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To start a PS5 in Safe Mode, turn the console completely off, then hold its power button until you hear the second beep. Connect a controller to the console with a USB cable and press the PS button. The console must be off before you begin the second press-and-hold sequence.

Enter PS5 Safe Mode

  1. Turn off the PS5 by holding the console’s power button for about three seconds. The power indicator blinks, then turns off.

  2. With the console off, press and hold the power button again. You’ll hear one beep when you press it and a second beep about seven seconds later. Release the button at the second beep.

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  3. Connect the controller to the PS5 with a USB cable, then press the controller’s PS button. The Safe Mode menu should appear.

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Sony describes Safe Mode as starting the console with only its most basic functions active. Its menu offers options for problems involving video output, storage, cache, system software, and console settings. See Sony’s Safe Mode guide for the official option descriptions.

Choose a Safe Mode option without risking unnecessary data loss

Read the selected option’s description before confirming it. The choices do not all have the same effect on your data.

  • Restart PS5: Exits Safe Mode and restarts the console.

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  • Change Video Output: Lets you change the resolution or HDCP mode, which may help with display problems.

  • Repair Console Storage: Repairs console storage issues; Sony says this option does not erase data.

  • Update System Software: Updates the console’s software.

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  • Restore Default Settings: Restores default settings while preserving content stored on the console, including games, apps, captures, clips, and saved data.

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  • Clear Cache and Rebuild Database: Provides cache and database troubleshooting options.

  • Reset PS5: Resets the console and deletes user data.

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  • Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software): Deletes user data and removes the PS5 system software.

Before choosing either reset option, back up important data to a USB drive or cloud storage if possible. Those choices delete user data; the reinstall option also removes the system software. Sony’s guide to Safe Mode options explains their effects.

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If the Safe Mode menu does not appear

Sony recommends checking the console’s USB, HDMI, and power connections. Try a different cable one at a time, testing Safe Mode after each change. If the menu still will not appear, try a power cycle:

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  1. Hold the power button until the console beeps and turns off.

  2. Unplug the console for 20 minutes.

  3. Reconnect it and try the Safe Mode startup sequence again.

If you still cannot access Safe Mode, Sony directs you to PlayStation Repairs.

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Do you need a USB drive to start Safe Mode?

No. To enter Safe Mode, you need a USB cable to connect the controller to the console; a USB storage drive is not part of the startup steps. A USB drive is only needed for certain manual system-software update or reinstallation procedures.

For a manual update, Sony specifies an internet-connected PC or Mac, a USB drive formatted as FAT32 or exFAT, and the folder path PS5/UPDATE with the update file named PS5UPDATE.PUP. Follow Sony’s manual system-software update instructions before preparing the drive.

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