Were you caught up in the heat of a game on your trusty PlayStation 4 , when suddenly you saw the console reboot and automatically enter a strange mode called Safe Mode ? Your PS4 went into safe mode after doing a system software update and now you don’t know how to fix it? Don’t panic!
If your console seems to have “stopped” and you don’t know how to get out of PS4 Safe Mode , I can try to help you out: there is, in fact, a procedure that can help you exit Safe Mode and verify that your console is not running. send for assistance. Certainly the solution does not boil down to a magic formula that will 100% solve your problem, but before you part with your PlayStation 4 and send it in for assistance, it is worth trying to solve with the very simple procedure that I will tell you about.
Don’t worry, there is nothing particularly complicated to do. You just have to get comfortable and take a few minutes of your time to read this guide and hope, putting it into practice, to be able to play your favorite games again in no time. Are you ready? Well, I wish you happy reading and good luck!
Index
- Preliminary information
- How to get out of PS4 Safe Mode
- Troubleshoot issues using Safe Mode
- Restart the PS4
- Check the cables
- Rebuild the PS4 database
- Update the system software
- In case of doubts or problems
Preliminary information
Before going into the procedure for exiting PS4 Safe Mode , I think it is appropriate to talk to you in more detail about this mode, why it was foreseen and what may have caused your console to “freeze” after its activation.
Well, you should know that the safe mode was created by Sony as a tool for solving problems related to the processing and use of the contents and software on the PlayStation 4. By activating the safe mode, only the basic processes of the system, or those functions strictly necessary for its operation (a bit like what happens on PCs ).
However, it happens that, due to the redundancy of some system errors , the PS4 remains stuck in a so-called “loop”, ie in a continuous boot in safe mode. The reasons why this happens are the most disparate but usually they can all be considered related to errors that can be solved by exploiting the functions that the same safe mode offers.
Well, now that you know what PS4 Safe Mode means and what it entails, I just have to give you a final warning: some options you can access from this mode could cause you to lose your saved data.
Unfortunately, in the event that the PS4 is no longer bootable in normal mode, you will be forced to risk this. After all, however, I think you will agree with me that it is better to take this risk rather than giving up the use of the PS4 entirely or sending it directly to assistance (where they could still delete all the data on the console)!
How to get out of PS4 Safe Mode
If your PS4 is stuck in Safe Mode, you will surely be eager to find out how to get out of it and say goodbye to this “loop” that prevents you from enjoying your console. Don’t worry: the process to follow is not very long and it is also quite simple to complete, as long as you pay some attention to it. That said, here are the steps you need to know and take to try and get rid of the PS4 Safe Mode lock.
Troubleshoot issues using Safe Mode
By resorting to safe mode and thus excluding all “accessory” functions of the operating system, the PS4 has the possibility to rule out errors related to extra features and to access various recovery options .
For example, as you will read in this guide, in safe mode you can rebuild the hard drive database, force a specific video resolution and restore all factory settings.
Yes, these are operations that can be extremely useful in solving many of the problems of the PS4 operating system. As you will have understood, therefore, it is not because you are no longer able to get out of this mode that it is to be considered useless, on the contrary, as I will explain shortly, it offers several options to solve the problem that causes this forcing.
Restart the PS4 system
As you may have noticed, the first option that is offered to you by the console’s Safe Mode itself is to Reboot the PS4 . This is because, to re-enable all functions of the game system and put an end to the block, restarting is usually sufficient.
Be careful not to restart the console from the power button , as you usually do, as the PS4 will continue to bring you back to safe mode. To work around this problem, you need to restart the console by pressing the X button on the item Restart the PS4 .
If the controller input is not recognized, it means that you must first connect it via USB cable to the PS4. Once this is done, you will just have to wait for the usual restart times of the console.
If all goes well, you will successfully view the main PS4 dashboard screen. If not, don’t give up and keep reading this tutorial to try other solutions.
Check the cables
A practical thing to do and often not considered at all is to check that the cables connected to the PlayStation 4 are connected correctly. In fact, it may happen that the console detects badly connected cables and therefore goes into “protection” with safe mode.
