The PS4 Turns On Then Off | Fixed by Experts | PS4 Storage (2024)

Is your PS4 turning off by itself immediately or at some point before the operating system loads? If so, you could be facing anything from an electrical short to a serious hardware problem.

Because there are several reasons that your PS4 might be turning off by itself during the boot process, it’s important that you step through each section below to help find a solution to your problem.

Totally Unplug the PS4 from Power

When you turn off the PS4, it is actually powered off, but there are small circuits in there which are active which are used to sense when you want the device turned on, and they turn it on. When unplugging the PS4 from the power outlet, this insures that these little circuits are completely powered off, and goes to the extra trouble of discharging all of the capacitors in the power supply to make sure that they aren’t powering the circuits inside your PS4 too.

Capacitors store energy, kind of like a battery. They are used in PS4 to smooth out variations in the power supply and keep things stable. Even when you turn something off, the capacitors inside it are still charged, and may have enough energy in them to power the really low power circuits inside for quite some time.

In rare cases this may cause a serious problem to the functionality of the PS4 system when turning it on. All what you need to do here then is to totally unplug the PS4 from power and wait 3-5 minutes before turning it on again. It’s preferable to use another power socket if you want to try this method.

PS4 Power Cord Issues

A bad/damaged PS4 power cord can cause lots of problems to the system, including that the PS4 turns on then off after a short time. So, make sure that the PS4 power cord is healthy and working properly before checking any other parts of your console.

Surge protector issues

Surge protectors and battery back-up units can go bad over time, causing reduced power flow to the PS4 console. As game consoles require a specific amount of power to operate, too great a reduction can force the PS4 to turn off.

If this situation applies to your PS4, unplug its power cord from the surge protector or battery back-up unit, and plug it directly into a wall outlet. Turn on the PS4 to see if the problem persists. If the PS4 stays powered on, the surge protector or battery back-up unit is bad and needs to be replaced.

Power supply issues

Just because your PS4 came on for a few moments doesn’t mean that the power supply unit in your PS4 is working properly. Verify the PS4 power supply is functional. A faulty PS4 power supply can result in not enough, if any, power getting to the motherboard, causing the PS4 to turn off immediately or not turn on at all. In fact, the PS4 power supply tends to cause more problems than any other piece of hardware.

In the event of a bad power supply, the only remedy is to replace it with a new one. Fixing a power supply is not an economical solution, if possible at all.

Note that if you do end up replacing the PS4 PSU, keep the PS4 plugged in for at least five minutes before you try powering it on. This pause gives time for the CMOS battery to charge a little.

Defective PS4 Hard Drive

A defective PS4 hard drive is responsible for many errors within the system. You may suspect it especially when your console is a few years old and you deem yourself an enthusiast or power user. It then implies that the PS4 internal hard drive needs maintenance or just replacement.

You can try to fix a defective PS4 hard drive by full-formatting it. To learn more on this topic, please read:

• PS4 Hard Drive Failure
• PS4 Internal Hard Drive Format

Electrical Shorts

Check for causes of electrical shorts inside your PS4. This is very often the cause of the problem when the PS4 powers on for a second or two but then powers off completely.

Inspect the inside of your PS4 for problems that cause shorting. If you don’t take the time to troubleshoot this possibility thoroughly you may end up missing a simple electrical short and instead performing costly hardware replacements later for no good reason.

PS4 Power Button

Test the power button of your PS4. If the power button is shorting out or even just sticking to the case, it might be the reason your PS4 is turning off by itself.

Replace the power button if it fails your testing or if you suspect it’s not working properly.

Overheating

In most cases, and with how game consoles are designed today, the entire system turns off when a CPU reaches a specific temperature to keep it from going up in smokes. This assures that your game console is kept from possible and further damage.

Regardless, regular high-temperature readings when using your PS4 console for long periods of time could risk and damage the PS4 CPU. This also risks damaging the motherboard down the line. This is a reason why you need to make sure your PS4 CPU temperatures are kept at low levels.

For more details on this topic, please read: .

Conclusion

Finally, if all else fails, you’ll likely need to seek professional help from a computer repair service or from your computer manufacturer’s technical support.