There can be nothing worse than PlayStation 4 becoming slow and even freezing. You can obviously send your PS4 to Sony service center and wait for weeks to get it repaired and enhance its speed as expected. However, not many users can wait for weeks, and you do not have to. You can solve PS4 running so slow all by yourself if you have the solutions at your disposal. We will state the cause for PS4 running slow and illustrate the solutions to fix PS4 lagging and slowing down.
Why Is PS4 Running Slow And Lagging?
Here are the possible reasons for PS4 running slow and lagging and even freezing at times.
- Poor or slow internet connection.
- Lack of enough space in the hard drive or fault hard drive.
- Dust accumulation and poor ventilation on the console.
- PS4 overheating and malfunctioning.
- PS4 software bugs and issues.
- PS4 software has become outdated.
- Corrupted or cluttered PS4 database.
How To Fix PS4 That Has Become Slow and Lagging?
Since the causes behind your PS4 running slow are multiple, the solutions are also several. Hence, you should try out the solutions one by one until your problem gets fixed.
1. Restart Your PlayStation4
The first thing you should do when you face any issue with your PS4 is to restart it instantly. If you are facing this slowness and lagging issue after you set your PS4 in Rest Mode, a restart can solve the problem immediately. Here are the steps to restart your PS4.
Step 1: Press and hold PS button. You will see Power options on the screen. You have to select Turn Off PS4 option.
Step 2: When PS4 turns off, you need to unplug the power cable from the console and leave it for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Reconnect the power cables and turn on the console by pressing PS button.
2. Charge The Controller
When your controller gets low on charge, PS4 starts to lag and slow down. You need to connect your controller to the console via USB cable and this should solve the problem. If not, you should try out the other solutions.
3. Clean Your PlayStation4
If you do not clean your PS4, dust starts to accumulate. This leads to poor ventilation and hence, it gets overheated. This slows down its performance and leading to lagging and freezing. Here are the steps to follow.
Step 1: Unplug the cables from the console. Clean the outer case using a microfiber cloth.
Step 2: Blow through a straw to clean the ports. Now remove the outer case and clean it from the interior.
Step 3: Clean the fan gently and you can use a compressed air can with a straw to clean the fan.
Step 4: Unscrew the plastic cover and the internal components will get exposed for cleaning. You can use a compressed air can and leave it open for some time.
Step 5: Put back the parts one by one and after reassembling, you should restart your console.
4. Create Space For Proper Ventilation
Proper ventilation is important to keep the console cool and let it perform optimally without getting heated up. However, if you place the console in a confined area or in a corner, there won’t be enough room for proper ventilation. Similarly, if you keep it below the table or close nearby walls, overheating will be there.
Due to overheating, the performance goes down and even the internal components can get damaged. The thermal paste can dry out and PS4 can start to glitch and freeze due to this. Therefore, apart from cleaning, you should place the console in an open area so that there is enough airflow and no blockage.
5. Create Space On The Hard Drive
When you install too many games on your hard drive and they occupy close to 90%-95% of the total space of the hard drive, PS4 can start slowing down in performance. You need enough space on your hard drive to store temporary and cache files so that the games can run smoothly. Besides, there should be enough free space for the operating system of PS4 for proper functioning.
In fact, you may come across the warning message that you are running low on storage space. You have two options in your hand. You can replace your hard drive with a new one having higher storage capacity. Otherwise, you can uninstall some games from your existing hard drive to make free space. Here are the steps to delete games on PS4.
Step 1: Go to Settings and select System Storage Management option.
Step 2: You will see the list of all the installed games and apps and the space they have taken. Select Applications option.
Step 3: Thereafter, press Options button on your controller and select Delete option.
Step 4: Select all the games and apps that you want to delete. Finally, press Delete button.
6. Delete Saved Data For Games
We have already stated that every game app stored certain temporary files on the hard drive. Sometimes, these saved data and files take up too much space. If you want to free space on your hard drive, instead of uninstalling games, you can remove these saved data for different game apps. Here are the steps to follow.
Step 1: Go to Settings and select Application Saved Data Management option.
Step 2: Select Saved Data in System Storage option. Press Delete button on your controller.
Step 3: Select the game apps whose saved data you want to delete. You will see the saved data of the select game. You can delete them instantly.
7. Rebuild Database
We have already stated under causes that PS4 data can get cluttered and you need to rebuild the database to speed up its performance. Once the database gets organized, data access time will be minimum and there will be a boost in performance. PS4 offers an option to rebuild database and here are the steps to follow.
Step 1: Press PS button on the controller. Select Power option followed by Turn Off PS4 option.
Step 2: Connect the controller to the console via USB cable. Press and hold the power button until you hear two beeps. This means you have entered into Safe Mode.
