Updating your Firmware

Custom firmware can only be installed/updated from OFW 3.55 or lower, from CFW, or from HFW. Installing CFW or HFW is exactly like installing OFW with a USB drive. It's recommended that you download the firmware from the developer's website, but if the source is unavailable, you can find most of them here. Use the simplified process below to install it.

A video demonstration of this process can be found on MrMario2011's channel.

Keep the following in mind:

• Read everything on screen and make sure you are installing the correct update.
• Installing a firmware update over the internet through the System Settings will install OFW! This means that if you use this setting on a jailbroken console, it will remove the jailbreak, and you will need to redo the exploit process.
• Make sure your console's Blu-ray drive & Wi-Fi/Bluetooth are functional before installing any firmware updates.
  • The Blu-ray drive doesn't need to actually have a functional laser in order for updates to function; it just needs to have a functional drive controller and have an intact data connection to the console's motherboard. Usually, if a console has a defective drive controller or daughterboard connection, the drive will either not insert/eject discs at all, or will have strange ejecting behavior (such as always having the Blu-ray activity light always blinking)
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are quite straightforward to test. All you have to do is see if the console can detect any 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks. As for Bluetooth, you can check this by connecting pairing a Sixaxis or DualShock 3 controller to the console, and see if it works wirelessly. Usually, if one of these functions are dead, both will be dead, as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the PS3 are on the same wireless chip.
• (CFW/HEN only) Disable any spoofers before beginning. These can prevent you from installing updates.
• (CFW only) If you are installing a firmware less than or equal to 3.55, you will first need to install either the Rogero 9.99 Downgrader Firmware, or the Rebug 9.99 Downgrader Firmware, and then Rogero 3.7 CFW, before then installing your destination firmware.
  • If you have QA Flags enabled, installing a downgrader firmware will not be required, and any 3.55 firmware can be installed before downgrading to a firmware older than 3.55.
• (CFW/HEN only) If you plan on playing offline exclusively, check out this page to disable PSN to prevent getting banned and OFW updates via the Internet.
• (CFW only) If your PS3's language is set to English [UK], Brazilian Portuguese, or Turkish; you may receive an error message when updating your CFW. Try changing the language to English [US].

Updating the Firmware

If your console's Bluetooth/Wi-Fi is non-functional, you will need to use No-BT firmware to avoid an update loop. It's advised to test Bluetooth/Wi-Fi by either trying to use a DualShock 3 controller wirelessly, or trying to connect to a Wi-Fi network before updating. If your console's Blu-ray drive daughterboard or controller is non-functional, you will need to use no-BD firmware to avoid an update loop. It's advised to test the Blu-ray drive controller by trying to insert a disc when the console is off, and seeing if it activates the disc drive power switch. If the disc drive can also successfully feed and eject discs without weird strange behaviors, then the daughterboard is perfectly functional. If you are stuck in an update loop, please see the Update Loop section on this page.

Safe Mode (Recommended)

Make sure you have a FAT32 formatted USB drive that is at least 256 MB or larger and using MBR partitioning, and a DualShock 3 controller. DualShock 3 clone controllers may work as well, but it isn't guaranteed.

It is recommended to do this process twice to ensure both of the console's firmware slots (ROS0/ROS1) are both overwritten with the desired firmware.

1. Download your desired firmware update and verify its MD5 hash.
2. Create a folder called "PS3" on the root of your USB storage device.
3. Create a folder within the PS3 folder called "UPDATE".
4. Place the desired firmware within the UPDATE folder and rename it "PS3UPDAT.PUP".
   • If you are on Windows and have file extensions hidden, name it "PS3UPDAT" instead.
   • Some firmware developers release their firmwares as ZIP files which set up the directories and rename the .PUP to "PS3UPDAT.PUP" for you. A firmware update should have the extension .PUP.
5. Remove any disc in the Blu-ray drive.
6. Plug your controller and USB storage device into your PS3.
7. Boot your console into safe mode by powering it on, holding the power button until it turns off, then holding it again until it does it a quick double-beep.
8. Press the PS button, and scroll down and select the System Update button. It may appear to hang while it checks for an update; so long as the loading icon is spinning, it is searching, and it may take hours depending on your storage device.
   • If it reports the data as corrupt, double-check the file and folder names, and make sure you chose the correct update for your system (CEX/DEX).
   • If you want to use a modern controller, such as a DualSense, in safe mode, you will need to use a USB controller adapter (such as a Mayflash Magic NS) in order for the HOME button to work like an authentic DualShock 3 in safe mode.
9. Select the listed update, proceed through the prompts, and allow update to install and reboot the console.

