How to Fix PS4 Problems by PS4 Rebuild Database?

How to Fix PS4 Problems by PS4 Rebuild Database?

If you’re having PS4 problems, like slow performance, data corrupted errors, or problems downloading or updating games, your console’s database might be the issue. Luckily, PS4 Rebuild Database will fix most of these problems.

What Does “PS4 Rebuild Database?” Mean?

When your Sony PlayStation 4 downloads data, whether it’s a new game or an update to a current title, the console must sift through the downloaded data to find its needs. A few important updates and game downloads can cause your console to slow down, as it has to sift through a lot of data. Much of this data isn’t related to the current operation, though.

Rebuilding your PS4’s database shows the system where the relevant downloaded data resides on the drive. Once this process is complete, it’s simpler for your console to find the data it needs for a particular game or service. This can lead to speedier boot times and a more responsive console.

This isn’t the same as defragmenting a hard drive—that method would take much longer. Defragmenting moves data around, whereas rebuilding the database only hits the database. After the database is rebuilt, the console notes where the important data is on the drive and then updates its location within the database.

Sony suggests that rebuilding your database can take a while—or even a few hours, depending on how much new data there is to sift through. In our experience, the method takes a few minutes, at most, on a 1 TB PS4 Pro. It’s also worth noting that major PS4 updates also need a database rebuild. It also occurs whenever you switch on your console after not shutting it down properly.

Occasionally, the method of rebuilding your database can result in games or other applications being deleted if the console thinks they’ve been corrupted. This shouldn’t affect saving data, but remember, you can always back up to the cloud with PlayStation Plus or a local USB device.

PS4 Rebuild Database
PS4 Rebuild Database

When Should You Rebuild Your Database?

Rebuilding your PS4’s database is a secure process, and you can do it as often as you like. It’s a relatively low-risk operation that doesn’t significantly affect the data on your drive. Of course, you can rebuild the database to resolve existing issues, but doing so will also support prevent future console slowdowns.

There are a few times when you might want to force a database rebuild to resolve issues with your PS4, however.

If your console takes longer than usual to boot or resume from a suspended state, or if you see a slowdown while using the PS4 menus, a rebuild might help speed things up. Unfortunately, this often occurs after extensive game updates have been downloaded, so you might want to rebuild the database next time Modern Warfare drops a 100 GB patch.

Database problems can also negatively affect game performance. So if you’re noticing frame-rate drops and stuttering, particularly in areas where you’ve never seen them before, a database rebuild might be a good idea.

Persistent data corrupted issues can also be solved with a database rebuild. These often look while trying to download a game from your library. Restarting the download usually operates for a brief period before you see the error message again. We’ve noted that the problem disappears entirely after a quick database rebuild.

Some have also noted that rebuilding their PS4 database solved a problem in which the console would consistently fail to read optical media and with missing downloadable content (DLC).

If you frequently install new games and applications, you’ll get more benefits from regular database rebuilds than those who play the same games and rarely install anything.

How to Rebuild Your Database in Safe Mode

You’ll require to boot your PS4 console in Safe mode to rebuild its database. To do this, wake your console from Sleep mode as you usually would. Next, press and hold the PS key on your controller, and then select Power > Turn Off PS4.

With the console entirely off, connect your controller to the PS4 with a USB cable. This is important because Bluetooth won’t work in Safe mode. Now, press and hold the power key on the front of the console until you hear two beeps to boot it in Safe mode.

After the second beep, release the button and wait for the Safe Mode menu to look. When it does, select 5. Rebuild Database. Acknowledge the warning that the method might take a few hours, and then select “OK” to start the rebuild.

Your console will restart and display the PS logo for a while. Then, you should notice a progress bar showing that the database is being rebuilt.

When the process is finished, your console will restart.

What Else Does Safe Mode Do?

There are different troubleshooting options in the Safe Mode menu. The primary is Restart System, which exits Safe mode and restarts the PS4 usually.

Beneath that is an option to adjust the screen resolution to 480p. This is handy if your console is connected to a display that doesn’t support the current resolution, and you need to revert the settings.

The next option is “Update System Software,” which checks for the latest version and then attempts to update. You can try this option if you’re having problems updating the system software when the system is booted normally.

The Restore Default Settings option returns all system settings to their factory defaults. This will not affect your games or store data. However, it will change everything like your energy-saver preferences and DNS servers to their default values.

Ultimately, there are the Initialize PS4 and Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software) options. These will factory reset your console to a like-new situation. The second option to reinstalls the current version of Sony’s operating system. Both of these will delete all of your games, media and save files.

You should only use these final options if you’re having severe problems with your PS4 (and have tried everything else) or if you’re selling or giving away your console. These options will remove all of your personal details.

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