How to pair your PS5 or Xbox controller with a PC, laptop, phone or tablet

When you buy a new PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X / Series S console, you get an excellent game controller with it. They were designed to perfectly complement their respective consoles, but both the PS5 DualSense Controller and the Xbox Wireless Controller can have a life beyond them.

If you want a controller to play on your desktop or laptop, or are tired of the touchscreen controls on your phone or tablet, try using the best controller you already own. Before diving into instructions on how to pair these controllers with your other devices, keep in mind that some features of the controller, such as voltage on triggers and vibrations, may not work properly. You will also have to configure your controllers, and they will not work with all games.

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How to pair a PS5 controller with Windows 10

The easiest way to use your PS5 DualSense Controller with a Windows 10 desktop or laptop is to connect it with a cable. You only need a spare USB-A port on your computer and you can use the USB-C to USB-A cable that comes with the PS5.

But a wireless connection is probably preferable, and you can use Bluetooth to establish one, as long as your computer has a Bluetooth receiver (click the balloon icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar to open Windows Action Center and search for Bluetooth). If your computer does not have Bluetooth, you can buy a Bluetooth dongle like this TP-Link USB Bluetooth Adapter for about $ 10.

Here’s how to connect the PS5 controller:

1. Start on your Windows 10 computer and type “Bluetooth” into the Windows search box at the bottom left of the taskbar.
2. Select Bluetooth and other device settings, make sure that Bluetooth is turned on On. click in Add Bluetooth or another device, then click Bluetooth.
3. Take your controller and simultaneously press and hold the Create button in the upper left corner and the center button of the PlayStation logo for about three seconds.
4. The light bar on the controller should start to flash quickly, which means that it is in pairing mode.
5. On your computer, you should see Wireless controller appear on Add a device list and you can click on it to pair.