To avoid confusion, a clear or solid white light means the console is working properly. Also, when the console shuts off, a white light will blink on the PS4’s body before turning off. Here, we are talking about blinking white light, which may transition to solid blue light or a blinking blue light. This is also known as the white light of death.
What Is The PS4 White Light?
Although it’s related to the blinking blue light, a blinking white light is often a sign of a less serious problem. Please check our separate troubleshooter to fix serious PS4 and PS5 errors if you see blue lights instead. In particular, it indicates issues with the HDMI port, the HDMI cable, or the TV connection. In other words, it means your PS4 is not making a proper connection with the TV. As a result, you may not be getting any signal on your TV. Alternatively, you may get blurry or glitchy images or a “No Signal” message on your display. Here’s the list of the issues you may be dealing with:
A faulty HDMI port
In particular, the port’s pins sit on a flimsy plastic base, so they are easy to bend and break. In this case, the HDMI cable won’t make any connection. You can tell an HDMI port is not working if you see physical damage on the copper pins on the inside (pushed out, crooked, not attached, bent, etc.). Other times, the metal exterior of the port is bent or flimsy as well. As a result, your HDMI cable won’t fit in the port. The solution for these issues is replacing the port altogether. Luckily, the PS4 Slim and the PS4 Pro have much better borts, but they can still present the same errors.
A faulty HDMI IC chip
The IC chip is in the motherboard, and it processes the HDMI signal. It can burn out over time, and it will send a blinking white light to the PS4’s body to indicate the trouble. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell, but if the port is good and the cable is good, you may want to take the PS4 to a professional.
Power surge
A power surge may cause the issue as well. Specifically, it can damage the electrical parts that send the AV signal. For example, electrical or lighting storms may cause electrical surges. The power surge goes through the TV to the PS4 via the HDMI, causing potential damage. For example, it may burn the IC chip, cause problems with the ports, damage resistors, and diodes, or cause a random power bug.
Dust, rust, and dirt
Dust and rust accumulation on the PS4’s port is a less serious problem. You can address this as you can clean it up with a microfiber cloth and an air blower. However, dust accumulates on the inside of the PS4 as well. If there’s dirt inside its electronics, it may also be blocking the HDMI signal. We often don’t recommend opening up the PS4 unless you know what you’re doing and have the tools for a task like changing the motherboard’s CMOS battery. So, you may want to take the console to a specialist for a deep cleaning session.
Motherboard issues
You may be experiencing the issue because there’s an error on the motherboard. Sadly, this is a broad problem, and there’s no way to identify it from your position. Only a professional would know by testing your PS4’s components with another board.
Buggy controller drivers
Buggy controller drivers are a rare cause of the blinking PS4 white light, but it can happen. The PS4 controller doesn’t need firmware updates. However, it’s prone to bugs, which opens the need to reset the controller. Essentially, buggy drivers render your controller unable to connect to the console. In return, it makes the PS4 think there’s something wrong with the motherboard. In truth, the console simply failed to automatically update your peripheral.
Outdated software firmware
Alternatively, it may be that your console’s firmware is not up to date. It’s rare, but it can open the way to random bugs and malfunctions. These may be the causes if your internet connection is unstable or if the PS4 can’t connect to the internet. If this is the case, the system may have failed to update the console automatically.
How To Fix White Light On PS4?
The blinking PS4 white light indicates problems with the HDMI port or the HDMI signal. Whereas most causes warrant a professional service, there’re various solutions you can try by yourself. Test them one by one, and see if you can fix the issue. If you go through these “checklists” of fixes and it still doesn’t work, you’d need to take your PS4 for repairs.
Clean the HDMI port
The first logical option is checking the port for dust, rust, and dirt accumulation. Even if it’s just a little dirty, you must clean it:
Use an air blower to blow the air dirt out of the port. If you don’t have an air blower, blow with your mouth.Use a low-powered or small electric vacuum to suck the dirt out of the port. Use a small and soft brush (like a toothbrush) to clean the ins and outs of the port.Use a microfiber cloth to clean the ins and outs of the port.Use a cue tip to clean the furthest parts of the port. Do it very gently so you don’t bend the pins any further.Don’t use any liquids or chemicals during the process.
Check the HDMI port for physical damage
It’s also good to check the HDMI port for superficial damage. The signs of problems include bent or broken pins and bent metal covers. If you see obvious physical damage, you must take the console for service so a professional can change the port.
Test another cable
The PS4’s blinking white light is usually unrelated to external factors like the HDMI cable. However, it wouldn’t hurt to test, as it won’t take much time. If the TV shows a “No signal” message, the cable is not sending a signal to the PS4 console. This error shouldn’t include a blinking white light, though. However, sometimes the cable is bending or leaning incorrectly on a pin, making the PS4’s system think the problem is in the console. Sometimes, moving the cable until it properly “clicks” on the port may fix it. So, you can try wiggling your HDMI cable or removing and putting it back on the PS4. Additionally, you could check the connection on your TV. Try wiggling it on the HDTV port until it clicks as well. Lastly, you can test the cable with other devices, like a Roku, and try other HDMI cables with your PS4. We recommend buying an official PS4 HDMI cable if this is the case. Any modern HDMI cable would work with the older console. However, if you’re using a PS4 Pro with a 4K TV, you’d need an HDMI 2.0. Using the wrong cable may also cause issues.
Power cycle the console
Your next option is to follow Sony’s advice to power cycle the console. It would erase random power bugs if a power surge were the issue.
Automatically re-sync your controller
Now that we’re past the HDMI port, let’s tackle controller issues. The first quick step is to sync the controller with the console automatically:
Reset the controller’s firmware
Here’re the steps:
Reset the console in Safe Mode
We have a complete guide on updating or resetting the PS4 via Safe Mode, which works by using an external flash drive. However, we’re running down the process here. It includes putting a file on a flash drive and then using the file on the PS4’s Safe Mode troubleshooter. The flash drive process is as follows: Now, it’s time to use the reinstall file on Safe Mode: After the process finishes, let the console restart and see if it works.
