How to Turn Off PS5: 5 Ways (Rest Mode, Controller, Safe Mode) 2026

Turning off your PS5 sounds simple — but doing it wrong can corrupt save files, damage your SSD, or cause system instability. This guide shows you 5 correct ways to turn off your PS5 in 2026, when to use Rest Mode versus full shutdown, and how to recover if the console won't respond.

Quick answer: The safest way to turn off a PS5 is to press the PS button on your DualSense controller, navigate to the Power icon, and select Turn Off PS5. Wait for the indicator light to stop pulsing (about 30 seconds) before unplugging.

The 5 Ways to Turn Off PS5
Method 1: Turn Off PS5 with the Controller
Method 2: Turn Off PS5 Using the Power Button
Method 3: PS5 Rest Mode vs Full Shutdown
Method 4: Force Turn Off a Frozen PS5
Method 5: Turn Off PS5 in Safe Mode
What Do the PS5 Indicator Light Colors Mean?
Does Turning Off PS5 Delete Saves?
How to Turn Off PS5 Controller
Frequently Asked Questions

The 5 Ways to Turn Off PS5

All five methods produce a safe shutdown — the difference is convenience and the state your PS5 returns to when you power it back on.

Method	Speed	Use When
1. Controller PS button menu	5 seconds	Everyday shutdown
2. Console power button (tap)	3 seconds	Controller is dead or missing
3. Rest Mode (instead of full off)	3 seconds	You want faster resume + downloads
4. Force shutdown (hold power)	10 seconds	Screen frozen, system unresponsive
5. Safe Mode power off	15 seconds	Troubleshooting firmware issues

Method 1: Turn Off PS5 with the Controller

This is the recommended method for 99% of shutdowns.

Steps:

With your PS5 on and the DualSense paired, press the PS button (the round button with the PlayStation logo).
The Control Center appears along the bottom of the screen. Move the cursor to the Power icon (rightmost button, looks like a small circle with a vertical line).
Press X (or Cross). A menu opens with three options:
- Enter Rest Mode — low-power standby
- Turn Off PS5 — full shutdown
- Restart PS5 — reboot
Select Turn Off PS5.
Wait for the indicator light on the console to pulse white, then stop completely. This takes about 30 seconds.

Do not unplug the power cable while the light is pulsing. Interrupting the shutdown can corrupt the internal SSD.

Method 2: Turn Off PS5 Using the Power Button

When the controller battery is dead or the controller is disconnected, you can shut down the PS5 directly from the console.

Steps (both PS5 Standard and PS5 Slim):

Locate the power button on the front of the console — it is the smaller of the two buttons on the front edge (the larger one is the disc eject button on disc models).
Press the power button once, briefly (do not hold). You will hear a short beep.
The indicator light blinks white, the fan spins down, and the light turns off. The console is now fully off.

PS5 Pro: The power button is in the same location but slightly smaller. The behavior is identical.

⚠️ Warning: Do not confuse the power button with the eject button. On the original PS5 (disc version), the eject button is directly below the power button and is slightly shorter. Accidentally pressing eject during play will eject your disc mid-game.

Method 3: PS5 Rest Mode vs Full Shutdown

Rest Mode is PS5's low-power standby. The console keeps some functions active while drawing significantly less power than a full gaming session.

What Rest Mode does

Keeps internet connection live for game downloads and updates
Charges connected controllers via USB
Allows remote game purchases to queue for automatic download
Resumes your current game in ~10 seconds when you press the PS button
Downloads system software updates in the background
Consumes ~2-3 watts (vs ~20 watts at idle)

When to use Rest Mode

You will be back within 24-48 hours and want fast resume
You have pending game downloads or updates
You want to charge your DualSense while the console is off

When to use Full Shutdown (Turn Off PS5)

You will be away for several days or longer
You are traveling with the console
Before unplugging the power cable
If the console is overheating or behaving erratically
During a thunderstorm or power instability

Configure Rest Mode features

Go to Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode and toggle:

Supply Power to USB Ports — choose Off / 3 Hours / Always (for controller charging)
Stay Connected to the Internet — required for downloads and Remote Play
Enable Turning On PS5 from Network — lets PlayStation App wake the console

Method 4: Force Turn Off a Frozen PS5

If the PS5 is completely unresponsive — black screen, frozen game, or no controller response — you need to force a shutdown.

Steps:

Locate the power button on the console.
Press and hold the power button for at least 10 seconds.
You will hear two beeps — one short, then a second longer beep. Do not release until after the second beep.
The indicator light turns off completely. The console is now forcibly powered down.

