If you're selling, trading, or even giving away your PlayStation 4, you should perform a factory reset to erase (and therefore protect) all your personal information. If you're having issues with your console (like crashing, glitching, freezing, or save errors), a factory reset may help to resolve them.
Since a factory reset will erase all your personal information from your PS4 and restore it to factory settings, it's important to back up your PS4 data beforehand.
Here's how to deactivate your PS4 as your primary unit – an essential step before resetting – and how to factory reset a PS4.
How to deactivate PlayStation Network account
1. Open Settings on your PS4. Select the PlayStation Network/Account Management tab.
2. Select the Activate as Your Primary PS4 tab, then Deactivate.
3. Select Yes to confirm your choice.
4. When the deactivation process is complete, select OK.
How to factory reset your PS4
Before performing a factory reset using one of the below methods, make sure you've backed up your data.
From your console's dashboard:
1. Log in to your account. Go to Settings.
2. Select Initialization, then select Initialize PS4.
Choose the "Initialize PS4" option, then "Full" on the next page to perform a full factory reset. Sony
3. Select Full, then Initialize.
4. Select Yes to confirm your choice.
From Safe Mode:
If you're unable to factory reset your PS4 using the method outlined above, try this method via safe mode.
1. Press and hold the power button until you hear two beeps.
2. Select Initialize PS4 to wipe all user data and restore your console to factory settings.
