Verified October 2026 against PlayStation, Xbox and Microsoft support pages.
Before a PS5 or Xbox leaves your home, take your account off it: turn off the console's special sharing role, sign out, reset it to factory settings, and then remove it from your account's device list (Microsoft asks for removal after the reset). A reset wipes the console; the account-side steps make sure it no longer counts as yours for sharing games and subscription benefits. If the console is already gone, you can still do most of this remotely from your account settings.
Why a factory reset is not the whole job
A console holds two kinds of links to you. One is local: your profile, saved sign-in, game data and settings stored on the machine. A factory reset clears that. The other lives in your account: PlayStation and Microsoft both remember which console is your special one for sharing games and memberships, and which devices have been used with your account. That record sits on their servers. On Xbox, the Reset and remove everything option does clear home Xbox associations, but PlayStation's reset guide does not say a reset deactivates the console, so turn console sharing off yourself first.
On a PS5 that role is called Console Sharing and Offline Play, and it can be on for only one PS5 at a time. While it is on, other users on that PS5 can play your games and use some of your PlayStation Plus benefits, even offline. On a PS4 the same idea is the primary PS4. On Xbox it is your home Xbox. Switching the role off on the console before it leaves is the easy route. Done remotely, PlayStation deactivation is all-or-nothing and allowed only once every six months, and on Xbox every home Xbox change counts toward a limit of five per year.
On PlayStation: the order that works
Do the account steps while the console is still in front of you and connected to the internet.
- Turn off Console Sharing and Offline Play on a PS5: Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play > Disable. On a PS4: Settings > Account Management > Activate as Your Primary PS4 > Deactivate.
- Sign out of your account on the console.
- Remove saved payment methods from your account, or at least check which cards are stored, so nothing on a device you no longer control can be charged.
- Reset the console to factory settings. On a PS5: Settings > System > System Software > Reset Options > Reset Your Console. On a PS4: Settings > Initialization > Initialize PS4 > Full. Sony also suggests recording the serial number first.
Menu names can shift between system software versions and regions, so if a label looks slightly different, look for the closest match. PlayStation notes that deactivating a console does not delete your data or damage the console.
On Xbox: home Xbox and your device list
On the console you are selling, go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Personalization > My home Xbox and choose Remove this as my home Xbox. Microsoft allows you to switch your home Xbox up to five times in any one-year period and says customer support cannot add extra switches, so it is worth doing this deliberately rather than by trial and error. Then sign out and remove your profile from the console. The full reset below also deletes home Xbox associations, according to Xbox's reset guide; the guide does not say whether removing the home Xbox setting by hand counts toward the five yearly switches.
Next, reset the console: Profile & system > Settings > System > Console info > Reset console, then choose Reset and remove everything, the option Xbox's reset guide recommends when selling or gifting. Finally, after the reset, open the devices page of your Microsoft account at account.microsoft.com/devices, choose More actions > Remove on that console, and then Unlink it so it no longer counts toward your Microsoft Store device limit. One detail catches people out: Microsoft's "Sign out everywhere" option does not cover Xbox consoles, so signing out from a browser is not a substitute for signing out on the console itself.
Payment methods and subscriptions
A console you have handed over is a device you no longer control. Even after a reset, it is sensible to review what your account can charge. On PlayStation, check your saved payment methods and PlayStation Store transaction history in Account Management. On Microsoft, check the payment and billing section of your Microsoft account. PlayStation says subscriptions follow your account to a new console: they are applied to your account when you sign in there.
If you already sold or gave it away
This is common and mostly fixable from a browser.
- PlayStation: you can sign out and deactivate consoles remotely from Account Management, but remote deactivation covers every console at once and PlayStation Support says it is allowed only once every six months, so plan when you use it. Our guide to signing out of PSN everywhere and deactivating a console covers the order and where to find each option.
- Xbox: Microsoft's Sign out everywhere does not reach Xbox consoles, and Xbox's own sign-out steps are done on the console itself, so the old console can keep sharing your games while it is still your home Xbox. Making your new or another console your home Xbox (Profile & system > Settings > General > Personalization > My home Xbox) means others on the old console lose your shared licenses; the switch counts toward the five-per-year limit. Xbox notes your games can still be played on the old console while your profile is signed in there online, so do not stop at the switch. Then remove the console from your Microsoft account devices page, change your Microsoft account password, and check Recent activity for sign-ins you do not recognize (Microsoft's Recent activity help links to the page). If an unfamiliar console or location shows up, follow what to do when an unknown console is signed into your Xbox account.
Contacting the buyer to ask them to sign you out can work, but do not rely on it, and never share your password, sign-in codes or card details with them to make it easier. The account-side steps above are enough on their own.
Setting up your next console
Once the old console is off your account, sign in on the new one and turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play, the primary PS4 setting, or home Xbox there. On Xbox, making the new console your home Xbox ends offline sharing on the old one, but your games can still be played there while your profile is signed in online, so remove the profile or change your password as described above. Your digital purchases stay with your account, so your library should reappear for download. If games seem to be missing after a sign-out, deactivation or password change, see why games can go missing after account changes and how to restore them before assuming anything is lost.
What to do next
- Still have the console: turn off the sharing role, sign out, reset it, then remove it from your account's device list.
- Already handed it over, PlayStation: use Deactivate All Devices in Account Management and change your password, which signs out inaccessible consoles.
- Already handed it over, Xbox: remove the console from your Microsoft account devices page and change your password; Sign out everywhere does not reach Xbox consoles.
- Check saved payment methods and recent transactions on both accounts.
- If you see sign-ins or purchases you did not make, contact PlayStation Support or Xbox Support as the account holder.