A badly connected cable can in fact cause a false electrical contact: a problem that could, in the most unfortunate cases, damage the console. Because of this, double-checking all the links can help you get out of Safe Mode.
I suggest you proceed by disconnecting all the cables from the console, after turning it off permanently . After that, wait at least twenty minutes and then proceed by connecting the wires in this order: the power cable, the HDMI cable and, finally, the USB cables. When you reconnect these wires, make sure they don’t move around the entrance – they need to be snug on the console.
Once everything is reconnected , proceed to boot the console and reboot the system directly from safe mode. If all goes well and the problem detected was indeed inherent to poorly connected cables, you will see the PS4 main menu.
Rebuild the PS4 database
If you still haven’t been able to get out of PS4 Safe Mode, the console “warned” error could be related to a problem with the system database . This kind of issue can be solved by option five of the safe mode menu, called Rebuild PS4 database .
To proceed with rebuilding the database, navigate to the fifth menu option and press the X button on your controller. At this point, I suggest you get comfortable because the time required for this operation is usually considerable and strictly depends on the amount of data stored on the console hard drive.
This procedure is successful when one or more damaged saved data is rebuilt by the software, however this should not cause you to fear for a loss of your data and saves. In fact, no files will be deleted from the system : this is a solution that I highly recommend you try, since often, when PS4s crash in safe mode, it is precisely due to problems with the database.
Again without risking accidental data loss, you can continue by performing a Factory Reset by pressing the X key on the safe mode menu item of the same name.
The option in question returns the console settings to the factory settings and, therefore, if this is successful, you will have to proceed to reconfigure everything.
Finally, as a last resort, you can proceed with system initialization . I recommend this solution only as a last resort, because continuing you will face the loss of all data on your PS4.
If you feel that extreme remedies follow bitter extremes, you can proceed with the initialization by choosing one of the two options between Initialize PS4 and Initialize PS4 (Reinstall system software) . The only difference between the two is that the second option also replaces all PS4 firmware.
Although these are solutions that cause you to lose all data, it happens not infrequently that they are necessary to solve problems that have arisen following the failure of a system software update.
Update the system software
If your PlayStation 4 has lost its Internet connection during a firmware update, or has been offline for a long time, you may need to manually update the software.
This need also derives from the fact that in safe mode it is impossible to proceed with the classic automatic update procedure . In such cases, it is therefore necessary to download the PS4 system software from a computer, via the official page offered by Sony .
Once the download is complete, proceed by getting a USB storage device , like a normal flash drive . If you don’t have one available, you can buy one compatible with PS4 from a common physical electronics store or conveniently online, from retailers such as Amazon: I have given you some advice on the keys to buy in my dedicated buying guide.
Continue by creating, on the device, a folder called exactly PS4 and, inside the latter, a sub-folder called UPDATE , then move the update file you downloaded to this folder: PS4UPDATE.PUP .
Now, go to the PS4 system and connect the USB stick with the update file in it to a USB port on the same.
Now start the console and, from safe mode, choose option three, called Update system software , then press the X key of the controller on the items Update from USB storage device and OK .
In case the update is not recognized, I invite you to double check that you have created the folders correctly and that you have given them the names correctly (they must all be capitalized), also make sure that the update file is actually present in the right folder .
In case of doubts or problems
In case the solutions I have proposed to you in this guide did not solve your problem with the PS4 Safe Mode, I invite you to connect to the official PlayStation support page .
From this page you can write the terms Safe Mode in the search bar and immediately view the most useful suggestions for solving your problem.
If these answers are also insufficient, you could proceed by clicking on the Call us button , so as to get in touch, at the times indicated there, with a Sony operator in the flesh.
Finally, you can proceed to submit a repair or replacement request for your console from the PlayStation Fix & Replace page . Just follow the wizard and get an appointment to pick up your console.
In this regard, I remind you that you may be entitled to a free replacement, or repair, if you have a receipt or invoice for a purchase that is no older than 48 months .