Important: Force-shutting down a PS5 can corrupt database files or unsaved game data. If you have to force shutdown, the PS5 will usually rebuild its database on the next boot (this takes 5-20 minutes).

If force shutdown fails

Unplug the power cable from the wall for 2 full minutes
Plug it back in, wait 30 seconds
Press the power button once normally
If the console still does not respond, boot into Safe Mode

Method 5: Turn Off PS5 in Safe Mode

Safe Mode is used for troubleshooting — you rarely turn off the console from Safe Mode intentionally, but knowing how is essential if you enter Safe Mode by accident.

How to enter Safe Mode

Starting from a fully off console (indicator light off).
Press and hold the power button.
Keep holding — you hear one beep immediately, then a second beep after about 7 seconds.
Release the power button right after the second beep.
Connect your DualSense via USB cable and press the PS button.
Safe Mode menu appears.

How to exit / power off from Safe Mode

Scroll to option 1. Restart PS5 or press Options > Turn Off PS5 on the controller. This performs a clean shutdown from Safe Mode.

Do not select "Reset PS5" or "Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software)" — these options erase all your data.

What Do the PS5 Indicator Light Colors Mean?

The light on the front of your PS5 tells you the current power state.

Light Pattern	Meaning
Solid white	Powered on and active
Pulsing white (slow)	Starting up or shutting down — wait, do not unplug
Pulsing orange	In Rest Mode
Solid orange	Rest Mode (some firmware versions)
Solid blue (rare)	Shutting down or transitioning
Blinking blue	System error — see PS5 blue light of death fix guide
Light off	Fully powered off, safe to unplug

Does Turning Off PS5 Delete Saves?

No. Turning off your PS5 using any of the 5 methods above does not delete saved games, user profiles, downloaded games, settings, or PSN account data. Your PS5 retains everything on the internal SSD until you manually delete it or perform a factory reset.

The only scenario where data can be lost:

Unplugging during the pulsing white light (mid-shutdown) — can corrupt the save file being written
Force shutdown (10-second hold) during active save — may corrupt that session's save
Sudden power loss (tripped breaker, unplugged cable) — rare but possible file damage

If you suspect corruption, boot into Safe Mode and select option 5. Rebuild Database. This scans the SSD and restores file integrity without deleting games or saves.

How to Turn Off PS5 Controller

The DualSense controller turns off separately from the console. Ways to turn off your PS5 controller:

Method 1: Idle timeout (automatic)

By default, an idle DualSense disconnects after 10 minutes. Configure this timeout:

Settings > System > Power Saving > Set Time Until Controllers Turn Off
Options: 10 min / 30 min / 60 min / Don't Turn Off

Method 2: Manual disconnect via menu

Press PS button on the controller
Navigate to Accessories (controller icon) in the Control Center
Select your controller > Turn Off

Method 3: Automatic off with PS5

If you fully shut down the console (not Rest Mode), any connected DualSense controllers also turn off.

Note: There is no physical power button on the DualSense. The only way to manually power it off is through the PS5 menu or to let the idle timeout kick in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it better to turn off PS5 or leave it in Rest Mode?

For short breaks (under 48 hours), Rest Mode is fine and convenient. For longer absences, full shutdown is better — it uses zero power, avoids any firmware-bug risks that have historically affected Rest Mode on PS5, and gives the console a clean slate on next boot.

Does PS5 turn off automatically when idle?

Yes. By default, an idle PS5 enters Rest Mode after 20 minutes when no media is playing. Configure this in Settings > System > Power Saving > Set Time Until PS5 Enters Rest Mode. You can also disable auto-sleep entirely.

Why does my PS5 not turn off?

Common reasons: (1) A game or app is preventing shutdown due to cloud save syncing — wait 60 seconds. (2) System is downloading a software update that must finish. (3) USB device is keeping the system awake — disconnect external drives. (4) Bug in current firmware — force shutdown (hold power 10 sec) as a last resort.

Can I unplug my PS5 after turning it off?

Yes, once the indicator light is completely off (not pulsing or solid). Unplugging during a pulsing white light can interrupt the shutdown and cause file corruption.

How long does it take to turn off a PS5?

About 30 seconds from pressing Turn Off to the light going fully off. Rest Mode takes about 5 seconds to enter.

Does turning off my PS5 cancel downloads?

Full shutdown yes — downloads pause and resume next time the console is on. Rest Mode does not cancel downloads — the console continues downloading in low-power mode if you enabled "Stay Connected to the Internet" in Rest Mode settings.

Published by Webnetic s.r.o. — independent PlayStation game developer and publisher based in Europe. We test every step on a current-firmware PS5 before publishing.