PS5 Touchpad Not Working? 6 Fixes

The DualSense touchpad does more than people realise: it's a click button used in menus and gameplay across most PS5 games, and a touch surface for gestures in games that support them. When it stops working, the first thing to establish is which part stopped working, because the touch surface and the click are effectively two separate functions that fail independently. Getting that right saves you from chasing the wrong fix. Here are six fixes in order.

First: is it the touch or the click?

This distinction is the most useful diagnostic on the whole list, and most guides skip it.

The touchpad has a capacitive touch surface (for swipes and gestures) and, underneath, a physical click mechanism (the button press you use constantly in menus). They can fail separately. A common real-world scenario is the touch surface still working perfectly while the clicks stop registering entirely, which immediately points away from a dead touchpad and toward a software or mechanical click problem.

Work out which you have. Connect the controller and open a browser button test, then press the touchpad down. If the click registers, the click mechanism works. Then try swiping across the surface in a game that uses gestures. If clicks work but touch doesn't, or vice versa, note that, it'll narrow things considerably as you work down this list.

A note on which games actually use the touchpad

Before troubleshooting, it's worth ruling out the possibility that nothing is wrong at all, because touchpad usage varies enormously between games.

The click is close to universal: most PS5 games map it to the map, inventory, or a menu, so if the click works in the system menus and in one or two games, the click mechanism is fine. Touch gestures are far rarer. Plenty of games never use swipes or taps at all, and some that do use them only in specific contexts. So "the touchpad doesn't do anything in this game" is often accurate and not a fault.

The reliable test is the PS5 system interface itself plus a game you know uses touch gestures. If the click works in menus and touch responds where it should, your touchpad is healthy and the game in question simply doesn't implement the feature. This single check saves a lot of unnecessary troubleshooting, particularly for people coming from a PS4 where certain games leaned on the touchpad more heavily.

Fix 1: Reset the controller

Start here, because it's free and it resolves a genuine share of touchpad faults. Turn off the PS5. Flip the controller over and find the small recessed hole next to the Sony logo. Press and hold the button inside with a paperclip for at least six seconds, then release and wait a few seconds. Plug the controller into the console with a USB cable and press the PS button to re-pair it.

This clears a hung software state, which is a common cause of a touchpad that suddenly stopped responding, especially one that failed abruptly rather than degrading over time.

Fix 2: Update the controller firmware

Connect the controller to the PS5 with a USB cable, then go to Settings > Accessories > Controller > DualSense Wireless Controller Device Software and install any available update. While you're at it, make sure the PS5 system software itself is current.

Firmware bugs can affect input handling, and an outdated controller talking to an updated console is a legitimate source of odd behaviour. This won't fix physical damage, but it's a quick, free elimination.

Fix 3: Check Steam and PC controller configuration

This one is specifically for PC users, and it catches a lot of people. Steam's controller configuration can disable or remap touchpad functions, and there are documented cases of DualSense touchpad clicks stopping entirely after going through Steam's controller setup or Big Picture configuration, while the touch surface continues working normally.

If your touchpad broke on PC (particularly right after using Steam's controller settings), the fix is in software, not hardware. In Steam, go to Settings > Controller and reset your controller configuration to default, or check the per-game controller layout to see whether the touchpad click has been remapped to something else. Also try disabling Steam Input for the game to see whether the touchpad behaves natively.

The tell for this cause is a touchpad that works fine on the PS5 but not on PC, or one that broke the same day you changed controller settings.

Fix 4: Clean around the touchpad edges

Debris and grime around the touchpad's edges can interfere with the click mechanism, since the whole panel has to physically depress. If the click feels mushy, uneven (working on one side but not another), or needs excessive force, contamination is a likely factor.

Power the controller off. Blow short bursts of compressed air around the touchpad's seams, keeping the can upright, then press the touchpad firmly in each corner and the centre twenty or thirty times to work debris loose, and blow it out again. For sticky residue, lightly dampen a cotton swab with 90%+ isopropyl alcohol and clean the seam around the touchpad's edge, being careful not to let liquid pool. Let it dry fully.

The capacitive touch surface itself can also be affected by heavy grime or moisture, so wiping the surface with a barely damp microfibre cloth (then drying it) is worth doing while you're there.

Fix 5: Cross-test to isolate the fault

Before opening anything, confirm the problem follows the controller. Test the touchpad on a different PS5 if you can, or on a PC. If it fails everywhere, the controller is at fault. If it works on another console but not yours, the issue is console-side (settings, a system software problem, or an accessibility option).

Also test with a different USB cable and wirelessly versus wired, since connection quirks occasionally affect input behaviour in ways that look like a dead component.

Fix 6: Reconnect or replace the ribbon cable

If everything above fails, you're likely looking at a hardware fault, and the most common one is specific: the touchpad connects to the mainboard via a ribbon cable, and a drop or hard knock can dislodge it. A touchpad that stopped working immediately after the controller hit the floor is the classic case, and reseating the cable often fixes it completely.

Two important caveats before you consider this. First, opening the DualSense voids your warranty, so if you're inside coverage (two years in the EU), contact PlayStation Support instead. Second, there's model variation: some DualSense units have a touchpad ribbon cable that plugs into a connector and can simply be reseated, while others have it soldered to the board, which makes the repair considerably harder. Check your controller's FCC ID on the back, since internal design differs between revisions.

The repair involves removing the shell, disconnecting the battery, and carefully working with several delicate ribbon cables (microphone, triggers, touchpad) before you can reach and reseat or replace the touchpad. Our DualSense troubleshooting guide covers internal access. If the cable is seated properly and the touchpad still doesn't respond, the touchpad assembly itself needs replacing, at which point weigh the cost against a new controller and consider our controller failure guide for the repair-versus-replace decision.

The short version

Work out whether the touch surface, the click, or both have failed, since they're separate functions. Reset the controller and update its firmware first, as those are free and fix a real share of cases. On PC, suspect Steam's controller configuration, which has a documented history of breaking touchpad clicks while leaving touch working. Clean around the touchpad edges for mushy or uneven clicks. Cross-test to confirm the fault follows the controller. And if it's hardware, the most common cause is a ribbon cable dislodged by a drop, though model variation means some are soldered and harder to repair.