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To manually update a PS5, put Sony’s official update file on a FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB drive, then install it from the console’s Safe Mode menu. This is the update procedure—not the separate reinstall option, which deletes user data. Use Sony’s current PS5 system software page to download the latest file; Sony’s instructions were checked on October 3, 2026, and the downloadable file can change.

What you need

  • A PC or Mac with an internet connection.
  • A USB drive formatted as FAT32 or exFAT, with approximately 1.1 GB of free space for Sony’s update file.
  • A DualSense or DUALSHOCK 4 controller and a USB cable.

Download the update file only from Sony’s official system software page. The update file is not the larger reinstallation file.

Prepare the USB drive

  1. On the USB drive, create a folder named PS5.
  2. Inside that folder, create another folder named UPDATE.
  3. Download the PS5 update file from Sony’s system software page and save it in PS5/UPDATE.
  4. Name the file PS5UPDATE.PUP. Use uppercase folder and file names; Sony’s Safe Mode instructions specify single-byte characters for names.

The completed file path should be PS5/UPDATE/PS5UPDATE.PUP. If the console later cannot find the update, check the drive format, folder path, and exact filename.

Install the update from Safe Mode

  1. Turn off the PS5 completely.
  2. Connect the prepared USB drive to the console.
  3. Press and hold the console’s power button. Release it after the second beep to start Safe Mode.
  4. Connect the controller to the PS5 with a USB cable, then press the PS button if prompted.
  5. Select Update System Software, then Update from USB Storage Device > OK.
  6. Allow the installation to finish. Do not turn off the console while it installs; interrupting the process can damage the console.

Sony also advises against installing the update immediately before or after a power outage.

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If the PS5 does not detect the update

  • Confirm that the USB drive is FAT32 or exFAT.
  • Confirm the folders are named PS5 and UPDATE, in that order.
  • Check that the file is named exactly PS5UPDATE.PUP and is saved in the UPDATE folder—not the drive’s top level.
  • Make sure you downloaded the update file from Sony rather than the reinstallation file.

Sony’s Safe Mode guide and system software instructions cover the USB update process and file-recognition checks.

Update versus reinstall: choose the right Safe Mode option

For a normal manual update, choose Update System Software and then Update from USB Storage Device. Do not choose Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software) as a routine update: Sony says that reinstallation removes the system software and deletes all user data. Safe Mode includes options that can cause data loss, so use reinstallation only as a last troubleshooting measure and follow Sony’s separate reinstallation instructions.

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Use only Sony’s official update file and documented method. Sony warns that other update data or methods, or installing on an altered or modified console, can stop the console from operating properly and may affect warranty and repair-service eligibility.

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