the console’s settings to their default values. Your games, captures and saved data are kept.

10. Choose Restore Default Settings.

Warning: the next step erases data. Reset PS5 erases your user data; Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software) erases the data and the system software. Back up first if the console still allows it.

11. As a last resort, choose Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software) if the light still blinks white or blue after the 3-minute unplugging.

If nothing works

Stop if the console still doesn’t respond after the outlet, the cable, the unplugging and Safe Mode, or if it switches off right after starting: it needs to go through PlayStation Repairs. Don’t open the console yourself, or you risk voiding the warranty.

Contact PlayStation Support with this information at hand:

• the serial number and model of the console (CFI-…);
• the purchase date and proof of purchase, for the warranty;
• the color and behavior of the light;
• the solutions you have already tried.

If an out-of-warranty repair costs too much, our comparison PS5 or Xbox Series X: which console to choose can help you decide.

Take better care of your PS5: our toolbox

A few accessories to prevent the next breakdown and keep the console cool.

Frequently asked questions

Why won’t my PS5 turn on after a power cut?

A power cut or forced shutdown can leave the system software or the database stuck. Unplug the console for 3 minutes, plug it back in and turn it on. If it stays stuck, start it in Safe Mode and rebuild the database.

What if the PS5 beeps but won’t turn on?

The beep shows the console is getting power and responding to the power button. Check the light: solid white with no picture, follow solution 2 for the black screen. Blinking white or blue, unplug the console for 3 minutes, then go through Safe Mode.

How do I start the PS5 in Safe Mode?

With the console off, hold the power button and release it at the second beep, about 7 seconds after the first. Then plug the controller in over USB and press the PS button. The menu offers eight options, from a simple restart to reinstalling the system software.

Why won’t the PS5 turn on with the controller?

The PS button only wakes the console from rest mode, with an orange light, using a paired controller or one plugged in over USB. A console that is fully off turns back on with its power button. To keep controllers charging in rest mode, turn on Supply Power to USB Ports among the features available in rest mode.

What does the blinking white light on the PS5 mean?

A white light that keeps blinking signals an error: the console is stuck. Unplug it, wait 3 minutes, plug it back in and turn it on. If the blinking returns, reinstall the system software from Safe Mode, after backing up whatever you can.