You are a happy PlayStation 4 owner and are having a lot of fun with Sony’s console. However, you have been experiencing some problems lately and you don’t quite understand how to fix them. Or rather, you would like to try to fix it by restarting the console, but you just don’t know how to do this without risking damaging the PS4.
This is how things are, am I right? Then know that there is no problem: you have come to the right place! In the course of this guide, in fact, I will show you how to restart the PS4 in all possible and imaginable ways – from the most banal and “soft” to the most advanced, necessary in cases that seem most desperate – so that you can solve, hopefully, the issues encountered and get back to playing with your console.
In case you were wondering, in addition to the classic methods that are always good to know, I will also dwell on what to do when the PlayStation 4 is locked. How do you say? Is that exactly what you wanted to know? Then take five minutes of free time and follow the quick directions below. That said, there is nothing left for me to do but wish you good reading and wish you a big good luck for everything!
Index
- Preliminary information
- How to restart the PS4
- How to restart the PS4 from the toolbar
- How to restart the PS4 from the quick menu
- How to restart the PS4 from the power button
- How to restart PS4 from rest mode
- How to restart your PS4 from your smartphone or tablet
- How to restart frozen PS4
Preliminary information
Before explaining in detail how to restart the PS4 , it is good to make a small summary about the various problems encountered by users in this regard.
Well, the simplest of problems is the one concerning the first reboot. It may seem like a trivial problem, but Sony has actually “played” a bit with the restart option, “hiding” it in the power saving settings . In short, the first time you want to restart the console simply to turn it off and back on automatically, it may not be so obvious to find the appropriate button.
Then I think of those people who may have always used the aforementioned method to restart the console and who do not know other faster procedures , as well as the possibility of carrying out this operation directly from their smartphone or tablet . In short, the topic is becoming less and less trivial, right?
As if that were not enough, there are myriads of possible problems that can block the PlayStation 4 , problems that can often be solved with a “forced” restart of the console. The topic therefore has more facets and it is useful to deepen it, so as to allow you both to fully understand the possibilities offered by the console and to solve any problems.
How to restart the PS4
After having shown you what are the main situations PS4 users usually find themselves in who want to restart the console, I would say that it is time to take action and analyze all the methods available to achieve this goal. I’ll start with the “classic” procedures, that is, those you can use when the PlayStation 4 is working properly.
How to restart the PS4 from the toolbar
The “classic method” to restart the PlayStation 4, the one you normally use to restart your console, involves going through the main menu toolbar.
To do this, just access the PlayStation 4 dashboard , go to the upper toolbar (with the directional arrows on the pad), move to the right and press the Power off icon using the X button on the controller. In this way, you will access all the options of the case.
Here usually the less experienced user begins to ask himself some doubts, since the boxes that appear on the screen are Log out of PS4 , Switch user and Power saving options . In short, the doubt could actually arise and maybe someone might think that there is no option to restart the PlayStation.
In reality, just press the X button on the controller above the item Energy saving options and the Reboot box appears , which allows you to automatically turn off and on the console. Easy, right?
How to restart the PS4 from the quick menu
However, the fastest way to restart the PlayStation 4 is to use a quick menu that can be activated by the controller.
More precisely, you just need to hold down the PS button on the pad (the one located in the lower center). select the Shutdown option and press the Restart PS4 box on the right to restart the console.
A message will appear on the screen that warns of the restart in progress of the PS4 and the console turns off, and then turns on again automatically. A faster method than the one mentioned in the previous chapter, don’t you think?
How to restart the PS4 from the power button
Now let’s move on to the “physical method” to restart the PlayStation 4, which consists of using the power button of the console: the latter is located on the front of the PS4, more precisely in the upper center on the PlayStation 4 Slim / Fat and moved on the left on PS4 Pro .
To proceed, therefore, press and hold the power button for about 7 seconds , until you hear a second “beep” . A message will appear on the screen that will warn you that the PS4 is shutting down and, if all goes well, after some time the white LED strip of the console will also be turned off.
Perfect, now your PlayStation 4 is off: just remove your finger from the button, wait a second, and press the power button once to turn it on again. By doing this, you have successfully rebooted the PS4.
How to restart PS4 from rest mode
How do you say? Have you set the PlayStation 4 in so-called sleep mode (orange light) and you no longer know how to switch it on again? No problem, I’ll tell you how to do it right away.
