To reinstall PS4 system software, put Sony's reinstallation file on a USB drive as PS4/UPDATE/PS4UPDATE.PUP, start the console in Safe Mode and choose Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software). It deletes everything on the console, which is why Sony calls it the last step in troubleshooting.
The procedure is the same on the original PS4, the Slim and the Pro: Sony publishes one update file and one reinstallation file for all of them. If the console is stuck in a loop and you haven't tried the options that keep your data, start with our guide to the PS4 safe mode options. On a PS5 the menu and the file are different — see how to reinstall PS5 system software.
Update System Software keeps your data; Initialize PS4 and Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software) both erase it. Back up first: saves to a USB drive, saves to PS Plus online storage, or the whole console with Back Up and Restore. A reinstall needs the reinstallation file, not the update file — the wrong one stops with CE-34788-0. A new hard drive always needs a reinstall from USB.
Initialize PS4 vs Reinstall System Software vs Update: what each erases
Only the two Initialize options erase your data. Initialize PS4 deletes all user data and returns the console to its original state. Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software) deletes all user data and removes the system software as well, so it has to be installed again from USB. That is Sony's own wording on its Safe Mode page.
| Option | What it does | What you lose |
|---|---|---|
| Update System Software | Installs newer system software from the internet, USB or a disc | Nothing |
| Restore Default Settings | Puts settings back to factory defaults | Settings only — games, apps, captures and saves stay |
| Initialize PS4 | Returns the console to its original state | All user data |
| Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software) | Removes the system software; you install it again from USB | All user data and the system software |
Can it be done without a USB drive? No, not the reinstall: Sony's steps for it need the file on a USB drive. If you only want the console wiped back to its original state and it still starts, Initialize PS4 runs from Settings > Initialization without one.
Sony says the reinstall is what people mean by a factory or hard reset, and that it should be the last step: a manual update comes first. Initialize PS4 from Settings resets settings, deletes system storage and all users, and leaves connected USB drives alone. It offers Quick and Full; Sony tells you to use Full before you pass the console on.
Back up your PS4 before you reinstall
Back up while the PS4 still starts: copy saves to a USB drive, upload them to PS Plus online storage, or copy the whole console with Back Up and Restore. Whatever isn't backed up is gone after either Initialize option.
- —Saves to a USB drive. Under Saved Data in System Storage, copy them to a FAT or exFAT USB drive. You need to have signed in to PlayStation Network at least once.
- —Saves to PS Plus online storage. With a PlayStation Plus subscription you can upload up to 100 GB of PS4 saves, at most 1 000 files. Auto-upload works from your primary PS4.
- —Everything, with Back Up and Restore. Settings > System > Back Up and Restore > Back Up copies all user data except trophies to a FAT32 or exFAT drive with at least double the backup's size.
Restoring a Back Up and Restore backup erases the console first, and that can't be undone. A user who never signed in to PSN can restore only to the same console. And the console you restore to must run the same system software version as the one you backed up, or the latest. The full steps are in Sony's backup guide.
Update file vs reinstallation file: which PS4UPDATE.PUP you need
A reinstall needs the reinstallation file. Sony's PS4 system software page offers two downloads: the update file, for Update System Software, and a separate reinstallation file, for Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software). Both are saved under the same name, PS4UPDATE.PUP, in the same UPDATE folder, which is why they get mixed up.
Size tells them apart. On 6 October 2026 the reinstallation file was about 1.08 GB and the update file about 503 MB; both change with every release. Use the update file for a reinstall and the console stops with CE-34788-0. Sony's fix is to go back to the system software page and download the reinstallation file.
Download only from Sony. Sony warns that update data from any other source may leave the console not working properly, can void the warranty, and that a modified console may not install the official file at all.
How to reinstall PS4 system software from USB
You need a computer and a USB drive formatted FAT32 or exFAT, with room for the reinstallation file (a little over 1 GB, see above). These are Sony's reinstall steps:
- —Turn the PS4 off: hold the power button for at least 7 seconds, until it beeps twice.
- —On a PC or Mac, create a folder named PS4 on the USB drive, and inside it a folder named UPDATE.
