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Close the game, synchronize its save data, and make a second copy before installing the update. The safest routine is to use PlayStation Plus cloud synchronization for your latest PS5 and PS4 saves, then create a full-console backup on a FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB drive if you need an offline copy. A normal system software update is different from Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software): the ordinary update is designed to preserve user data, while the reset option erases it.
What to do before you update
Use this order when you want the lowest practical risk:
- Finish saving in the game. Wait for any save icon, checkpoint, or in-game confirmation to complete.
- Close the game. From the home screen, highlight the game, press the Options button, and choose Close Game. A closed game cannot continue writing a save while the backup is being prepared.
- Synchronize cloud saves. With PlayStation Plus, sync the relevant PS5 or PS4 saved-data category and check that the most recent timestamp is present.
- Create a USB backup if the save is important. Use the PS5’s full-console backup tool with a FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB drive.
- Install the update through the normal update menu. Do not choose the separate reset-and-reinstall command unless you deliberately intend to erase the console.
This two-copy approach gives you a targeted recovery option (the cloud save) and a local recovery option (the full-console backup). If you only need protection for a few hours around an update, cloud synchronization is usually the quickest step. If you want an offline copy or are preparing for a major troubleshooting operation, add the USB backup.
Will a normal PS5 system update delete game saves?
A routine update started from Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings is not the same operation as resetting the console. Sony presents the normal update path as a software update, while Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software) is the destructive option that deletes all user data. Select the update command, not the reset command, when your goal is simply to move to a newer system software version.
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No official independent statistic establishes how often saves are lost during routine PS5 updates. That absence is why a backup remains sensible for irreplaceable progress, especially if the console has shown storage errors, unexpected shutdowns, or corrupted-data messages. A backup does not make the update itself safer; it gives you a way back if a separate hardware, storage, or account problem occurs.
Update from the normal settings menu
- Open Settings from the PS5 home screen.
- Select System.
- Choose System Software.
- Open System Software Update and Settings.
- Select the available update and follow the on-screen prompts.
Safe Mode also contains an Update System Software command for consoles that cannot complete an update from the normal interface. Safe Mode’s update command is still distinct from Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software). If you use a USB device for installation, use only the official update file and follow Sony’s naming and folder requirements for that file.
Cloud backup with PlayStation Plus
Cloud storage is the most targeted way to protect game saves. It stores saved data rather than a complete image of the console, so downloading a cloud save can replace a local save without restoring every game, clip, and setting.
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Automatic synchronization requires the PS5 to be online while in Rest Mode. Enable it at Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode > Stay Connected to the Internet. If this option is off, the console cannot perform the documented Rest Mode synchronization while asleep.
Turn on automatic synchronization
Open Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings. You will see separate controls for PS5 and PS4 saved data:
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- PS5 games: choose Saved Data (PS5), then Sync Saved Data, and enable Auto-Sync Saved Data.
- PS4 games played on the PS5: choose Saved Data (PS4), then use Auto-Upload.
Automatic synchronization is useful for routine protection, but do not assume that enabling it proves the newest save has reached the cloud. Perform a manual check immediately before the update when the current session matters.
Force a manual sync and verify the timestamp
- Go to Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings.
- Select Saved Data (PS5) or Saved Data (PS4), matching the game you are protecting.
- For PS5 saves, open Sync Saved Data and use the sync control. For PS4 saves, use Auto-Upload and the available upload controls.
- Use Upload or Delete from Console Storage to send a local save manually when needed.
- Open Download or Delete from Cloud Storage to inspect the cloud copy and its date and time.
Compare the cloud timestamp with the time you finished playing. If it is older, leave the game closed, keep the console online, and repeat the upload or synchronization before updating. Do not download an older cloud file over a newer local save unless you have intentionally chosen the older version.
