Factory resetting your PS5 Pro wipes every account, save, game, screenshot, and setting from the console. The system goes back to the out-of-box state, ready for a new owner or a fresh troubleshooting start. The reset takes about 30 minutes once you confirm it.
Before you do anything, back up your saves to PS Plus cloud storage or to a USB drive. Once the reset starts, there's no recovery. If you're selling the console, also deactivate it as your primary PS5 from your account settings, otherwise the new owner inherits some of your account permissions until you do.
Here's the full process, including what to back up first, how to handle a console that won't boot, and what the reset means for the PS5 Pro's unique features.
Back Up Your Saves to Cloud or USB
If you have PlayStation Plus (any tier), saves sync to cloud automatically. Confirm by going to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Saved Data (PS5) > Cloud Storage. Check the date of the last sync and trigger a manual upload if needed.
No PS Plus? Plug a USB drive formatted FAT32 or exFAT into one of the console's USB ports. Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Saved Data (PS5) > USB Drive > Copy to USB Drive. Select all your save files and copy them over.
The PS5 Pro uses an internal 2TB SSD, but the save backup process is identical to the standard PS5. If you have an expansion M.2 drive installed, note that its data will also be wiped during the reset, back up anything important from that drive separately.
Deactivate the Console From Your Account
If you're selling or giving away the PS5 Pro, deactivate it as your primary console from the system itself. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play > Disable.
If the console is broken and won't boot, you can deactivate remotely via your Sony account on PlayStation.com. Sign in, go to Account Settings > Devices > Console Deactivation > Deactivate All Consoles. This works once every 6 months from the web.
Also consider signing out of any other PS5 consoles you've used, especially if you're about to hand the Pro to a new owner. Open Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play and disable those activations too.
Reset From the Settings Menu (Normal Boot)
If the PS5 Pro is working normally, the cleanest reset is from the system menu. Open Settings > System > System Software > Reset Options > Reset Your Console.
The console asks for confirmation. Choose Reset. The screen goes to a status bar showing reset progress; this takes 20-30 minutes for the 2TB drive. Don't unplug or power off during the reset. The console restarts itself when finished.
After the reset, the PS5 Pro will be running the system software that was installed before the reset. That means any Pro-specific features like PSSR upscaling or Game Boost remain available, but you'll need to sign back in to use them.
What the Reset Wipes
A factory reset removes everything from the internal SSD: user profiles, saved games (local copies, cloud backups stay safe), screenshots, video clips, downloaded games, network settings, controller pairings, accessory configurations, and any DualSense Edge profiles if you use that optional pro pad.
If you have an expansion M.2 SSD installed, those games are also wiped. The drive stays physically installed but gets reformatted as part of the process. The disc drive add-on (sold separately for the Pro) is unaffected, it's a physical accessory that just needs to be re-paired online once after the reset, assuming you've already done its initial online pairing.
Reset From Safe Mode (If Console Won't Boot)
If the PS5 Pro won't boot normally, you can still reset via Safe Mode. With the console fully off, hold the power button until you hear the second beep (about 7 seconds), then release. Plug a DualSense controller into the front USB-C port and press the PS button.
Safe Mode loads. Choose option 7 (Reset PS5) for a basic reset that wipes user data using the system software already on the console, no USB drive needed. Choose option 8 (Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software)) if you also want to reinstall the operating system from scratch; this one requires a USB drive with the latest PS5 reinstallation file from Sony's downloads page.
Note that Safe Mode uses the controller's USB connection, not Bluetooth. The DualSense Edge works the same way, but you'll need to plug it in with the included USB cable.
Full Initialization vs Basic Reset
Sony's PS5 reset options are 'Restore Default Settings' (keeps data), 'Reset PS5' (deletes user data), and 'Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software)' (deletes data and reinstalls OS). There's no separate 'Initialize > Full vs Quick' like on PS4, the 'Reset PS5' option is effectively the full wipe.
A full initialization takes about 2-3 hours on the PS5 Pro and is the right choice if you're selling the console to a stranger. The basic Reset is enough if you're troubleshooting or just cleaning up your own account. It wipes everything, but the system software stays intact unless you choose the reinstall option.
Update System Software After the Reset
After a reset, the PS5 Pro may boot to an older system software version. The current build is 26.03-13.20.00 as of April 2026. Go to Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings and install whatever update is offered.
This pulls in the latest Pro-specific features, including PSSR 2 refinements that reduced upscaling artifacts in many early-generation games. It also enables Game Boost for enhanced graphics on titles that haven't received a Pro patch. The update download depends on your internet speed, WiFi 7 can grab it fast if you have a compatible router, but ethernet or even WiFi 6 will work fine too.
WiFi 7 support on the PS5 Pro is a nice perk, but it only doubles theoretical wireless speed if you have a WiFi 7 router. If you're on older WiFi, the console will fall back to WiFi 6 or 5, which is still plenty for game downloads.
Also check that your PS5 Pro is running the latest firmware to avoid the rare ray tracing crashes in some titles, those require a developer patch, but having the latest system software ensures you're on the best possible version.
What to Do After the Reset
The console boots into the initial setup wizard, the same screens you saw when you first unboxed it. Connect to WiFi or ethernet, pair a controller, sign into your PSN account (or skip if you're handing the console to someone else).
If you backed up saves to cloud, they restore automatically when you sign back in. USB-backed saves need to be copied back manually via Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Saved Data (PS5) > USB Drive > Copy to Console Storage.
The PS5 Pro's Game Boost feature activates automatically for supported games after you sign in and download them. No extra setup needed. The DualSense Edge controller (if you own one) pairs like any other controller, and its replaceable stick modules are unaffected by the reset, they're a hardware feature on the controller itself.
If you have the optional disc drive add-on, you'll need to re-pair it online once. The initial pairing is a one-time requirement, so a factory reset doesn't reset that, the drive should work immediately once you connect it, but if it doesn't, try the pairing process again through Settings > Accessories.
