How to Factory Reset a PS5
If your PS5 is experiencing issues or you want to sell it, a factory reset can resolve many problems and erase your personal data. Follow these steps to restore your PS5 to its original settings⁚
Back Up Your Data
Before you factory reset your PS5, it’s crucial to back up your important data to prevent permanent loss. There are two primary methods to do this⁚
a. Use a Flash Drive
Connect a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of free space to your PS5. Go to Settings > System > Backup and Restore > Back Up Your PS5. Follow the on-screen instructions to create a backup on the flash drive.
b. Use PlayStation Plus Cloud Storage
If you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, you can back up your saved data to the cloud. Go to Settings > System > Backup and Restore > Back Up to PS Plus Cloud Storage. Select the data you want to back up and follow the prompts.
Once you have successfully backed up your data, you can proceed with the factory reset process.
a. Use a Flash Drive
To back up your PS5 data using a flash drive, follow these steps⁚
- Connect a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of free space to your PS5’s front USB port.
- Go to Settings > System > Backup and Restore.
- Select Back Up Your PS5.
- Choose the data you want to back up, such as games, saved data, and user settings.
- Select Back Up and follow the on-screen instructions.
The backup process may take some time, depending on the amount of data you are backing up. Once the backup is complete, you can safely factory reset your PS5, knowing that your data is securely stored on the flash drive.
Note⁚ It’s recommended to use a high-quality flash drive to ensure the integrity of your backup data.
b. Use PlayStation Plus Cloud Storage
If you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, you can back up your PS5 data to the cloud. This is a convenient way to protect your data, as it doesn’t require you to have a physical storage device. To back up your PS5 data to the cloud, follow these steps⁚
- Make sure you have an active PlayStation Plus subscription.
- Go to Settings > System > Backup and Restore.
- Select Back Up Your PS5.
- Choose the data you want to back up, such as games, saved data, and user settings.
- Select Back Up to PlayStation Plus Cloud Storage and follow the on-screen instructions.
The backup process may take some time, depending on the amount of data you are backing up. Once the backup is complete, you can safely factory reset your PS5, knowing that your data is securely stored in the cloud.
Note⁚ PlayStation Plus cloud storage is only available to PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Enter Safe Mode
Safe Mode is a special diagnostic mode that allows you to troubleshoot and repair your PS5. To enter Safe Mode, follow these steps⁚
- Turn off your PS5 completely. Do not put it into Rest Mode.
- Press and hold the power button on the front of the console. Keep holding the button until you hear two beeps⁚ one beep when you first press the button, and a second beep about seven seconds later.
- Release the power button after the second beep. The PS5 will now start in Safe Mode.
You will see a list of options on the Safe Mode screen. Use the directional buttons on your controller to navigate the menu and select the option you want.
Note⁚ If you cannot enter Safe Mode, your PS5 may have a more serious hardware issue. In this case, you will need to contact PlayStation Support for assistance.
a. Turn Off the PS5
Before you can enter Safe Mode and factory reset your PS5, you need to turn it off completely. Do not put your PS5 into Rest Mode.
To turn off your PS5, press and hold the power button on the front of the console for about 3 seconds, until the power indicator light turns orange and then turns off.
Once your PS5 is turned off, you can proceed to the next step and enter Safe Mode.
Note⁚ If you are unable to turn off your PS5 using the power button, you can unplug the power cord from the back of the console. Wait a few seconds and then plug the power cord back in and try turning on the PS5 again.
b. Hold the Power Button
Once your PS5 is turned off, you can enter Safe Mode by holding down the power button again.
Press and hold the power button on the front of the console for about 7 seconds, until you hear two beeps. The first beep will occur after about 3 seconds, and the second beep will occur about 4 seconds later.
After you hear the second beep, release the power button. Your PS5 will now start up in Safe Mode.
The screen will be black for a few seconds, and then the Safe Mode menu will appear.
Note⁚ If you do not hear the second beep after 7 seconds, you may need to try again. Be sure to press and hold the power button for the full 7 seconds.
Select Factory Reset
Once you are in Safe Mode, you will see a list of options. Use the directional buttons on your controller to navigate to option 6, “Factory Reset.” Press the X button to select it.
You will be prompted to confirm that you want to factory reset your PS5. This will erase all of your data, so be sure to back up anything important before proceeding.
To confirm the reset, select “Yes” and press the X button. Your PS5 will now begin the factory reset process.
The factory reset process may take several minutes to complete. Once it is finished, your PS5 will restart and you will be prompted to set it up as new.
Note⁚ If you have enabled two-factor authentication for your PlayStation account, you will need to enter a verification code during the factory reset process.
a. Choose Option 6
Once you are in Safe Mode, you will see a list of options. Use the directional buttons on your controller to navigate to option 6, “Factory Reset.” This option will erase all of your data, so be sure to back up anything important before proceeding.
To select option 6, press the X button on your controller. You will be prompted to confirm that you want to factory reset your PS5.
Note⁚ If you have enabled two-factor authentication for your PlayStation account, you will need to enter a verification code during the factory reset process.
Once you have confirmed that you want to factory reset your PS5, the process will begin. This may take several minutes to complete.
After the factory reset is complete, your PS5 will restart and you will be prompted to set it up as new.
b. Confirm the Reset
Once you have selected option 6, “Factory Reset,” you will be prompted to confirm that you want to reset your PS5 to its factory settings. This process will erase all of your data, so be sure to back up anything important before proceeding.
To confirm the reset, select the “Yes” option and press the X button on your controller. Your PS5 will then begin the factory reset process.
Note⁚ If you have enabled two-factor authentication for your PlayStation account, you will need to enter a verification code during the factory reset process.
Once the factory reset is complete, your PS5 will restart and you will be prompted to set it up as new.
Warning⁚ Once you have confirmed the factory reset, there is no way to undo the process. Make sure that you have backed up all of your important data before proceeding.
Reinstall the PS5 System Software
After your PS5 has been factory reset, you will need to reinstall the PS5 system software in order to use it. To do this, you will need a USB drive that is formatted as FAT32 and contains the PS5 system software update file.
Once you have the USB drive prepared, follow these steps to reinstall the PS5 system software⁚
- Insert the USB drive into one of the USB ports on your PS5.
- Turn on your PS5 and hold down the power button until you hear two beeps.
- Your PS5 will now enter Safe Mode.
- Select option 3, “Update System Software,” and press the X button on your controller.
- Select the “Update from USB Drive” option and press the X button.
- Your PS5 will now search for the PS5 system software update file on the USB drive.
- Once the update file has been found, select it and press the X button.
- The PS5 system software will now be reinstalled.
Once the PS5 system software has been reinstalled, your PS5 will restart and you will be prompted to set it up as new.
Note⁚ If you do not have a USB drive that contains the PS5 system software update file, you can download it from the PlayStation website.
a. Insert the USB Drive
Once you have downloaded the PS5 system software update file to a USB drive, you will need to insert the USB drive into one of the USB ports on your PS5.
Make sure that the USB drive is formatted as FAT32 and that it contains the following directory structure⁚
PS5/
UPDATE/
PS5UPDATE.PUP
Once the USB drive is inserted, you can proceed to the next step.
Note⁚ If you do not have a USB drive that is formatted as FAT32, you can use a computer to format it. To do this, connect the USB drive to your computer and open the Disk Management utility. Right-click on the USB drive and select the “Format” option. In the “File system” drop-down menu, select “FAT32” and click the “Start” button.