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Cloud capacity and account requirements
Current PlayStation Plus support guidance lists up to 100 GB of PS5 saved data, up to 100 GB of PS4 saved data, and up to 1,000 PS4 saved-data files. These are service limits, not a promise that every account or subscription tier has identical features in every country; check the PlayStation Plus terms for your region. Cloud saves are associated with the PlayStation account that uploaded them, so sign in to that same account when you need to download them.
When cloud storage is not enough
Cloud synchronization requires an eligible PlayStation Plus membership and an internet connection. It also protects saved data only. It does not preserve your screenshots, video clips, console settings, or installed games as a single restorable package. If you are changing consoles, troubleshooting the internal drive, or want an offline copy, use the full-console USB backup as well.
USB backup: make a full-console copy
The PS5’s USB backup tool creates a broader backup than cloud synchronization. Sony’s documented backup categories include games and apps, saved data, screenshots and video clips, and settings. Because it is a full-console operation, it takes longer and requires enough free space for the categories you select.
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Choose the correct USB drive
For backup data, the USB drive must be formatted as FAT32 or exFAT. A drive being used as PS5 USB extended storage for installed games is a different case: Sony states that the extended-storage format cannot be used for backup data. Do not assume that a drive holding installed games can be selected by the backup utility. Use a separate compatible drive, or reformat a drive only after moving anything you need elsewhere because formatting erases its existing contents.
- Use a directly connected USB storage device rather than a hub that may disconnect during a long operation.
- Confirm the drive has enough free capacity for the categories selected.
- Back up any files already on the drive before formatting it.
- Keep the drive connected until the console reports completion.
Run the backup
- Connect the FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB drive to the PS5.
- Open Settings > System > System Software > Back Up and Restore.
- Select Back Up Your PS5.
- Choose the data categories to include. The available categories cover games and apps, saved data, screenshots and video clips, and settings.
- Select Next, review the estimate, and choose Back Up.
- Allow the console to restart and wait for the Backup complete message.
Do not turn off the PS5 while backing up or restoring data. A power interruption or disconnected drive can leave the backup incomplete. After the completion message appears, use the PS5’s safe removal option where available before disconnecting the drive.
What the USB backup does not include
Trophies are not included in the full-console backup. Synchronize trophies separately while signed in to PlayStation Network before you update or replace the console. Trophy synchronization is an account service operation, not a file copied into the USB backup.
Cloud versus USB: choose the right protection
| Characteristic | PlayStation Plus cloud | USB full-console backup |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Protects saved data for PS5 and PS4 games | Creates a local copy of selected console categories |
| Connection and service | Requires PlayStation Plus features and an internet connection | Uses a locally connected USB drive |
| Data scope | Saved data; PS5 and PS4 controls are separate | Games and apps, saved data, screenshots and video clips, and settings |
| Format | No USB format required | USB drive must use FAT32 or exFAT |
| Recovery style | Download a selected cloud save to console storage | Restore a broader console backup |
| Risk during recovery | More targeted; select the save you need | Restoring erases data currently saved on the console |
| Offline availability | No; the cloud copy requires account and network access | Yes, provided the USB drive and account are available |
| PS5 individual-save USB transfer | Not applicable | Individual PS5 saves cannot be copied through the PS4-style USB transfer workflow |
For a normal update, cloud synchronization is the minimum practical step. Add the USB method when the progress is valuable enough to justify a longer operation, when you lack reliable internet access, or when you also want to preserve media and settings.
PS5 saves and PS4 saves are handled differently
The console distinguishes between saved data created by PS5 games and saved data created by PS4 games. In Saved Data and Game/App Settings, choose the matching category instead of assuming one control covers both.
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Sony’s transfer guidance allows PS4 game saves to be copied to USB through the PS4-style transfer workflow. That path does not provide a way to copy individual PS5 saves to a USB stick. For PS5 game saves, use PlayStation Plus cloud storage or the full-console PS5 backup. A USB drive formatted correctly for the full backup still does not turn into an individual PS5-save export tool.
Identify which save type you need
- If the game is the PS5 version, use Saved Data (PS5) and its Sync Saved Data controls.
