[Tutorial]: How to Factory Reset Your PS4?

Why users want to factory reset PS4?

Sony released the PlayStation4 (PS4) game console in 2013, which is an update to PS3. Since the advent of PS4, it has been popular among game lovers. But recently, many users want to initialize their PS4 devices, the main reasons why users want to factory reset PS4 are as follows: 

▶ With the release of the PS5, players want to clear their own data to sell the PS4 in order to buy the latest PS.

▶ Players encounter freezes, crashes, connection problems and other failures when using PS4. Initializing the PS4 can restore the device to the working state just bought.

How to reset PS4 back to factory settings?

Next, I will use three methods to demonstrate how to factory reset PS4 for you.

Note: Even if the controller is damaged or cannot be used for other reasons, some users may wish to initialize the PS4. Then how to factory reset PS4 without controller? Here are three suggestions for you.

1. You can connect an external keyboard via PS4’s USB port.

2. You can also connect an external mouse via PS4’s USB port.

3. You can also download the PS4 app on your smartphone, which allows you to operate the PS4 on your phone, but you have to make sure that the PS4 and the smartphone are on the same WiFi and connected.

│ Method 1. Factory reset via PS4 setting

Step 1. Go to setting from the main interface of your PS4.

Step 2. In the settings menu, find the Account Management option. You need to deactivate your account. If you initialize PS4 directly without logging out of your account, you may encounter other problems when you log in to another console.

Step 3. After deactivation, return to the “Settings” menu, slide to the bottom to find the “Initialize” option, and select the last “Initialize PS4”.

Step 4. Select “Full” on the initialization screen.

Important:
Please note that this takes a long time, it may take several hours or more. According to feedback from some users, a crash may even occur during the initialization process.

│ Method 2. Factory reset PS4 via Safe Mode

If you encounter system software issues or other errors that prevent you from entering the settings menu and initialize PS4, you can also restore the factory setting from the safe mode of the console. The safe mode option is designed to help you solve the problem by rebuilding the host storage database, changing the resolution, or resetting to factory setting.

Next I will explain how to factory reset PS4 in safe mode.

Step 1. Turn off PS4 completely.

Step 2. Press and hold the power button, release it after hearing two beeps and wait to enter the safe mode.

Step 3. In the safe mode menu, you can choose to initialize PS4, the principle is the same as the previous method.

│ Method 3. Factory reset with third-party utility

The above two methods are built-in PS4, although easy to operate, sometimes it will get stuck during the initialization process, which wastes a lot of time. If you plan to sell PS4 and there are no other problems when PS4 is running, you just want to wipe all data, you can choose third-party software，AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to wipe PS4 data.

Its “Wipe Hard Drive” feature can every sector of the hard drive will be covered by binary 0, so that the deleted data cannot be recovered, and it will not get stuck in the process of wiping data. If your PS4 is using SSD, you can use SSD Secure Erase feature to eliminate data and recover performance.

First of all:
1. Push the host hard drive cover (the cover in the upper left corner when it is laid flat) to the left to remove it.
2. Then there is a white device, unscrew the screw and take out the hard drive bracket.
3. Remove the hard drive on the bracket (fixed with four Phillips screws), the old hard drive in PS4 will come out.
4. Connect the old hard drive to the computer.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, and right-click the hard drive you want to wipe. Then click “Wipe Hard Drive”.

Step 2. Choose “Fill sectors with random data” to wipe hard drive.

Notes:
☞ Fill sectors with Zeros: Overwrite all sectors with zeros. It is common to wipe a personal hard drive. It is safe and fast.
☞ Fill sectors with random data: It overwrites hard drive with random data. It is more secure than the first one.
☞  DoD 5220.22-M: DoD standard is firstly published in Department of Defense of the U.S. It is much securer than “zero-filling” and “random data filling” and faster than the Guttman. Thus, it is often adopted by companies and organizations.
☞ Gutmann: It overwrites a hard drive with 35 passes. It is the safest way here, but it also takes the longest time.

Step 3. Click “Apply” in the toolbar to execute the operation.

After reading this article, I believe how to factory reset PS4 will no longer be a problem for you.