How To Prep Your Playstation 4 For Sale
With the next generation of consoles officially here, many people may be looking to trade in or sell their older systems in order to pick up the newest version. Whether you’re ready to pick up a PS5 or just looking to get rid of your PS4 system, there’s some things that must be done before you part with it and I’m not just talking about making sure it’s clean. With that in mind, we’ve put together a guide on what steps you should take in order to prep your PS4 for sale.
Products used in this guide
- Back it up: Seagate 2TB External Drive
Initialize Your Ps4 System
Initialization of your PS4 system restores system settings to default values. It deletes data saved on system storage and deletes all users and their data from the system. Initialize the system under > > > .
Notices
- When you initialize your system, all settings and information saved on the PS4 system are deleted. This process cannot be undone, so be sure not to delete any important data by mistake. Deleted data cannot be restored.
- Do not turn off the PS4 system during initialization. If you do, you might damage the system.
How Do I Wipe My Ps3 Before Selling
How do I delete all data from my PS3?
How To Reset Your PS3 And Clear All Data
Does restoring PS3 delete PSN account?
If he is concerned about the data, he can do a restore on the PS3. It will wipe all data and it will be like the device is out of box. The new owner will have to set up a new account on the device for their purposes.
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Factory Reset In Safe Mode
If, for any reason, you cant perform the factory reset the regular way, you can try doing it in safe mode. To wipe your PS4 through safe mode, follow these steps.
Back Up Your Ps4 Data
Before you sell your PS4, it’s a good idea to back up your PS4 data. This is especially true if you’re looking to get a PS5, which is backward compatible with nearly every PS4 game.
You can go about this in a few different ways. You could back up all your PS4 data, including your saved data, game data, settings data, and capture gallery. However, this process can be incredibly long due to the sheer amount of content you need to back up.
A quicker option would be to back up your PS4’s saved data, which is, arguably, the most important aspect of your PlayStation experience. Though this option doesn’t back up your hefty install data, it’s not too big a deal. Your physical discs store game data, and you can re-download any of your digital games whenever you like .
A good compromise would be to back up your PS4’s saved data and keep your install data on an external hard drive. This way, you won’t have to re-install/re-download all your games and update patches, and you should be able to use this external hard drive to play games on a PS5.
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How To Hard Reset A Ps4 Controller
To ensure your controller no longer responds to your console, you may perform a hard reset without connecting it to the PS4. You need a paper clip or a needle.
Ensure the console remains powered down. Turn over the controller to locate a small hole near the left shoulder button. Insert the needle into the hole to press a button hidden inside and hold down for five seconds.
Dont reconnect
The action ensures a factory reset on the dual shock controller. If you plug the controller into the PS4, it tries to re-establish a pairing with the console, which you dont want. Pack the controller away in the box with the console and wish it a safe journey.
Does A Factory Reset Remove Your Operating System
A factory reset deletes all the information from your hard drive and reverts all the settings to their default. That includes your files, photos, messages, or contacts. Itll never delete system-critical elements. For example, formatting a Samsung device wont delete Knox Flag, or formatting a Windows device wont delete System32.
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Deactivate Your Psn Account
This is an important step. Without this, youll face a bulk of problems when you sign on to your new console. So, follow the below steps to deactivate your PSN Account.
- Head on to the Main Menu on your Play Station 4.
- From your main menu, tap on the Right button on the console until you reach the Settings
- Scroll down until you find PlayStation Network/Account Management and press X to open it.
- In the list of options, tap on the Activate as Your Primary PS4â by pressing X on your controller.
- If the account is active, the âActivateâ button will be in grey and you cant tap on it. On the other hand, if it is deactivated, the deactivate button will be grey.
- You need to tap on Deactivate to disable your PSN account.
- A confirmation pop-up will appear, tap on Yes.
- Once the deactivation process is complete, the PlayStation will let your know. Simply tap on Ok to finish the process.
Should You Wipe Your Phone When Youre Trading It In
Yes. That way, no matter what happens to it, no one can ever get their hands on your private accounts, files, GPS information, or financial details. The easiest way to quickly wipe your private details is through a factory reset. Thatll delete everything and revert your phone to factory settings. It doesnt matter if you use an iPhone, Android phone, Blackberry, Huawei, or Librem they all have a factory reset option. Remember to wipe any second-hand devices you buy as well to ensure it doesnt have any malware.
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How To Factory Reset Your Playstation 4 In Safe Mode
Sometimes, you might face some trouble with the system software or some other kind of error when going to the settings menu or initializing your PS4. In such a case, you can also factory reset the PlayStation 4 console in safe mode.
To factory reset your PS4, follow the steps given below:
Perform A Factory Reset From Safe Mode
If youre having trouble with system software or other errors that are preventing you from getting to the Settings menu and re-initializing your PS4, you can access the same options from the consoles Safe Mode.
Step 1: Turn your PS4 fully off. Dont set it to Rest Mode. You want the power completely off on your console so you can boot into Safe Mode.
Step 2: Hold down the power button until you hear two beeps. You need to physically push the power button on the console, rather than starting it with a controller. Hold it for about eight seconds. It will beep once when you first touch the button, and then again before booting up into Safe Mode. It will be labeled, and youll recognize it by its black background.
Step 3: There are three different approaches to resetting your PS4 available in the Safe Mode menu. As in the Settings menu, in Safe Mode, you can choose Restore Default Settings to reset everything in the PS4 to its original software settings but keep your data.
You can also choose Initialize PS4. This will wipe your hard drive and restore you to factory settings, but keep the system software its operating system, in other words.
The last option is Initialize PS4 , which is an even fuller factory reset that will require you to reinstall the PS4s operating system.
