How do I reset my PS4 without losing data?
As PS4 gamers, we all want to protect the hard-earned progress we‘ve made in games. Whether your goal is 50+ hours in The Witcher 3, unlocking DOTA skins, or having a flawless Battlefield multiplayer K/D ratio, resetting your PS4 should never nuke all that precious data.
The good news is that with the right steps, you can factory reset your PS4 without losing a thing! In this guide made by a gamer for gamers, I‘ll cover:
- How to fully back up your PS4 game data and saves
- Using Safe Mode to correctly reset your console
- Why you might want to reset your PS4
- Common issues and improvements from resetting
So let‘s not waste any time and get right into it!
Backing up your gameplay progress
Before resetting, we need to secure everything we want to keep. Sony gives us two handy backup options:
Using a USB drive
I recommend a USB 3.0 flash drive with at least 50GB free space. We‘ll back up everything:
- Game saves
- Downloaded games, DLC packs, and add-ons
- Trophies
- Video clips and screenshots
It takes my PS4 Pro about 40 minutes to create a full backup on my 128GB drive.
PlayStation Plus online storage
For PS+ members, you automatically get 10GB of cloud backup space. It‘s easy to manage in Settings under "Saved Data and Game/App Settings".
Here‘s what gets backed up:
- Game saves
- Trophy data
So it won‘t store actual downloaded games and media, but can still save vital save files.
Using Safe Mode to reset your PS4
Okay, backups secured! Now it‘s time to reset using Safe Mode:
- Fully shut down PS4
- Press and hold power button (do NOT release yet)
- Listen for a second beep sound – after the second beep, release the power button
- Connect PS4 controller with USB cable and press PS button
- Select either "Initialize PS4" or "Restore Default Settings"
Initialize PS4 – Factory resets everything to default settings, deletes all user data.
Restore Default Settings – Resets settings and OS only, preserves user data.
Both options will resolve many common PS4 issues. Just be sure to restore your backups afterwards!
Why reset your PS4?
We all love our PS4s – but over time little software gremlins can creep in that negatively impact performance and gameplay. Resetting can fix problems like:
- Games randomly crashing or freezing
- Massive framerate drops
- PS4 overheating or fans running excessively loud
- New games not launching properly
- Laggy streaming video and connections
Resetting every 6-12 months is also good general maintenance to keep your system running like new. Don‘t wait until you rage quit a game to do it!
Specific cases where you should reset your PS4
While general stability and speed boosts are great bonuses, there are also pivotal scenarios where a reset should be part of the process.
Before selling or gifting your PS4
Performing a full system initialization before giving away your console lets you:
- Securely wipe all personal user data
- Erase saved payment info
- Reset licenses for digital games so they can be played by a new owner
It leaves them with a fresh, untouched PS4 to start their own gaming journeys.
Hard drive upgrades
Resetting helps your PS4 smoothly migrate data and partitions over to any new HDDs or SSDs. It‘s an important step in the upgrade process.
Troubleshooting odd system behavior
If you encounter really stubborn crashing issues that prevent games from loading (RIP Cyberpunk 2077), resets can help identify if it‘s a system-level problem versus something with game files themselves.
By isolating variables during troubleshooting, you can zero in on solutions much faster. Gotta catch those game-breaking bugs!
There you have it friends – lose nothing, fix everything! Resetting your PS4 is a powerful troubleshooting tool, and your game data stays safe and sound. Just follow my backup tips beforehand.
Did I miss any other important reset scenarios gamers should know about? Let me know!
