How To Reset PlayStation 4
A Tutorial on PS4 Hard Reset Procedures A soft reset on the PS4 may be all that’s needed to fix a few nits here and there, but sometimes you’ll have to go all the way back to the beginning and reset it to factory defaults. Resetting your PlayStation 4 to its original settings can be a time-consuming process, and if you do it incorrectly, you could lose all of your saved games and other data. A factory reset may be your best bet if your PlayStation 4 crashes randomly, run slowly, or freezes up even while you’re only browsing the home screen, or if you’re experiencing other issues that have no obvious explanation.
Accessing your PlayStation Account or Account Management on the PS4 will begin the recovery process. Resetting is possible by following the instructions given above for resetting a PS4 without the controller. When you choose “Initialize,” all user data is erased and the system is set back to how it was when it came out of the factory.
If you scroll down past the last two options, you’ll find “Restore default settings. This will reset your PS4 to its original factory settings by erasing any previously saved configuration data, but it won’t delete any data from your hard drive. The Safe Mode menu on the PS4 has a Restore Default Settings option, which, like the Settings menu, resets the system to factory defaults while saving your data. If your console is not booting into Settings, you may need to reset it in Safe Mode and reload the system software.
The best way to be sure a pre-owned PlayStation 4 is completely free of any personal information is to perform a factory reset before purchasing it. If you plan on selling your console, you should wipe all personal data from it first, including any financial information, to prevent identity theft. You can perform a factory reset on a PS4 without erasing any of your data by unplugging it from the wall and removing all of its cords. If all of your PS4’s USB ports are damaged, you will need to have a physical repair performed before you can plug in the controllers again after the system powers up. When you perform a factory reset on a PlayStation 4, all of your data, including saved games and profile information, will be deleted.
The next option is to initialize the PS4 (reinstall system software), which does a more extensive factory reset and necessitates reinstalling the PS4’s operating system. However, the System Software, or PS4’s operating system, will remain intact after a reset, even though the hard disk will be formatted and returned to its original settings. In either case, the PS4 will initialize and restore the system software, bringing it back to its factory settings within Secure Mode.