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When Need To Clean Ps4 Hard Drive
PS4 is a popular video game console. If you are a game lover, you must long for it. You can use it to play big games, watch videos, listen to music and enjoy many other various entertainments. However, it still exists some annoying problems, which triggers you to clean PS4 hard drive, such as:
â When you find your PS4 storage is full. Although a new PS4 has a storage of 500GB, the size of a game is becoming larger and larger. Thus, after installing several games, you will find there is no much space for you to download other games.
â When you . This may be caused by system errors or insufficient storage space. If the problem didn’t disappear after fixing the system error, it’s time to clean PS4 hard drive for more space.
â When you want to sell the unused PS4. If you decide to sell your PS4, the most important thing is to keep your data safe. Clearing out hard drive on the PS4 thoroughly can make the data irreversible so as to protect your personal information from leakage.
Ps4 Factory Reset Guide: How To Wipe A Ps4
Simon Sayers / January 28, 2021
How to factory reset PS4, How to wipe a PS4 The PlayStation 4 is a sturdy and reliable piece of hardware certainly, but like any games console its prone to various technical issues, and sometimes it pays to carry out a PS4 factory reset. This is something multiple users have recently been doing after their consoles were infected by malicious PSN messages. This is how to factory reset your PS4.
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I Dont Want To Lose My Psn Account
Dont worry. When you reset a PS4, you disassociate your PSN account from that specific machine. You dont lose your PSN account. It still lives out there in the great gaming ether.
When you initially set up your PS4, you link your account to the console so that the device may access your PSN account and information. Its a security setup that works well for gaming consoles and remains no different from linking your Apple account to a new iPhone.
So, as we take a deep breath and prepare to sell our beloved PS4, its time to learn how to factory reset a PS4.
How To Back Up Your Ps4 Saved Data
If you have tons of saved data on your PS4, its crucial for you to back them up to an external storage device such as a USB or hard drive. You have to make sure the device is formatted to exFAT or FAT as the PS4 does not recognize NTFS.
Another way is to upload your saved data on PlayStation Networks cloud if you have a PlayStation Plus subscription.
After these safety measure steps, you can now proceed in doing a factory reset of your PS4.
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Performing The Factory Reset
- Navigate to and open “Settings”
- Open “Initialization”
- Select “Initialize PS4”
- “Quick” will quickly wipe all of the data from the drive but isn’t completely secure as the data can be recovered using specialized software. “Full” will wipe the drive securely and prevents attempts at recovering data. Selecting “Full” will take several hours to complete, but is the best option from a security standpoint.
- Once “Quick” or “Full” has been selected, select “Initialize”
- Select “Yes” to confirm
- The PlayStation 4 will reboot and the Factory Reset process will begin. Once complete, the PlayStation 4 will boot and be at the startup screen. From here, holding down the power button will safely turn the console off.
Performing the necessary steps to factory reset a PlayStation 4 and/or prepare it for resale isn’t necessarily complicated, but having the steps can be useful for new users and veterans alike. It’s also good to remember that the process can take several hours to complete, so carving out enough time to ensure the process completes is crucial. With a “fresh” PS4 ready to be loaded with games and apps, there’s not much in the way between players and their content aside from download times.
How To Wipe Your Ps4
First, scroll to the Settings menu from the system’s dashboard. From there, open the Initialization tab and select Initialize PS4. Finally, select Full when prompted and the system will begin deleting all your data, reverting it to its original factory settings. Keep in mind that the initialization process can take upwards of an hour or more depending on how much data you have stored on it, but once it’s done, it’ll be ready to be traded in.
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How Do You Delete A Playstation 4 User
Delete a PS4 User
Open Playstation Network/account Management
After you have opened the main screen of the PS4, you have to click on the Right button that will take you to the settings menu. Select the settings option and you will need to scroll down and select the PlayStation Network / Account Management option. Now you will reach the place where the resetting work is to be done.
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How To Reset Your Ps4 Ready To Sell
Looking to sell your PS4? Make sure you’ve got all these points covered before you part with your console.
Your PS4 might be gathering dust, you need to pay some bills, or you’re looking to upgrade to a PS5 and don’t require Sony’s eighth-gen console anymore. Whatever the reason, you think now’s the right time to sell your PS4.
Before you sell your PS4, ask yourself, “is my PS4 ready to sell?” If you’re unsure, let’s clear things up and get the PS4 ready for sale.
Method 2 Clean Up Game Data And File
After deleting a game as Method 1, do you think you have deleted it completely? Absolutely not! The saved data about the game is still on your PS4 and constantly taking up your storage unless you delete it manually. Thus, dont forget to follow the steps below to clean up game data and file.
Go to “Settings” > “Application Saved Data Management” > “Saved Data in System Storage” > “Delete”.
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Does Factory Reset Delete Ps4
Factory resetting the PlayStation will erase all of your data from your system, and not backing up your save data will result in you having to start your games from scratch. PS Plus users are lucky that they can upload their saves to the cloud, so backing up save data shouldnt be an issue for them.
How To Factory Reset A Ps4 Explored
It may feel like a trauma when you learn how to factory reset a PS4. Saying goodbye to all your game saves and information feels like a crime, though you may store all the information on an external hard drive for safekeeping.
If you plan to upgrade to the new PS5, selling your old console may go some way to paying for the new machine. However, as much as we may look forward to exploring the latest technology, the PS4 remains a close friend. You explored worlds together, won football matches, and killed hordes of zombies before dinner. Saying goodbye isnt easy, but a new adventure awaits your eager digits.
Do you have experience resetting a PS4? Why not share your experience with us by commenting in the space below?
Sean Kerr lives in Cardiff, Wales, and is a published author with over 10 to his name so far and still counting. As well as writing his next bestseller, Sean also runs a successful jewelry-making business and sells his creations online.
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