• You will most likely need to update your apps, such as Multiman or Rebug Toolbox, to fully use them.
• If your USB ports are broken, and you have a CFW console, you can update in safe mode by placing the PUP file in /dev_hdd0/vsh/ on your hard drive or in /NOT/UPDATE/ on a DVD.

XMB System Settings

Please note that the PS3 will not allow you to reinstall the same firmware version when using the update feature in the system settings, but updating to a newer version will always work. It is recommended to reinstall the firmware a second time through Safe Mode to keep both of the console's firmware slots up to date, and to clear any old corruption.

1. Download your desired firmware update and verify its MD5 hash.
2. Create a folder called "PS3" on the root of your USB storage device.
3. Create a folder within the PS3 folder called "UPDATE".
4. Place the desired firmware within the UPDATE folder and rename it "PS3UPDAT.PUP".
   • If you are on Windows and have file extensions hidden, be sure to unhide them.
   • Some custom firmware developers release their firmwares as ZIP files which set up the directories and rename the .PUP to "PS3UPDAT.PUP" for you. A firmware update should have the extension .PUP.
5. Remove any disc in the Blu-ray drive.
6. Plug your USB storage device into your PS3.
7. Navigate to Settings > System Update > Update via Storage Media
8. It may appear to hang while it checks for an update; so long as the loading icon is spinning, it is searching and it may take hours depending on your storage device.
   • If it reports the data as corrupt, double-check the file and folder names, and make sure you chose the correct update for your system (CEX/DEX).
9. Select the listed update, proceed through the prompts, and allow update to install and reboot the console.

• You will most likely need to update your apps, such as Multiman or Rebug Toolbox, to fully use them.
• If your USB ports are broken, you can update in safe mode by placing the PUP file in /dev_hdd0/vsh/ on your hard drive or in /NOT/UPDATE/ on a DVD.

Update Manager (DEX/CFW Only)

If you have a DEX or QA Flagged CEX console, you can take advantage of the PS3's update manager and easily switch between firmwares, even if it's a downgrade.

If the PS3 is a TEST/TOOL/CEX2DEX system, this feature will already be enabled.

Place pups on your HDD in the following fashion, and they will show up in the System Update menu.

/dev_hdd0/updater/01/Rebug_4.46.pup

/dev_hdd0/updater/02/Habib_4.65.pup

/dev_hdd0/updater/03/Rebug_3.55.pup

Update via Internet (OFW Only)

This is only useful if you are updating a system that is on OFW between 3.56-4.75, which are incompatible with BGToolSet. Do not use this setting to update a CFW/HFW console, because it will install OFW! You will need to either reinstall HFW to use HEN again, or perform a CFW patch with either Installing CFW or a hardware flasher to reinstall CFW.

To perform an update with the internet, scroll to the settings column, select System Update, and select Update via Internet. Your PS3 will automatically check over the internet whether you have the latest version of the system software. If there is an update file for a later version, it is downloaded to the system. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update.

Once finished, you can continue to Getting Started if you wish to install custom firmware.

Update Loop

Regardless of the firmware you are updating from, installing a firmware update when the Bluetooth/Wi-Fi chip (Error code 8002F1F0/8002F1F9) or Blu-ray drive controller (Error code 8002F14E) is non-functional or improperly connected may result in an update loop where it fails to update, reboots, and then keeps trying. To get out of this, either repair the broken part — which is necessary if you are on OFW/HFW — or you can try the below process, which has been reported to work for some people.

Please note that this may carry a risk of bricking your console's NAND/NOR/eMMC flash memory.

1. Note the percentage that the update fails at.
2. Allow it to start updating again, and when it reaches about 3-4% before the noted percentage, look at the HDD activity light on the front of the console. When it stops blinking, unplug the HDD for three seconds. With some luck, this will fail to update and exit the update loop.
   • If your Blu-ray daughterboard/controller is broken/missing, update using a no-BD firmware.
   • If your Bluetooth/Wi-Fi chip is broken/missing, update using a no-BT firmware.
   • If both are broken, update with a no-BD + no-BT firmware.

If you have a disc drive related update error, and your PS3 model is one where the disc drive has its own daughterboard, you can simply swap in another working daughterboard for the update to complete. It can also be just caused by the data cable to not seated correctly, like if the console was taken apart improperly before. While games and PS Store apps won't launch when a daughterboard is working but not paired, it is enough to at least install updates.

Since all PS3 models with disc drive daughterboards are CFW compatible, you can remarry them later on with CFW.

Most fat models (excluding CECHL and CECHP) also have a removable Wi-Fi/Bluetooth board, so swapping a defective chip on these models is also quite easy.