Pair your PS5 or Xbox controller with a PC, laptop, phone or tablet

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

If you want a controller to play games on your desktop or laptop, or if you’re tired of touchscreen controls on your phone or tablet, try the best controller you already have. Before we get into instructions on how to pair these controllers with your other devices, keep in mind that some controller functions, such as voltage in the triggers and vibration, may not work properly. You will also have to configure your controllers, and they will not work with every game.

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Pairing a PS5 controller with Windows 10

Microsoft via Simon Hill

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

But a wireless connection is probably preferable, and you can use Bluetooth to establish one, provided your computer has a Bluetooth receiver (click the speech bubble icon in the lower-right corner of the taskbar to open the Windows Action Center and search for Bluetooth). If your computer doesn’t have Bluetooth, you can buy a Bluetooth dongle like this TP-Link USB Bluetooth adapter for around $ 10.

Here’s how to connect the PS5 controller:

  1. Start on your Windows 10 computer and type “Bluetooth” in your Windows search box at the bottom left of the taskbar.
  2. Select Bluetooth and other device settings, make sure Bluetooth is turned on On. click on Add Bluetooth or another device, then click Bluetooth
  3. Pick up your controller and simultaneously press and hold the Create button at the top left and the central PlayStation logo button for about three seconds.
  4. The light bar on the controller should start flashing quickly, which means it is in pairing mode.
  5. You should see on your computer Wireless controller pop-up in the Add a device list, and you can click on it to link.

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