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Back up your PS5 before choosing Reset Your Console. You have two supported options: make a full backup to a FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB drive, or upload your saved data to PlayStation Plus cloud storage. A reset deletes all user data and cannot be undone, so verify at least one backup and sync your trophies separately before erasing the console.
What a PS5 reset does—and why the backup matters
Sony defines Reset PS5 as an operation that “deletes all user data and restores the PS5 console to its original state.” The deleted data cannot be restored from the console afterward. That includes locally stored game saves, settings, captures and other user information, so treat a reset as a destructive operation rather than a routine restart.
A reset is different from returning only the system settings to their defaults. In Safe Mode, Restore Default Settings preserves games, apps, screenshots, video clips and saved data on the console storage. Reset PS5 removes user data. Select the less destructive option only when your troubleshooting goal is to undo settings and not to wipe the console.
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USB and cloud backups protect different things. The table below shows the practical trade-offs before you begin.
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| Consideration | USB backup | PlayStation Plus cloud storage |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | No PlayStation Plus subscription is required. | Requires an active PlayStation Plus subscription. |
| What it can protect | A full PS5 backup can include games and apps, saved data, screenshots, video clips and settings. Games and apps stored on USB extended storage or an M.2 SSD are not included. | Focuses on saved data. Sony provides separate PS5 and PS4 saved-data areas. |
| Internet dependence | The backup is written to the connected USB drive; an internet connection is not needed for the copy itself. | Uploading, automatic synchronization and downloading require an internet connection. |
| Portability | The backup drive can be kept with the console or transported for a later restore. | The save is tied to your PlayStation account and cloud access. |
| Main selection risk | You must use a FAT32 or exFAT drive. A USB extended-storage drive used for installed games cannot hold PS5 backup data. | You must confirm that each game’s save has finished syncing or uploading before you reset. |
| Storage allowance | Limited by the free space on the compatible USB drive; Sony does not state a single fixed backup-size limit in the backup instructions. | Up to 100 GB of PS5 saved data and 100 GB of PS4 saved data. |
When in doubt, use both routes: make the USB backup for settings and captures, then confirm that your current saves are also in cloud storage. Two independent copies reduce the chance that a failed drive, interrupted upload or mistaken selection leaves you without a save.
Prepare the correct USB drive
Use FAT32 or exFAT
The drive used for a PS5 backup must be formatted as FAT32 or exFAT. If the drive contains files you need, copy them elsewhere before reformatting because formatting erases its existing contents. The PS5 backup process does not convert an incompatible drive for you.
Do not use USB extended storage for games
The USB extended-storage drive that holds installed games uses a different format and cannot store PS5 backup data. It is not interchangeable with a FAT32- or exFAT-formatted backup drive. If you have several drives connected, identify the one intended for the backup before you open the backup menu.
Leave enough space for the categories you select
A full backup may contain games and apps, saved data, screenshots, video clips and settings. The more captures and installed content you include, the more free space the drive needs. You can choose the data categories in the backup wizard instead of copying every category. Content already installed on USB extended storage or an M.2 SSD is excluded from the PS5 backup; plan to reconnect that storage or reinstall the M.2 SSD after the reset.
Make a full USB backup, step by step
- Connect the prepared drive. Plug the FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB storage device into the PS5. Do not connect the USB extended-storage drive as the intended backup device.
- Open the backup menu. From the PS5 home screen, go to Settings > System > System Software > Back Up and Restore > Back Up Your PS5.
- Select the drive. If more than one USB drive is connected, choose the drive you prepared for the backup.
- Choose categories. Select the data categories you want to preserve. Sony lists games and apps, saved data, screenshots and video clips, and settings as backup categories. Remember that games and apps on USB extended storage or an M.2 SSD are not included.
- Start the backup. Select Next, review the selection, and choose Back Up. The console restarts and begins writing the backup to the drive.
- Wait for completion. Do not turn off the PS5 or disconnect the drive while the operation is running. Sony warns that interrupting a backup can cause data loss or corruption and can damage the console or USB drive. Wait for the Backup complete message, select OK, and allow the console to restart again.
Do not treat the first restart as proof that the backup succeeded. The completion message is the confirmation you need. Keep the drive connected until that message appears and the second restart has finished.
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Sync trophies separately
Trophies are not included in PS5 USB backup data. Before resetting, open the Trophies area and run the console’s option to synchronize trophies with PlayStation Network. Wait for synchronization to finish while the console is online. This step protects your trophy record independently of the save backup; copying saved data alone does not do it.
Back up saves with PlayStation Plus cloud storage
Cloud storage is useful when you mainly need game saves and do not want to move a physical drive. Sony states that PlayStation Plus cloud storage supports up to 100 GB of PS5 saved data and 100 GB of PS4 saved data. The service requires PlayStation Plus.
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Turn on automatic synchronization
Automatic updates and Stay Connected to the Internet must be enabled for automatic cloud synchronization to work. On the PS5, open Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings, then choose the appropriate saved-data section:
- For PS5 games, select Saved Data (PS5) > Sync Saved Data > Auto-Sync Saved Data.
- For PS4 games, select Saved Data (PS4) > Sync Saved Data > Auto-Upload.
With those options enabled, the PS5 can synchronize a save when you close a game or when the console enters rest mode. Let the game close normally and leave the console online long enough for the sync to complete before you reset.
