Gamers love using Windows 10 operating system on their gaming computers, because, many games that has a PC version is probably designed for computers with Windows 10.
While more and more game developers are making their console games available to users on a Windows 10 gaming PC, Microsoft has not yet added support for using the Sony’s Dual Shock 4 (DS4) Controller, a native option to Windows 10.
The basic reason is because DS4 is a console game controller ?. Hence, to be able to use it to play games on a Windows 10 computer, you need to install DS4Windows program on your computer.
The DS4 Windows Program.
This program (DS4Windows) will install all the needed drivers that will give you the ability to be able to use your Dual Shock 4 Controller to play games on your computer. So, before you try any solution below, please ensure that the DS4 controller is not working problem you are experiencing, is not because you have not installed the DS4Windows program. If it is, then install it now.
Also, check that the DS4 Windows program you are using is the latest version. If it is not, then, uninstall the older version and install the newer version of the DS4Windows program.
As of when I was writing this article, the latest version of the DS4Windows program is V1.4.52. So, if you are using anything below, then update it now.
Whether you are installing the DS4Windows program for the first time, or you want to update the current version you have installed on your computer, you can get the latest version of DS4 Windows program from their official website.
DS4Windows Not Detecting Controller?
Now, after installing the DS4Windows program on their Windows 10 computer, many users are still not able to use their Sony’s Dual Shock 4 controller (PS4 Controller), because the DS4Windows program is not detecting the controller. Hence, they might be getting errors like No Controllers Connected (Max 4) error.
When this happens, do either of the following.
Solution 1: Enable the DS4 Controller
True, when you connected your DS4 Controller, after some seconds, you might get an alert that the Controller has been installed to your Windows 10 computer. However, this does not mean that the controller functionality has been enabled automatically. Though that is the expectation.
Also, if you were using the Controller previously, it might become deactivated after a Windows update, or a malware infestation. And so, you will be required to re-enable it manually.
For enabling or re-enabling the DS4 Controller, do the following.
Enabling or Re-enabling of DS4 Controller in Windows 10
Option 1
Search for Device Manager from the search option in the Taskbar and click on the Device Manager control panel result.
When it opens, locate and double-click on Human Interface Device to expand it options. Then Right-click on HID-compliant game controller.
Finally, click the Enable device option.
Option 2
Open Windows 10 Control Panel.
You do this by searching for Control Panel from the Windows 10 search option in the Taskbar and then clicking on the Control Panel app result.
Alternatively, you can go through Windows 10 app list in the Start Menu. Control Panel is located in the Windows System app folder icon.
When the Control Panel opens, select Hardware and Sound, then Device and Printers.
Now locate the DS4 Controller, right-click on it and select Properties.
From the Properties dialog box, choose the Hardware tab, and then double-click on the HID-compliant game controller option.
In the next dialog box that will appear, click on the Driver tab, then on the Uninstall device button.
Finally, plug in the DS4 Controller again.
Using this option 2 is necessary if after you have done option 1, DS4 Windows still is not detecting the controller.
Solution 2: DS4 Controller Updates
On rare occasions, the DS4 Controller might have an update that came out after the latest version of the DS4Windows program. Not updating might just be the reason why you are experiencing the DS4Windows not working problem. Here is the guide to fix this.
Search for Device Manager from the search option in the Taskbar and click on the Device Manager control panel result.
When it opens, locate and double-click on Sound, video and game controllers to expand it options.
If your DS4 Controller has a question mark, it means there is an update. So, Right-click on it, and then click Update.
Note: you will need to connect your Windows 10 computer to the internet, for the update to be downloaded and installed.
Solution 3: PS4 Remote Play
PS4 Remote Play is a program that enables you to play your PS4 console games remotely with your computer.
However, in this guide, we are not using it (the PS4 Remote Play) to connect to a PS4 console. Rather, we are using it to get the computer ready to use DS4 Controller, since the DS4Windows program is not doing the job. So here is the guide.
Download and install the PS4 Remote Play program. Here is the download link.
After installation, open Device Manager using the Windows 10 Taskbar search option.
Locate Wireless Controller Driver or Lib32 Wireless Driver. Once you found it, right-click on it and then on Uninstall Device.
After the uninstallation finishes, connect the DS4 Controller to your computer, and wait for some seconds for Windows to automatically install its drivers.
Finally, disconnect the controller. Download the DS4 Windows program, and set it up. then you can connect the Controller again.
the DS4Windows program download link is provided above (The DS4Windows Program section).
Solution 4: Install Recent Windows 10 Updates
If you noticed that you started having the DS4 Windows not working (detecting the DS4 Controller) issues, after you installed a Windows 10 update, then you should uninstall the update and wait till there is another update that will be compatible with the DS4 Controller.
To check for recently installed Windows 10 updates and uninstall them, do the following.
Open Windows 10 Settings. Do this by pressing the Windows + I keys in your keyboard.
Select Update and Security, and then click on View installed update history.
The View installed update history option is found in the Windows Update section. When you select Update and Security option, Windows Update section is automatically opened. If it is not, then click on Windows Update from the left pane to see the View installed update history option.
From the list of installed updates, Right-click on the recently installed update and click Uninstall. Then wait patiently for it to finish uninstalling before you check to see if it fixes the problem. Chances are, it will.
Note: do not uninstall all the updates. It might break down your Windows 10 computer. Rather uninstall only the recent one or ones.
So, there you have it. The best solution to the DS4Windows not Working error.
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