Well, sleep mode is nothing more than a kind of “standby”. For this reason, it means that the PlayStation 4 is not actually turned off and therefore must not be restarted, but simply “awakened” from its current state.
To go back to using the console, just press the physical power button on the front. This way, you will see that the PlayStation 4 will “turn on” and you will be able to pick up where you left off.
Alternatively, you can press the PS button on the pad , which will automatically “wake up” the PlayStation 4 (as long as you have previously paired the controller and console ).
How to restart your PS4 from your smartphone or tablet
We begin to enter the world of more experienced users when we talk about the procedure for restarting the PS4 from smartphones and tablets . In fact, not everyone is familiar with this interesting possibility, despite actually going to sleep mode (so the console is not turned off completely).
To take advantage of this possibility, you must download the official PS4 Second Screen application , available for Android (on the Play Store and alternative stores ) and iPhone / iPad (on the App Store ), by searching for it in the respective stores, by touching its icon in the search results. (portrays the PlayStation logo on a blue background) and pressing the Install / Get button . On iOS / iPadOS, you may need to verify your identity via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password.
At this point, you need to properly configure the console so that it can detect your smartphone or tablet with the PS4 Second Screen app. A fundamental requirement is the fact that both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network , since otherwise they will not be able to “find” each other.
Once you have verified this, go to the PlayStation 4, go to Settings> Connection settings of the mobile device and press the Add device button . In this way, a unique code will appear on the screen that you will later have to enter into the app.
Then start the PS4 Second Screen app and complete the initial configuration by pressing the Next and Confirm and continue buttons in succession . At this point, log in with your PSN account and press the X icon , present at the top left.
Then tap on the name of your PS4 , type the unique code that appeared on the TV or monitor connected to the console and press the Register item .
Great, now you have successfully paired the PlayStation 4 and the smartphone. To achieve your goal, all you have to do is press first on the Power off icon , located at the bottom right, and then on the OK one .
In this way, the console will be put in sleep mode (not turned off completely, because otherwise it could no longer be detected by the smartphone).
To turn the console back on, just press on its name above the word In rest mode . By doing so, you can set the status of the PS4 even from a distance, always remaining connected to the same Wi-Fi network. In short, this is a possibility that could come in handy in some contexts.
How to restart frozen PS4
Unfortunately it can happen: the PlayStation 4 in some contexts can crash. There are myriads of reasons that can lead to this situation, but what matters is resolving it.
To do this, a simple forced restart is often enough . How to do? I’ll explain it to you right away. However, know that this procedure, as well as the one I will explain later, can lead to the deletion of all unsaved data on the console and damage to the disk, so it should only be performed if strictly necessary. Understood?
Well, press and hold the power button on the console, on the front, until you see the white LED go out. After that, try pressing the power button again and see if the PS4 restarts properly. Generally, if the problem is minor, just carry out this operation to solve the problem.
If it’s a more serious problem, you could try unplugging and turning the console back on via the physical power button to see if the PS4 works.
If this is not the case, you could think of returning the PS4 to its original state , but losing all the data contained within it.
If you are sure you want to do this, you can proceed by holding down the power button for about 7 seconds , or until you hear 2 “beeps” , one a few seconds apart from the other. At the second beep, release the button.
At this point, you will enter safe mode and you will be prompted to connect the controller to the PlayStation 4 using the appropriate cable that was provided in the package, which must be inserted into one of the USB ports of the console (you can find some before).
After that, you will have to press the PS button on the pad and select option number 7 , which is Initialize PS4 (reinstall system software) . Perfect, now you just have to wait for the system to complete the procedure and, in case it is a software problem, everything should be solved.
If before deleting all the data you want to make a last attempt, try to perform a rebuild of the console database , selecting the appropriate item from the safe mode menu. In some cases, this allows you to restore PS4 operation without formatting it, but I can’t assure you anything.
As you may have noticed, in the safe mode screen there is also an option called Restart PS4 , however the latter only works in certain cases and, in general, is meant to go back in case the user has activated the safe mode for wrong.
If the problem continues to persist, I suggest you take a look at some tutorials that may come in handy, namely the one on how to format the PS4 , the one on how to reset the PS4 and the one on how to exit the PS4 Safe Mode .
Finally, if you really can’t solve the problem, you might want to consider following my tutorial on how to contact PlayStation to get help for your console.
