How To Start Your PS5 In Safe Mode (And Why You May Need To)
Thanks to the ever-increasing complexity of home video game consoles, modern systems like the PlayStation 5 get to inherit similar troubleshooting features to home computers — like the Safe Mode this article is so clearly about. It doesn’t matter if you’ve gotten ahold of theDisc or Digital Edition, because both versions have it. But why would you ever need to bother with Safe Mode on a PS5?
In truth, as long as your console is treated well and doesn’t run into any significant issues, you may very well go through its entire lifespan without having to use Safe Mode. However, it does have its uses in very specific situations. If yourPS5 gets stuck on a black screen, booting in Safe Mode lets you adjust the output resolution (one of the first steps to take when fixing this particular error). It’s also necessary if you want toclear your PS5’s cacheso that games saved to the SSD will perform a bit better.
With all of that said, it’s still important to exercise caution when starting up your PS5 in Safe Mode. The process itself doesn’t carry any risks, but some of the options can end up costing you some of the data saved to your system. So, if possible, take the time to back up your game saves and other user data (either via cloud storage or on an external drive) before attempting any fixes in Safe Mode.
Safe Mode, activate!
Starting up in Safe Mode is a fairly simple process. You just have to make sure the console is turned off (not just in Rest Mode) first.
The Safe Mode menu screen includes a variety of options from a simple restart to a complete factory reset, so ensure you know what you want to do before making a selection. If you change your mind, select Restart PS5 and the console will perform a regular restart without any changes.