Step 3: You will find the option named Rebuild Database. Select the option and select Ok option when a warning is displayed.
Step 4: Wait patiently for the process to get over.
You should perform rebuilding of database every 3 months. When you have downloaded an update of the system files, you should perform it immediately. You need to be patient while rebuilding database as it can take considerable amount of time.
8. Check Internet Connection
If you notice that PS4 is lagging only when you play games online, you have to check your internet connection. If the internet speed is less, PS4 will struggle to perform while playing online games. You can reset or reboot your router. There are various websites available to check internet speed. If wired connection is possible, go for it.
If you are away from the router, you can use a signal booster or repeater to get a better signal and get your job done perfectly. If you are using Wi-Fi network connection, you should remove all the devices except your PS4 for better internet connection cum speed.
9. Update PS4 System
Updating PS4 system with the latest version works like a wonder. Before you update the system, you should close all apps and games. It is better to go for automatic update option rather than manual system software update. Here are the steps to follow.
Step 1: Ensure that PS4 has internet connection.
Step 2: Go to Settings and select System Software Update option.
Step 3: Select Update option if available. Thereafter, you need to download the update package.
Step 4: After downloading, go to Notifications and select Downloads and install the latest software version.
Step 5: Restart your PS4 device and see if the problem is solved.
10. Perform a Reset On PS4
You can perform a full reset of PS4 through Initialize PS4 option. Once you reset and initialization is complete, all the installed games, settings, apps, themes, and others will be deleted completely. Therefore, you should take a backup of data before you reset. You can take backup on a USB drive.
Go to Settings> System> Backup and Restore> select Back up PS4 option. Thereafter, go to Settings> Initialization> Initialize PS4> and select Full option for complete reset. After resetting, you can restore data and install games and apps.
11. Inspect The Hard Drive
When there is a technical or hardware issue with the hard drive, PS4 will not perform as per your expectation. If you hear any noise coming from your console where the hard drive is installed, it is a warning sign. This could be due to bad sector building up on your hard drive. You have to format your hard drive to remove bad sectors.
You need to inspect your hard drive to find out any physical damage. You need to turn off your PS4 console and remove all the power cables. Thereafter, you have to remove the hard drive physically and check for its physical damage. You can even smell to guess if there is something alarming.
12. Format The Hard Drive
We have stated that formatting the hard drive can solve the issue especially when bad sectors build up on the device. When there is a bad sector in the hard drive, the data can get corrupted. When PS4 tries to access data from a bad sector, it cannot access them easily and hence, it slows down and even freezes.
Apart from bad sectors, your hard drive could have unlimited temporary files and cache data. Accessing certain data from that heap could be time-consuming and hence, PS4 can slow down. When you perform a full format, all the temporary files and bad sector get removed. Before you perform a full format, you should take a backup. Here are the steps to follow.
Step 1: Insert a USB drive and go to Settings> System and select Back Up PS4 option.
Step 2: Disconnect hard drive from Console and connect it to your computer via hard drive case.
Step 3: Click on Start menu button and search “Dis Management” and open it.
Step 4: Click on “Create and format hard disk partitions” option. Therefore, right-click on your hard drive that should be marked as “Unknown” and select Initialize Disk option.
Step 5: Right-click on drive that is marked as Unallocated and select New Simple Volume option.
Step 6: Follow the on-screen instructions and select FAT32 for the file system and click on Next button.
Step 7: Finally, when everything is done, click on Finish button.
13. Replace Your Hard Drive
If you have made up your mind to get a new hard drive with higher capacity, you need to take backup of your previous hard drive and restore the data in the new one. For better speed, you should purchase an SSD instead of HDD. Once you purchase a new hard drive, here are the steps to follow.
1. Backup Your Data
Before you replace your hard drive with a new one, you should back up your data. Go to Settings> System> Backup and restore> and select Back up PS4.
2. Download PS4 Software
Connect your new HDD or SSD to your computer and create PS4 folder. Inside PS4 folder, create Update folder.
On your web browser, search for the latest PS4 version. Download the file inside Update folder you have created.
3. Setup New HDD
Turn off Console and remove the old HDD. Turn on PS4 in Safe mode. Connect the new HDD and connect your controller via USB.
Follow the on-screen instructions and install PS4 software. After installation, restart the system. Connect the USB drive where you have taken backup.
Go to Settings> System> Backup and Restore> Restore PS4 option. Select the backup files to restore them.
Also Check: How To Update System Software on a Ps4?
Conclusion
PS4 running slow, lagging, or even freezing is not uncommon. Instead of panicking and contacting PlayStation customer support team for repairing, you should try and solve the issue. We have provided you with all the possible solutions to fix PS4 slowing and lagging. If none of the methods work for you, you can go ahead and contact PS customer support for diagnosing and repairing.