- If the game is the PS4 version running on the PS5, use Saved Data (PS4) and its Auto-Upload controls.
- If both versions are installed, protect each version’s save data separately; progress is not automatically interchangeable between editions.
How to restore after an update or console problem
Download one cloud save
Use Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings, select Saved Data (PS5) or Saved Data (PS4), then open Download or Delete from Cloud Storage. Choose the game and save you want to download. This approach is appropriate when one local save is damaged and you want to replace only that game’s data. Check the cloud timestamp first so you do not overwrite a newer local file with an older copy.
Restore the USB backup
Connect the drive and open Settings > System > System Software > Back Up and Restore. Choose the restore option and select the backup. Backup data is linked to the PlayStation account used to create it; restoring to another PS5 requires signing in with that same account.
Restoring is not a merge. Sony warns that restoration erases all data currently saved on the console, and erased data cannot be restored. Before confirming, copy or synchronize anything created after the backup date that you want to keep. The console’s current system software must be the same version as, or newer than, the version on which the backup was made. If the console is running an older version, update it first.
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- Sign in to the account associated with the backup.
- Update the console so its system software is at least as new as the backup’s software version.
- Protect any current saves or media that are newer than the backup.
- Connect the backup drive and select the restore function.
- Read the deletion warning and confirm only when you accept that current console data will be erased.
- After the restart, allow games and applications to finish installing or updating before testing the restored save.
Troubleshooting backup and synchronization problems
The cloud timestamp is old
- Close the game so it is no longer writing to local storage.
- Verify that the PS5 is connected to the internet.
- Check Stay Connected to the Internet under the Rest Mode power-saving settings.
- Run the manual sync or upload control again.
- Confirm that you are viewing the correct PS5 or PS4 saved-data category.
If the timestamp still does not change, keep the console on and connected while you investigate the PlayStation Network or membership issue; do not delete the local save while the cloud copy is uncertain.
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The USB drive is not accepted
- Check that the drive is FAT32 or exFAT, not the format used for PS5 extended game storage.
- Move important files off the drive before reformatting, because formatting deletes existing contents.
- Reconnect the drive directly to the console and try another USB port.
- Make sure the drive has enough free space for the categories selected.
- If the drive disconnects during the process, restart the backup rather than treating an interrupted copy as complete.
The backup takes a long time
A full-console backup can include installed games and apps plus media files, so its duration depends on the amount of selected data and the drive’s sustained write speed. Leave the console powered and untouched until Backup complete appears. If time is limited before an update, perform the cloud synchronization first, then run the USB backup later.
The console will not start the ordinary update
Try the normal update menu again after checking the internet connection and available internal storage. If the interface remains unusable, start Safe Mode and select Update System Software. Do not select Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software) as a troubleshooting shortcut unless you have already secured the data and intend to erase the console. For a USB-based installation, use only Sony’s official update file and the required folder and filename structure.
A practical pre-update checklist
- Finish the game’s latest objective or checkpoint.
- Close the game from the home screen.
- Synchronize PS5 saved data with Sync Saved Data.
- Synchronize PS4 saved data with Auto-Upload.
- Inspect the cloud copy’s date and time.
- Synchronize trophies separately.
- Prepare a FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB drive if you want an offline copy.
- Run Back Up Your PS5 and wait for Backup complete.
- Install the update from System Software Update and Settings.
- Keep the USB drive until you have tested the game and confirmed the save loads.
What changes when you replace or reset the console?
An update is a version change on the same console. A replacement, factory reset, or system-software reinstall is a data-recovery event. Cloud saves are convenient when you can sign in and download only the required game data. A USB backup is broader, but its restore operation replaces the console’s current contents and requires compatible system software and the original PlayStation account.
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If you are selling, returning, or repairing the PS5, synchronize cloud saves and trophies first, make the USB backup if you need a local archive, and only then consider a reset. Keep the backup drive disconnected from the console until you are ready to restore; accidental formatting or deletion is otherwise easy to do.
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