What to Do if Your PS5 USB Port Stops Working

The USB ports on your PS5 help you customize and control your PS5 console experience. Whether you’re hooking up a USB flash drive, headset, controller, printer, trying to sync your MP3 player or even your smartphone, you expect your USB devices to just work when you plug them in. That’s the beauty and simplicity of USB, or universal serial bus, which is designed to allow devices to be connected to the PS5 and disconnected at will, without a whole lot of hassle.

This can make working and gaming on your PS5 a much more enjoyable experience—unless one of your USB ports malfunctions. Here’s everything you can try to get things working again before calling in the professionals.

Rule Out the Alternatives

Before proceeding, be sure that it is the port that is faulty, rather than the device you’re connecting.

To determine which is the problem, you’ll need to know how to troubleshoot the USB port on your PS5. This means knowing how to test the PS5 USB port.

First, plug the USB device into a different USB port on your PS5 in order to see if the problem is specific to one port. Remember, the PS5 utilizes 4 USB ports, two of them on the backside and the other two located on the frontside. You can also try a different cable with the peripheral you plugged in; make sure the existing one is not torn, melted, or otherwise damaged.

If there’s a problem with your PS5 USB port, you’ll notice it due to either of these things:

• The connected device fails to be detected
• Your PS5 system software displays an error message relating to the device (removing and replacing the device might solve this)

Another option is to change devices. If a controller isn’t working in a specific port, try a keyboard or a mouse instead to see if there’s an issue with the device itself. Or, plug the device into a different system, such as another game console or even a computer, if you have one.

Do You Have the Right Port?

Do you know that the PS5 has one USB 2.0 port located on the frontside of the console? This port is mainly designed for charging your controller, phone, or any device that is powered via USB. That’s why if you connect a device that requires data transfer through USB, it might not work although that port may transfer data, not all USB devices can make use of this advantage.

So, if you’re trying to connect to this port, it’s advisable to try another and leave this for charging devices.

How to Fix PS5 USB Port Issues

When your PS5 USB ports suddenly stop working, the problem can always be tracked down to either hardware or software failure. Some of these problems are the same across all systems, while others are unique to just one or the other.

1. Clean Out Debris

Look closer at your USB ports on the PS5. Debris or grime can block the port and prevent a proper connection between the PS5 console and the plug. A good indicator that something is stuck is if the cable doesn’t plug in all the way.

You may need a flashlight, but see if you can spot any food or dust blocking the port, If so, turn the PS5 off and use a toothpick to gently free up anything stuck inside. You can also use canned air to clean out the space—just don’t stick the plastic nozzle directly into the port because condensation can build up and cause more harm than good.

Learn more on how to clean your PS5 USB ports the right way.

2. Connect directly without a USB hub

The USB hub that you use with your PS5 might be defective or malfunctioning. Also, the device that you want to connect to the PS5 can’t be connected via a USB hub, such as an external HDD.

In all cases, to troubleshoot the problem you have to put the USB hub aside and connect your device directly to the PS5 USB port that you suspect not working.

3. Restart and Update

It’s possible that all your USB port needs is a quick restart. Sometimes there’s an internal error that can keep components from acting the way they should, and restarting gives the PS5 a chance to fix itself.

The issue you’re having also may be solved by updating your PS5. The drivers used to make all your devices work can run into issues and need updates over time. Driver updates are typically packed within regular system updates, so it’s worth a try.

4. Check for loose or broken internal connections

One way to test this is to insert your USB device and then gently wiggle the connection. If it briefly connects and disconnects, then there is a physical problem with either the cable or the USB port.

If you feel a great deal of movement when you gently wiggle the USB connector, that indicates it may be bent or broken off the board. And while it is sometimes possible to fix this type of problem, you’re probably better off taking it to a professional.

5. Try a different USB port

The PS5 console has 4 USB ports, so a good way to rule out a single broken port is to unplug your USB device and try it in different ports.

Plug the USB device into a few of the ports on both the front and back of your PS5. If the device doesn’t work in any of the ports, there’s likely a problem with its hardware.

If your device starts working when plugged into different ports, then the first port probably has a physical problem that needs to be fixed.

It’s also possible that there’s a connection problem with all of the USB ports on the front or the back, which is why it’s important to try more than one on both sides.

6. Swap to a different USB cable

USB cable failures are more common than USB port failures, so make sure to swap in a different cable if you have one handy. If your device suddenly starts working, then you know that the problem was a broken wire inside the other cable.

7. Plug your device into a different system

If you have another game console or a computer handy, then try plugging your USB device into it. This is an easy way to rule out a problem with the device itself.

If your USB device springs to life the moment you plug it into the other system, then you know for sure that you’re dealing with a USB port problem.

8. Try plugging in a different USB device

If you don’t have a spare system, but you do have an extra flash drive laying around, or any other USB device, then try plugging that in before you move on to anything more complicated.

If your other device works just fine, then you’ll know that your ports are in good working order. In this case, you may need to fix or replace the device that failed to connect.

Conclusion

Fixing a PS5 USB port not working can either be easy or hard, depending on the reason why it’s no longer functional. It might be the USB device itself that causes the problem, the USB cable, or even your PS5 system software that suffers from a sort of data corruption and has to restart or update. Just try all possible ways to fix this problem before taking your PS5 console to a repair shop.