What to do before selling your PS4?

The time has come for you to move your PS4 forward. Regardless of the reason, even to help pay for a PS5, some procedures need to be done to clear all of your data before selling the PlayStation 4 and delivering it, safely and in good condition, to the new owner. Here’s what to do.

What to do before selling the PlayStation 4

1. Back up your saves

If you subscribe to PlayStation Plus, you can upload your game saves to the cloud, right in your account. However, extra care never hurts – especially with that game that you spent more than 500 hours playing.

Recalling that the game itself can be downloaded again (being linked to your account) on a new PS4 or installed via physical media, if applicable. That said, let’s prepare your backup.

With PlayStation Plus:

1. Select a game already installed;
2. On the controller, press the “Options” button and a side window will open;
3. Select the option Download / upload saved data;
4. Now choose Upload Everything.

It is also possible to use the option “Select and upload”, in case you want to backup a specific save.

With an external HD or SSD:

1. Plug an external HD or SSD into one of the PS4’s USB ports;
2. Go to Settings and then Management of saved application data;
3. Go to Data saved to system storage;
4. Select Copy to USB storage device;
5. A list of games with data stored on the console will appear;
6. Choose the game (or games) you want to backup and press X;
7. On the screen that appears, go to Select all and then Copy;
8. Now just wait for the process to finish.

2. Back up the system

In addition to its precious saves, it is also possible to make a backup copy of the entire legacy of your PlayStation 4. This will help you to restore all the information that was on this device on some other PS4, for example. Do the following:

1. Plug an external HD or SSD into one of the PS4’s USB ports;
2. Go to settings and then System;
3. Select Backup and restore;
4. Now go to Back up PS4;
5. Follow the rest of the procedures and you’re done.

3. Disable your primary profile on PS4

This is important to make sure that your PlayStation account is no longer associated with the console system. Follow the steps:

1. Go to Settings and then Account Management;
2. Go to the Activate option as your primary PS4;
3. Choose Disable.

4. Erase all data from PS4

Backup of the system and game saves, in the cloud or on an HD / SSD, is already done now it’s time to clean the entire console at once. Remember that this procedure is irreversible. Come on:

1. In the main system menu, go to Settings;
2. Scroll down the entire screen to Startup;
3. Now choose the Boot PS4 option;
4. Finally, select Complete and you’re done.

This last procedure can take a while, depending on the amount of things that are installed on the console. This method will completely erase all of your information from system storage.

Last tip: before selling the PlayStation 4, check that the accessories and console are clean. No one will want to pay for a dusty, greasy appliance. If possible, open the PS4 (if it is no longer under warranty) and do an internal cleaning to remove the dirt that accumulates over time.