- —Download the reinstallation file from Sony's system software page and save it in UPDATE as PS4UPDATE.PUP.
- —Plug the USB drive into the PS4.
- —Start the console in Safe Mode: hold the power button and release it after the second beep. The full routine, cable and controller included, is in the safe mode guide linked above.
- —Choose Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software) and follow the on-screen steps.
Then leave it alone. Don't turn the console off during the installation — Sony warns that an interrupted install can damage the system — and don't install right before or right after a power cut.
If the console doesn't see the file, Sony names three causes: the USB format, a folder name or the file name. Names must be uppercase, in single-byte characters — PS4, UPDATE, PS4UPDATE.PUP.
Installing the system on a new PS4 hard drive
A new drive is empty, so after the swap the reinstall is not optional. Sony's hard drive guide says the system software must be reinstalled once the drive has been replaced. It asks for the "system software update file for reinstallation" — that is the reinstallation file from the system software page, not the regular update file.
The guide still says 1 GB free on the USB drive; the current reinstallation file is already larger, so the stick needs more than the 1 GB the guide quotes.
Sony publishes an owner's guide to swapping the drive for all three families, one per family. They cover the original PS4 (CUH-1000, CUH-1110 and CUH-1200 series), the Slim (listed by Sony as the CUH-2015 series) and the Pro (CUH-7000 series). You need a long Phillips screwdriver. Only the way into the drive bay differs. iFixit's PS4 Slim guide ends the same way, for a hard disk or a solid-state drive: have a USB stick ready with Sony's official file.
Your data doesn't move with the drive. Restore it afterwards from a Back Up and Restore backup — Sony names that tool for a hard-disk swap — or copy saves back from USB or PS Plus.
PS4 reinstall and update errors Sony documents
Most codes around a reinstall are about the file or the download, not the console. Sony's fixes for the update errors all end at an update from USB, and the reinstall comes after that.
| Code | What Sony says | Sony's fix |
|---|---|---|
| CE‑34788‑0 | The file can't be used | Download the reinstallation file; check the names are uppercase |
| SU‑41350‑3 | The update file can't be recognised | Delete the file, retry in Settings, then update from USB |
| SU‑30746‑0, SU‑42118‑6, SU‑41333‑4 | The update failed | Wired connection or router off at least 5 min; delete the file, retry; then USB |
| CE‑34335‑8 | No hard drive detected | Check the drive is seated; if it is, the drive or the console needs service |
CE-34335-8 is the one that isn't about files. Sony's own words: the drive could be corrupted or faulty, or the console may need service.
After the reinstall: saves, games and licences
A reinstalled PS4 starts in its original state, so the data comes back from wherever you saved it. Saves on USB return through Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data on USB Storage Device > Copy to System Storage, signed in with the same account you copied them with. Saves in PS Plus online storage can be restored too; Sony's drive guide says so at this step.
If games you bought won't start, Sony's fixes are Settings > Account Management > Restore Licences, and activating the console as your primary PS4 under Account Management. If it already is, deactivate it and activate it again.
A reinstall changes software only. For a PS4 that runs loud or hot, see how often a PS4 needs cleaning.
When a reinstall is no longer a home fix
A reinstall stops being a home fix when it fails, when the console reports no drive, or when the PS4 no longer gets as far as Safe Mode. Sony says a console whose reinstall fails may need repair. CE-34335-8 that stays after the drive has been reseated points at the drive or the console.
Everything above is Sony's procedure with Sony's file and your own USB stick; you don't need a workshop for it. Where we come in: our technician diagnoses a PS4 that won't start, reinstalls the system software, and replaces the hard drive in any PS4 model, with an HDD or an SSD, then installs the system on it. There is no list price for a reinstall or a drive swap: you get the price after diagnostics, and diagnostics are free.
Act early about saves. We can rescue them only while the console still reaches Safe Mode or its menu; then they are backed up to USB or the cloud. Once the drive is dead, there is nothing left to rescue.
PS4 won't start, or the reinstall keeps failing? Diagnostics are free, and the price comes after them: a reinstall, an HDD or SSD with the system installed, saves rescued while it still reaches Safe Mode.
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