The blinking white light of death issue in PS5 consoles is a very frightening one and a lot of users who experienced this issue in the past reported they thought at first that their console was broken or probably gotten bricked. You power on your console, and it starts pulsing white light with no picture on the TV.
In this guide, I will show you three things:
- What the flashing white light on your PS5 console means
- Why your PS5 is blinking white light
- How to fix the issue quickly before it gets worse
So, if that sounds like what you are looking for, let’s dive right in!
Contents
What Does the Blinking White Light Mean on PS5?
When you turn on your PS5 console, it normally starts with a blue light which then transitions to a solid white color. However, if your PS5 starts blinking white light with a black screen on the TV, then your console is frozen and you need to troubleshoot it.
This is different from a solid white color on your console which means your console is powered on normally, or a blinking when light which then turns off, showing that the console has been powered off.
If you are wondering why your PS5 console is blinking white, it can be caused by a number of things from corrupt cache files, database error, outdated system software, misconfigured settings to corrupt system files.
Some users reported that the issue started after their console was put in rest mode, while some others noticed it happened while playing or downloading games like Call of Duty Vanguard, Elden Ring, Warzone and others.
Some even reported that the issue started after switching the console to a different monitor or TV.
The good news is that there are many proven ways to fix the PS5 flashing white light issue that I will show you in the next section, and I am confident that one of these methods will fix the issue for you.
How to Fix PS5 Flashing White Light & Won’t Turn On
If you have a PS5 console blinking white light and won’t turn on, follow the step-by-step troubleshooting guide below to fix it.
1. Power Cycle Your Console
You can fix a PS5 blinking white light that won’t turn on by simply doing a power cycle on the console.
It’s similar to restarting your console, but it’s a bit different with an extra step and more effective in fixing issues like this.
Power cycling your console will clear the system memory and remove corrupt cache files that can make the console become stuck on a black screen with a blinking white light.
This is also known as a soft reset, and in case you are wondering, your user data, files, apps, games and settings will not be deleted.
Here’s how to power cycle your console:
- First, press and hold the console’s power button until the white light stops flashing and the console powers off.
- Remove the power cable from the wall outlet (very important, it’s not a power cycle if you don’t remove the power cable)
- Wait for 30-60 seconds
- Plug the power cable back into the wall outlet and turn it back on.
- Once turned on, your console should boot up properly and should start working.
If that fixes the issue for you, great! Otherwise, if your PS5 is stuck blinking white, then let’s move to the next step.
2. Restart PS5 Console from Safe Mode
Another fix for PS5 blinking white light is to restart it from the safe mode menu. To do that, you need to boot your console into safe mode first.
NOTE: Other than this method, the next few methods I will be showing you if this doesn’t work for you will all be done from safe mode. Therefore, I will not be repeating the procedure to get into the safe mode menu again since it’s the same thing. I will just be telling you what to do once you are in safe mode.
Now, here’s how to boot your console into the safe mode menu:
- First, turn off the console by pressing the power button on the front panel (the power indicator will blink for a few moments before turning off)
- Once the console is off, press and hold the power button again and release it only after you hear the second beep (about 7 seconds after the first beep)
- Next, connect the controller with the USB cable (you must connect with the charging cable).
- You will see an instruction on the screen to press the PS button on the controller, click on the PS button.
- Once you click the PS button, the safe mode menu will be displayed to you.
- Now, click on ‘Restart PS5’ (the first option) in the menu.
Once your console restarts, the console should boot up normally without getting stuck on a black screen with a flashing white light.
Can’t Get to Safe Mode?
If you are unable to get into the safe mode, probably because your PS5 turns off itself immediately after the first beep, there are two things you can do to get your console into safe mode then:
- Power cycle your console again just like I explained earlier. This time around, leave it for up to 3-5 minutes before you attempt to boot your console into safe mode again.
- If that doesn’t work, then your USB cable, power cable or HDMI cable may be failing. Therefore, try a different USB cable, power cable and HDMI cable (also plug the HDMI cable into a different port and the power cable into a different power outlet).
Once done, you should be able to boot into safe mode and restart your PS5 from safe mode.
This will fix the PS5 blinking white light of death issue for some people. If it doesn’t fix it for you, let’s continue to the next method.
3. Update PS5 System Software in Safe Mode
Updating your system software is another way to fix PS5 blinking white light issue. Again, this has to be done in safe mode since you can’t get your console to boot properly anyway.
You can either boot it directly from the internet (if your console is connected) or by using a USB drive (if your console is not connected)
- First, boot your console into safe mode by following the procedures I highlighted earlier
- Now, from the safe boot menu, click on ‘Update System Software’
- On the next page, select ‘Update from Internet’
- You will see a message on the screen showing that the system software will be updated, click on ‘Update’
- Now, wait for the update to be completed and allow the console to restart after the update.
