There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

The direct answer is above the fold; the reasoning underneath is there for when the direct answer does not fit your situation.

  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • If a menu path does not exist for you, your build is older or newer than the one described.

No Man's Sky has been rewritten by updates so many times that old guides describe a different game. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively.

When the usual advice fails

Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.

The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of No Man's Sky. Half the pages on this topic were written for a build that no longer exists, which is why they stop matching what you see.

Why it works this way

The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. No Man's Sky is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Stop and reassess after two failed attempts rather than repeating the third.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Check the version you are actually running before assuming anything is broken.

What to do instead

The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts.

If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over. Everything below is framed around the current state of No Man's Sky rather than a launch-week impression. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first.

The practical answer

A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later. Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds.

The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about.

Worth knowing alongside this

Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of.

Where people go wrong

  • Copying a setup wholesale from a streamer without understanding what each part does.
  • Skipping the prerequisite because it looked optional in someone else's summary.
  • Trusting a video thumbnail that promises a result the video never actually shows.

No Man's Sky FAQ

Why do other guides describe this differently?

Most were written for an earlier version and never revisited. Compare the steps against what your build actually shows.

Is there a faster method?

Sometimes, at the cost of reliability. Where that trade exists it is described rather than recommended blindly.

Do I need any mods or third-party tools for this?

No. Everything described here works with the base game on any supported platform.

Does this work the same on console and PC?

The logic is identical. Menu paths and button prompts differ, and any real difference is flagged above.

Bookmark it if you like, but honestly, once you have done it once you will not need to come back.