Upload a save manually
For a reset you are about to perform, a manual upload gives you a direct confirmation for the saves you care about:
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- Open Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings.
- Choose Saved Data (PS5) or Saved Data (PS4).
- Select Upload or Delete from Console Storage > Upload to Cloud Storage.
- Select the game save and start the upload. Wait until the console reports that it has completed.
Check both sections if you play a mixture of PS5 and backward-compatible PS4 games. A PS4 save is not automatically present in the PS5 saved-data area simply because the game runs on a PS5.
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After signing in on the reset PS5, use Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Saved Data (PS5/PS4) > Download or Delete from Cloud Storage > Download to console storage. PS4 saves uploaded to cloud storage must be manually downloaded to PS5 storage; they do not become local saves automatically.
Verify your backups before erasing anything
Use this pre-reset checklist while the original data is still on the console:
- The USB backup ended with the Backup complete message, and the drive has been kept safely connected until the console’s restart finished.
- The backup drive is the FAT32- or exFAT-formatted device, not the USB extended-storage drive used for installed games.
- Every important PS5 and PS4 save has either completed a cloud upload or is included in the USB backup.
- Trophies have been synchronized with PlayStation Network separately.
- You know which external game storage or M.2 SSD must be reconnected or reinstalled later, because those games and apps are not included in the PS5 backup.
If a save is especially important, verify it in both places: check its cloud upload and leave it included in the USB backup. Do not start the reset merely because the backup menu opened; wait for completion and confirm the cloud status for the games you intend to continue.
Reset the PS5 only after verification
For a normal factory reset, Sony’s transfer and disposal instructions use this path: Settings > System > System Software > Reset Options > Reset Your Console. Review the warning, confirm that your backups and trophy synchronization are complete, and proceed only when you accept that the operation deletes the console’s settings and information and cannot be undone.
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If your purpose is only to return settings to their defaults while keeping local content, stop and use Restore Default Settings instead. That option preserves games, apps, screenshots, video clips and saved data on console storage; it is not the same operation as Reset Your Console.
Restore a USB backup after the reset
- Connect the USB drive that contains the completed PS5 backup.
- Open Settings > System > System Software > Back Up and Restore > Restore Your PS5.
- Select the backup you want to restore and confirm the operation.
- Keep the console powered on and the drive connected until the restore finishes.
The PS5’s current system software must be the same version as, or newer than, the version installed when the backup was created. If the console is on an older system-software version, update it before attempting the restore.
Restoring a backup disables Console Sharing and Offline Play. Re-enable that feature afterward if you rely on it for subscription benefits or access to downloaded content. Also reconnect USB extended storage and reinstall the M.2 SSD as needed; games and apps stored on those devices were not part of the PS5 backup.
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The PS5 does not offer the drive in Back Up Your PS5
- Confirm that the drive is formatted as FAT32 or exFAT.
- Make sure it is not the USB extended-storage drive formatted for installed games.
- If multiple drives are connected, disconnect the unrelated one and reopen the backup menu so the intended device is unambiguous.
Do not proceed with a reset until the correct drive appears and the backup wizard accepts it.
The backup stopped or the console was turned off
Power loss, a loose connection or manually shutting down the PS5 can interrupt the operation. Sony warns that an interruption can result in data loss or corruption or damage to the console or USB drive. Reconnect the drive, start a new backup and wait for the Backup complete message. Treat an interrupted copy as unverified rather than assuming that the portion already written is usable.
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A recent save is missing from cloud storage
Check that the game was closed or that the console remained in rest mode long enough for automatic synchronization. Confirm that automatic updates and Stay Connected to the Internet are enabled, then perform a manual upload through Upload or Delete from Console Storage > Upload to Cloud Storage. Verify both the PS5 and PS4 saved-data sections when the game is a PS4 title running on PS5.
Trophies are absent after the reset
USB backup does not contain trophies. Return the console online, sign in to the same PlayStation Network account and synchronize trophies before relying on the post-reset console as your record. The critical protection step is always the pre-reset synchronization.
The restore option rejects the backup
Check the system-software requirement first: the installed version must be the same as or newer than the version used when the backup was made. Then confirm that you selected the drive containing the completed backup rather than a game-storage drive. If the restore succeeds but content stored on USB extended storage or an M.2 SSD is absent, reconnect that storage or reinstall the SSD; those items are excluded by design.
Which method should you use?
Use USB when you need more than saves
Choose a FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB drive when you want one local package containing settings, captures, saved data and supported games or apps. It is also the practical choice when you do not have PlayStation Plus or when your internet connection is unreliable. The trade-off is that you must manage the correct drive and protect it from interruption or physical loss.
Use cloud storage when you need quick save protection
Choose PlayStation Plus cloud storage when your priority is game saves and you want automatic synchronization between sessions. It avoids carrying a drive, but it depends on the subscription, internet access and a completed sync. Remember the separate 100 GB PS5 and 100 GB PS4 allowances and manually download PS4 saves after the reset.
Use both for a high-value save
For a long campaign or irreplaceable local progress, complete the USB backup, upload the relevant saves to cloud storage, and synchronize trophies before selecting Reset Your Console. This combination covers the broadest range of data while giving you a second copy if one method fails.
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