Alternatively, you can select the manual update method with a USB drive. In that case, you will need a PC connected to the internet and a FAT 32 USB storage device with at least 460 MB of free space.
- On the PC, create a folder named “PS5” inside the USB drive.
- Inside that folder, create another folder named “UPDATE”.
- Now, visit the PS5 system software update page and select the “Update system software” section.
- Download the update file and save it in the “UPDATE” folder.
- Save the file as “PS5UPDATE.PUP”.
- Plug the USB drive containing the file into your PS5 console.
- Start the PS5 console in Safe Mode and select ‘Update System Software’ > ‘Update from USB Storage Device’ > ‘OK’
- If your PS5 console does not recognize the update file, check that the folder names and file name are correct. Enter the folder names and file name using uppercase letters.
Once the system update has been completed, the PlayStation 5 console will restart and the blinking white light error should be fixed.
Otherwise, you need to rebuild the database and clear system cache.
4. Rebuild Console Database and Clear Cache
I mentioned earlier that the flashing white means that your console is frozen, and also mentioned that this can be caused by database errors.
As a result, you may need to rebuild the database and clear the system cache to fix the issue.
Again, this will also be done from the safe mode menu.
- First, boot your console back to safe mode
- Once you are in the safe mode menu, select ‘Clear Cache and Rebuild Database’
On the next page, you will see 2 options – ‘Clear System Software Cache’ and ‘Rebuild Database’.
- Click on Rebuild Database.
- Allow it to complete the process.
- Once the database rebuild process is complete, go back into safe mode and select ‘Clear System Software Cache’.
Once done, restart your PS5 and the flashing white light issue should be fixed. Otherwise, you need to restore your console to default settings.
5. Restore Default Settings in Safe Mode
If some settings were changed on your PlayStation 5 console or there is any other software issue causing the pulsing white blight, restoring it to factory settings will help fix it.
In this case, all your settings and configurations will be restored to the default one. However, your files and apps will remain on your console and will not be deleted.
- Again, boot your console to safe mode
- Next, click ‘Restore default settings’. Then, confirm for the process to proceed.
Once settings has been restored, the issue should be fixed. Otherwise, move to the next step.
6. Force Console to Troubleshoot Itself
Unlike the last few methods, this one does not involve you booting your console into safe mode.
A number of users who had the blinking white light of death error on their PS5 were able to fix it by using this troubleshooting method.
Basically, you will be forcing your console to troubleshoot itself and you won’t be losing your apps or games. Here’s how to do that:
- Turn on the PlayStation 5 console
- Immediately the PS logo logo is displayed, unplug it directly from the power outlet (this will force it into troubleshooting mode the next time you turn it on).
- Now, plug it back in and turn it on. Then, allow the console to troubleshoot itself and the issue will be fixed.
Alternatively, you can force it into hard drive recovery screen. To do that, press the power button for 20 seconds and it will restart with a hard drive recovery screen. Then, it will restart again and the blinking white light issue will be fixed.
Now, if that doesn’t fix the issue for you, you have to reset your console.
7. Reset PS5 in Safe Mode
If you are here, none of the methods above worked for you and the only thing you can do at this point is to reset your PlayStation 5 console.
This method will definitely fix the PS5 stuck flashing white light issue, but you will be losing your apps and games. It will also delete your user data and restore your PS5 console to its original state.
To fix the PS5 flashing white light issue, turn off your console first. Then, boot your console into safe mode by pressing the power button until you hear the second beep. Once you hear the second beep, click on the 6th option (Reset PS5).
On the next page, confirm to reset the console. Once the reset has been done, your PlayStation 5 will be fixed and you will no longer see the PS5 white light of death.
8. Contact Sony for Fix or Replacement
The resetting should have fixed your console by now. However, if your console still won’t turn on and is stuck flashing white light for some reason, then your console is probably damaged and you need to send it to Sony for repair or replacement.
If your PS5 console is not out of warranty yet, you can request for a fix at no extra cost. You could even get a replacement.
It might take a few weeks to get it back, but it’s the most reliable way to get your console fixed if resetting didn’t work for you the way it does for most people.
That said, to request for a fix under warranty, you need to get a return authorization and shipping instruction. To get that, visit playstation.com/service or call 1-800-345-7669.
Bottom Line
If you are experiencing the issue where your console starts blinking white light with a black screen, then your console is frozen. In some cases, you may also see a blue blinking light.
There are many proven ways to fix the issue, some of these include:
- Power cycle your console
- Restart console from safe mode
- Update system software
- Rebuild database from safe mode
- Restore default settings
- Force console to troubleshoot itself
- Reset PS5 in safe mode
However, if you these doesn’t fix the issue for you, then your best option is to send the console to Sony for a replacement or fix as it may be damaged.
Let me know which of these methods fixed the blinking white light issue on your PS5 console for you in the comment section below.