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Before updating your PS5, protect important data—especially before using any reset or reinstall option. You can back up console data to a FAT32- or exFAT-formatted USB drive, or use PlayStation Plus cloud storage for saved data subject to your account’s current service terms. If an update fails, retry it from Downloads/Uploads, then use Sony’s official USB update procedure if needed.
What to do before updating your PS5
Check your saves and trophies
PS5 saved data cannot be copied from the console to a USB drive one save at a time. Sony’s supported alternatives are a full console backup to USB or, for PlayStation Plus members, cloud storage. See Sony’s PS5 USB backup instructions and PS5 data transfer guidance.
Trophies are not included in a USB console backup. Sync them separately with PlayStation Network before making a backup if you want their latest status protected.
Make a USB backup
- Connect a USB drive formatted as FAT32 or exFAT to the PS5.
- Open Settings > System > System Software > Back Up and Restore > Back Up Your PS5.
- Select the categories to include: games and apps, saved data, screenshots and video clips, and settings. Sony says all user data saved on the console is included in the backup.
- Follow the on-screen prompts and leave the console powered on until the backup finishes. Sony warns that turning off the console during backup or restoration can cause data loss or corruption, or damage the console or drive.
The USB backup excludes games and apps stored on USB extended storage or an M.2 SSD. Reconnect the extended-storage drive or reinstall the M.2 SSD when restoring. The backup is associated with the PlayStation account used; to restore it to another console, sign in with that same account. If you have never signed in to PlayStation services, Sony says the backup can only be restored to the original console.
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Restoring a backup erases all data currently saved on the PS5, and Sony says erased data cannot be restored. Treat restoration as a replacement of the console’s current contents, not as a merge.
Use cloud storage instead, if eligible
PlayStation Plus members can download saved data from cloud storage. This can protect saves without a USB drive, subject to the account’s current PlayStation Plus terms and cloud-save settings. It is not a way to copy individual PS5 saves onto a USB stick.
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Know which USB files and content are separate
A FAT32- or exFAT-compatible USB drive is optional if you use cloud storage and update over the network. USB extended storage and M.2 SSD content are separate from the full-console backup, so check where games and apps are stored before relying on the backup to preserve them.
Update normally, then retry a stuck download
For a standard update, open Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings, then choose Update System Software when an update is available.
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If a download stalls or fails while the home screen is available, press the PS button and open Downloads/Uploads. Highlight the update, choose View Error Info, then select Try Again. For update failures where the home screen is still accessible, Sony also advises connecting the PS5 to the router with a LAN cable and trying again. Sony’s PS5 system software update guidance describes the supported update options.
Install the update from USB if network attempts keep failing
Use only the update file and instructions from PlayStation Support. Sony warns against using update data from other sources. The manual update route requires a computer and a USB drive formatted FAT32 or exFAT.
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- On the USB drive, create a folder named PS5, then create an UPDATE folder inside it.
- Download the official update file from Sony’s PS5 system software page and save it in the UPDATE folder as PS5UPDATE.PUP.
- Turn the PS5 fully off. Press and hold the console’s power button until you hear the second beep, about seven seconds after the first. Connect the controller to the console with a USB cable and press the PS button.
- In Safe Mode, select Update System Software > Update from USB Storage Device > OK.
If the console does not recognize the file, check that the folders and filename are spelled correctly and use the uppercase names shown above. The update page currently lists approximate free-space requirements of 1.1 GB for the update file and 1.2 GB for the reinstallation file; check Sony’s live instructions because file requirements can change.
Do not turn off the console while the update is installing. Sony Interactive Entertainment warns: “Don’t turn off your console during the installation. Interrupting the installation can cause your console to be damaged.”
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Use Safe Mode options carefully
To enter Safe Mode, power the PS5 fully off, then hold the power button until the second beep, about seven seconds later. Connect the controller by USB and press the PS button. Sony lists repair, update, reset, and reinstall choices in its Safe Mode guide; they do not all have the same effect on your data.
| Safe Mode option | Effect on data |
|---|---|
| Repair Console Storage | Does not erase data. |
| Restore Default Settings | Preserves content such as games, apps, captures, and saved data. |
| Reset PS5 | Deletes all user data. |
| Reset PS5 (Reinstall System Software) | Deletes user data and removes the system software. |
Back up important data before selecting either reset option. Reinstalling system software is a last-resort recovery step, not a routine update fix. Sony’s update instructions distinguish the update file from the reinstallation file.
When to contact PlayStation Support
If the normal retry, a LAN connection, and the official Safe Mode USB update do not resolve the problem, use PlayStation Support and its repair diagnostic process. Avoid choosing a reset or reinstall simply to see whether it helps unless you have secured any data you need.
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