Free PS5 controller calibration tool
DualSense, DualSense Edge and DualShock 4. Connect by USB, click Connect below. Note: calibration won't fix true stick drift, that needs new modules. Book a repair →
How to calibrate your DualSense
- Connect your controller by USB. It must be a data cable, not a charge-only one. Bluetooth will not work.
- Close Steam, DS4Windows and any other controller software. These hold onto the controller and block the browser from seeing it.
- Click Connect above and pick your controller from the browser prompt.
- Run the centre calibration. Let go of both sticks completely first, then follow the prompts.
- Run the range calibration. Roll each stick slowly around its full outer edge a few times.
- Check your circularity reading. Anything close to a clean circle is healthy. A lumpy or squashed shape means wear.
Your settings are written to the controller itself, so they carry over to your PS5 when you plug it back in.
What actually causes stick drift
Almost every DualSense stick uses a pair of potentiometers, one for each axis. Inside each one, a small metal wiper drags across a carbon track. The position of the wiper on that track is what tells your PS5 where the stick is.
Every hour of play wears that track down a fraction. Eventually the wiper stops making clean contact and starts sending a signal even when your thumb is nowhere near the stick. That is drift. It is mechanical wear, not a software fault, which is why a factory reset, a firmware update or a recalibration never fixes it for long.
Hall Effect and TMR sticks solve this by removing the contact entirely. They read the position of a small magnet instead, so there is nothing to wear out. That is what we fit when we repair a controller.
Common questions
Will calibration fix stick drift?
Usually not. Calibration tells the controller where the centre and edges of each stick are. If the sensor itself is worn, it keeps sending a false reading and the drift comes back, often within days. Calibration can mask very mild drift temporarily, but if your stick moves on its own in game, the hardware needs replacing.
Is it safe to calibrate my controller?
Yes. The tool writes to the controller's own calibration memory, the same memory Sony's firmware uses. If you are unhappy with the result you can run the calibration again. It does not modify firmware or void anything on a controller you own.
Which controllers work with this tool?
PS5 DualSense, DualSense Edge, DualShock 4, and the PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers. You need a USB cable and a Chromium browser such as Chrome, Edge or Opera. Bluetooth will not work, it has to be wired.
Why does it say no controller found?
Three common causes. You are using a charge-only USB cable with no data lines, so try a different cable. Steam or DS4Windows is holding the controller, so close them completely and try again. Or you are in Safari or Firefox, which do not support WebHID.
What is circularity and why does it matter?
Circularity measures how round the path is when you roll a stick fully around its edge. A perfect stick traces a circle. A worn or badly calibrated one traces a squashed or lumpy shape, which makes aiming and steering feel inconsistent. We include a circularity reading with every repair we do.
How long do analog sticks normally last?
A standard potentiometer stick typically lasts 500 to 1000 hours of use before the carbon track wears enough to drift. Heavy use in shooters and racing games wears them faster. Hall Effect and TMR sticks use magnets with no physical contact, so they do not wear out the same way.
Still drifting after calibration?
That is the normal outcome on a worn stick, and it is exactly what we fix. We replace the worn modules with Hall Effect or TMR sticks, calibrate the controller properly, and send you a circularity reading as proof before it goes back in the post. Repairs start at £35 with return postage included.
BOOK A REPAIR →Calibration tool built on the open-source DualShock Calibration GUI project (MIT licensed).