Most people do this wrong, and the mistake is always the same one: they factory reset the console and assume that dealt with everything. It did not. The reset wipes the console. Deactivating the console is what removes it from your account, and that happens on the account's side, not the console's.
Here is the order that actually works, for each platform.
PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4
Do these in order, because the first step stops working once the second is done.
- Settings, then Users and Accounts, then Other, then Console Sharing and Offline Play, and select Disable. This is the step people skip.
- Sign out of your PlayStation Network account.
- Settings, then System, then System Software, then Reset Options, then Reset Your Console.
- Choose the full reset, not the quick one, and let it run. It takes a while on a PS4 with a mechanical drive.
- If you cannot power the console on at all, deactivate it remotely from your account at the PlayStation website instead. You get one remote deactivation every six months.
Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One
Xbox is more forgiving here, because removing your account from the console does most of the work.
- Settings, then Account, then Remove Accounts, and remove yours.
- Settings, then System, then Console Info, then Reset Console, and choose Reset and Remove Everything.
- If this was your Home Xbox, set your Home Xbox to a different console afterwards, or you will spend a confusing evening wondering why your games will not run.
- If the console will not turn on, remove it from your devices list in your Microsoft account online.
Nintendo Switch, OLED, Lite and Switch 2
Nintendo ties more to the console itself, so there is one extra thing to think about: your save data mostly lives on the console, not in the cloud, unless you pay for Nintendo Switch Online.
- Back up your saves first if you have Nintendo Switch Online. If you do not, accept that the saves are going.
- Take your microSD card out and keep it. It is yours, it is small, and it is easy to forget.
- System Settings, then System, then Formatting Options, then Initialise Console.
- Deregister the console as your primary console from your Nintendo Account online if you cannot do it on the device.
Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Legion Go
These are computers, so treat them like computers. Sign out of Steam and deauthorise the device, sign out of any Windows account, browser and storefront, and then reimage or reset.
You do not have to reinstall the original operating system before sending it to us, because everything gets wiped again on arrival. What matters is that your accounts are not still logged in when it leaves your house.
The thing nobody thinks about
Saved payment methods. Every one of these platforms will happily store a card, and a factory reset removes it from the console but does not remove the console from your account's trust. Doing the deactivation step first is what closes that loop.
And if you forget any of this, it is recoverable. We contact people about it regularly rather than quietly passing a console on with somebody's account still attached to it. But it delays your payment by a few days, which is a silly reason to wait.
The short version
Deactivate first, reset second. On PlayStation that means disabling Console Sharing before you wipe it. On Xbox, remove your account then reset and remove everything. On Switch, back up saves, take out the microSD card, then initialise. Get the order right and there is nothing left to worry about.