Preparing Your Console for Sale or Troubleshooting
There are two primary reasons you might need to completely factory reset a PlayStation 5 (PS5). The most common reason is that you are preparing to sell the console, trade it in, or give it away. Before handing your hardware to a stranger, you must permanently wipe all your personal data, saved games, installed applications, and stored credit card information.
The second reason is troubleshooting. If your PS5 is suffering from severe operating system corruption—perhaps games are constantly crashing, the menus are freezing, or the console refuses to install system updates—a full factory reset is often the only way to return the software to a stable, working state.
Resetting a PS5 is a permanent, irreversible process. Once the reset begins, every piece of data stored on the internal solid-state drive (SSD) will be destroyed. Therefore, it is critical that you back up your important saved game files to PlayStation Plus cloud storage or an external USB drive before you begin.
Method 1: Resetting from the Settings Menu
If your PS5 is working normally and you can navigate the main dashboard without it crashing, you can initiate the wipe directly from the settings menu. This is the fastest and safest method.
- Turn on your PS5 and log into your primary user profile.
- Look in the top right corner of the home screen and select the Settings icon (it looks like a small gear).
- Scroll down the list and select System.
- In the left-hand sidebar, ensure System Software is highlighted.
- Move to the right side of the screen and select Reset Options.
- Select the final option on the list: Reset Your Console.
A warning screen will appear, reminding you that all users and data will be permanently deleted. If you are certain you have backed everything up, select the Reset button.
The console will immediately restart and begin the wiping process. This can take several minutes. Do not unplug the console from the wall while this is happening. When it finishes, the console will boot up to the initial “Connect your controller” setup screen, proving it is clean and ready for a new owner.
Method 2: Resetting from Safe Mode (If the Console is Crashing)
If your PS5 is stuck in a boot loop, displays a black screen, or crashes before you can reach the Settings menu, you must perform the reset using Safe Mode. This bypasses the normal operating system entirely.
- Ensure the PS5 is completely turned off (not in Rest Mode). There should be no lights on the console.
- Press and hold the physical Power button on the front of the console.
- You will hear one beep immediately when you press the button. Keep holding it down.
- After about seven seconds, you will hear a second beep. Let go of the power button immediately.
- The console will boot into Safe Mode. A black screen will instruct you to connect your DualSense controller to the console using a USB cable. (Bluetooth does not work in Safe Mode).
- Press the PS button on the controller to activate it.
- You will see a menu with several numbered options. Use the D-pad on your controller to scroll down to Option 6: Reset PS5.
- Press the X button to select it.
- Confirm that you want to proceed.
What About the M.2 SSD Expansion Drive?
If you purchased an additional M.2 SSD storage drive and physically installed it inside your PS5 to hold more games, you must understand how a factory reset affects it.
When you select “Reset Your Console,” the PS5 will wipe its internal storage drive completely. However, it does not securely wipe the secondary M.2 SSD drive you installed.
If you are selling the console and leaving the expensive M.2 drive inside it as part of the sale, you must go to Settings > Storage > M.2 SSD Storage and manually format that drive before you perform the factory reset.
If you are keeping the M.2 drive for your next console, you should simply turn off the PS5, unscrew the side panel, and physically remove the drive before beginning the factory reset process. Your games will remain perfectly safe on the drive, ready to be plugged into a new PS5.
