How to Stop Your TV From Turning on Your PS5

How to Stop Your TV From Turning on Your PS5

Next-gen consoles are capable of all sorts of amazing feats (if you manage to get one), but one that I could do without is their ability to turn on whenever my Smart TV does.

It’s such a minor gripe but when it comes to my PS5 I do not want it turning on every time I sit down to watch Netflix.

I am not one of those people who keeps my PS5 in rest mode 24/7 (the orange light is too bright in my bedroom) so when I put it into shutdown I want it to stay there until I actively turn it on again.

This plan is scuppered when I turn my TV on and it’s still lingering on the HDMI input that’s linked to my PS5. My PlayStation is then turned on automatically by the TV thinking I’m ready to play when I am, in fact, not.

As I said, it’s such a small first-world gamer problem, but I know I can’t be the only one. If you are like me and would rather not have your TV and PlayStation linked – there is a way out.

How to unlink your PlayStation and TV

The PS5, along with many other consoles, has an HDMI-CEC capability.

This device link allows for the TV and console to talk to each other and keep each other in the same power state.

If you’re sick of having your TV turn on your PlayStation 5 when all you want to do is watch a show, here’s how to fix it:

  1. Turn on your PS5 and go into Settings
  2. In the Settings menu select Systems
  3. Then select the HDMI menu
  4. Toggle off Enable HDMI Link

You can also use these instructions if you have a PS4 with the same issue.

Unfortunately, unlike the Xbox Series X, the PS5 does not allow you to customise its device link features.

For example, I’d like to keep using One-Touch Play so that I only have to *gasp* press one button instead of two when I’m sitting down to play my PS5.

On the other hand, while I can turn on my PS5 and TV simultaneously with One Touch-Play, I cannot choose to turn off the PS5 and then have my TV automatically do the same. But I can turn off my TV and it will put the PS5 into rest mode. It’s a mess, honestly.

Sony may introduce more settings for this in the future, seeing as One Touch-Play and Power Off Link are only recent additions, but for now, it’s all or nothing when it comes to linking your PS5 and your TV.


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