Digital games are far more popular than disc games but there are many PS4 players out there who’d always pick a disc over its digital counterpart. However, sometimes they might wish they had done otherwise.
We’re here to help you and in this guide, we’ll tell you what you can do if your PlayStation 4 console won’t take discs.
Oftentimes, the problem with the PS4 not accepting discs is that they won’t even go into the console. Unfortunately, most software-related troubleshooting methods such as rebuilding the database won’t work.
What’s even more frustrating is that this problem occurs even on new consoles or devices that are barely one year old.
What to do if your PlayStation console ejects discs
Fix 1 – Hold down the power button
According to Sony, you need to unplug all the cables and hold down the power button for about 30 seconds. The idea is to hold the button down until you hear two beeps.
Then release the button and don’t touch anything for 5 minutes. Then, you can connect all the cables back on and turn on your console.
You can then rebuild the database. This method works and will fix the issue … but only for a day or two.
To permanently solve the problem, go to the next solution.
Fix 2 – Tighten the eject screw
What worked for many users in the long term is tightening the manual eject screw. That’s the same screw that you can use to manually eject the disc, should it get stuck.
After a while, this screw might become loose leading to the PS4 not taking discs or ejecting discs on its own. Obviously, to fix this problem, you need to manually tighten the screw.
⇒ Important Note:
If you’re not really good at tinkering with hardware, take your console back to Sony and have one of their employees do the job for you.
How to manually tighten the eject screw on PS4
- You need to remove the hard drive cover, that glossy part of the top
- Get a thin screwdriver and rotate the screw clockwise
- Once you’re done, put the glossy cover back on.
To get a clear idea of where the screw is, go to this PS support page and take a look at the image corresponding to step 4.
⇒ Important note: Don’t do anything else after you take the top cover off. Don’t open up the system as this will void your warranty and you don’t want that.
Again, this should fix the problem for most users. But if it persists, we’ve got three additional tips for you.
Fix 3 – Restore default settings
If you already power cycled your console but the problem is still there, try restoring your PlayStation console to default settings.
Boot your PS3, PS4, or PS4 Pro console in Safe Mode, select the Restore Default Settings option and wait until the process completes. Then check if you can now insert your game discs.
Fix 4 – Check your disc
Make sure that your game disc is not faulty. If the disc is bent, scratched and so on, this may explain why your PS4 console won’t take it. Inspect your disc, take a clean cloth and wipe it to make sure there are no specks of dust on it.
Try to insert it again to see if this solved the problem. You can also try to insert a different game disc to check if this works.
If your console throws the Unrecognized Disc error, this indicates the disc itself is faulty.
Fix 5 – Have your console repaired
If this problem with your PlayStation console ejecting discs occurs with all your game discs, then clearly your console is not working properly and you need to have it repaired.
Maybe one of the disk drive rollers is out of place. If your console is still under warranty, take it back to Sony. If it’s no longer under warranty, try contacting a local repairer that’s got really good reviews and knows what they’re doing.
Have you got additional tips and suggestions on how to fix the PS4 ejecting disc problem? You can list them in the comments below.