How to Factory Reset PS4

Before you factory reset your PS4, be sure that you understand what that means – you’ll be completely deleting everything on the console’s hard drive. That means that everything on it will be deleted and you won’t be able to get it back, no matter what.

Don’t use the factory reset lightly!

If you need to do it after all, below are two ways to do so. You can either reset it from your dashboard or from Safe Mode. Both ways achieve the same result.

1. Safe Mode

Definitely the easier way of resetting your PS4 is via Safe Mode. In order to do this, you need to turn your console off completely. Don’t set it to rest mode, turn it off completely. If it doesn’t respond, you can also pull the power plug, wait a few seconds and plug it back in.

Next, hold the power button on the console down until you hear two beeps. The second beep will take roughly eight seconds – don’t let go until you’ve heard it. Your PS4 will boot with a black background.

You have several options here – the two you will want to decide between are ‘Restore Default Settings’ and ‘Initialize PS4’. The former resets everything to new without deleting your data, while the second option is the complete reset that deletes everything. There is another option labelled ‘Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software)’ – this option will not just reset things, but even reinstall the operating system. Don’t select this option unless you have a copy of the operating system ready to install afterward!

When prompted, choose Full on the Initialize screen. Be prepared to wait a while – this process could take hours. When the process is complete, you can set your PlayStation up like you did when you first got it – a completely new start!

2. Live Mode

This is a somewhat more complicated process featuring a few extra steps. First, go to the Settings menu of your PS4 and select PlayStation Network/Account Management. Pick the option ‘Activate as your primary PS4’, but make sure to Deactivate it instead.

Next, sign back in and go to the Settings menu again. This time find the Initialization options. There are once again two options – ‘Restore Default Settings’ and ‘Initialize PS4’. As before, the first option will only clear your saved settings and leave your hard drive alone, while the second will wipe it fully.

When prompted, choose Full on the Initialize screen like in the Safe Mode path. Be prepared to wait a few hours while the process finishes. Once the process is complete, you can set your PlayStation up like you did when you first got it – a completely new start!