One: Find The Right Replacement
When it comes to wanting to upgrade your PS4 hard drive, the first thing to do is to buy your replacement hard drive or SSD. The PS4 uses a 2.5-inch SATA format for hard disks and SSDs, and its quite an archaic design now its generally only used for more affordable drives.
Any drive you install into your PS4 needs to be under 9.5mm tall thanks to the size of the caddy that lives inside the PS4, which protects the drive and keeps it in place. This is no problem for SSDs, but it does prove to be a little limiting as many 4TB hard drives are a shade too chunky.
When looking for a new hard disk or SSD there are plenty of things to bear in mind click here to read our guide on the pros and cons of hard disks, SSDs and solid-state hybrid drives.
There are a few rules of thumb if youre in a rush. Hard disks are the more affordable options but even 7,200rpm drives wont have great performance at best youll get a slight speed boost over the consoles existing drive, at worst youll just equal it while improving capacity. A 1TB or 2TB hard disk will cost you around $60 or less than $80 .
An SSD will deliver a more significant improvement to loading times and game performance, especially on a PS4 Pro console, but SSDs are more expensive 1TB and 2TB models tend to cost around twice as much.
How To Replace And Upgrade Your Ps4 Pro Hard Drive
The PlayStation 4 Pro comes with a 1TB hard drive installed as standard, but if that isn’t enough storage for your growing games collection then you can replace it, as with previous PS4 systems. You’ll need a 2.5 inch Serial ATA internal drive which is 9.5mm or thinner for this, and the largest capacity widely available is 2TB. Check out our PS4 external hard drives guide for some recommendations on both internal and external models.
Note: if you’re switching from a previously upgraded PS4 then you can transfer your existing hard drive to the PS4 Pro, but the system will format the drive before you can use it so you’ll need to back up your data to the PS+ cloud and/or an external drive to not lose it.
Once you have your replacement hard drive ready, grab a small crosshead screwdriver and follow these steps:
Backup Your Game Data Saved On Ps4 Hard Drive
Although you can download your games on your new hard drive without any cost if you have downloaded them from PlayStation Store
but, the saved game data should be backed up or Trophies.
You will be needing a
- USB drive with minimum 460 MB free space and with the FAT32 file system
- You can use an external hard drive.
So heres how to sync PS4 trophies:
If you are a PlayStation Plus subscriber, you can backup your saved game data on their online storage given to you.
Your videos and pictures can also be saved in the external storage device.
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The Harder Way: Replace The Hdd Inside Your Ps4
Another way to expand the storage of your PS4 is to replace the hard drive inside the machine. It’s not as complicated as it sounds and could be ideal if you, say, want to add a solid state drive for speedier access.
You will have to take at least part of the console apart. Sony makes it very simple for you, but you will still find the process a little long-winded. The easy part though is choosing a drive.
The PS4 uses a 2.5-inch SATA HDD, the type of which you’ll find in a laptop. However, not any old 2.5-inch drive will work. To fit a PS4 it will need to be no greater than 9.5mm in depth or it will be too big for the hard drive enclosure drawer.
There are some out there that will meet the specifications, at around the £50 mark. We opted for a Western Digital WD10JPVX – an older 5400RPM Blue drive with a 7mm depth which fits nicely – but there are plenty of more recent SATA III alternatives.
You can even opt for an SSD/HDD hybrid drive, such as the 1TB Seagate FireCuda gaming drive that’s .
Some have also suggested pure SSD equivalents, which ramp up load speeds dramatically, but can be prohibitively expensive if you’re trying to increase storage rather than shrink it.
How Difficult Is It To Upgrade My Ps4’s Hard Drive
Whatever drive you choose, the upgrade process is very easy and doesn’t require any technical knowledge. Depending on your internet speed, the file download and drive switch combined shouldn’t take you more than 15-20 minutes.
If you follow these steps, none of your save data or digital games will be lost and your upgrade should ensure that you have plenty of space to store your favorite games and media.
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Reinstalling The System Software
As the console now has a brand new drive with none of the system software installed, you’ll need to reinstall it manually. You’ll definitely need an external USB drive on at least 1GB in capacity for this part of the set-up, even if you stored all of your saved games in the cloud.
Create a folder called “PS4” on the drive using a computer, then a folder inside that called “UPDATE”. You then need to download the latest system software file from Sony and be wary of following some links on the PlayStation site as they can send you to earlier versions that won’t work .
The latest system software is version 8.03 which we found here at playstation.net. It will be around 1GB to download but is the complete software, not just an update. If the file is much smaller it’s the wrong one and won’t work.
Move the downloaded file to the UPDATE folder on the drive and you’re ready to install it on the console.
Reattach all of the leads into the rear of the PS4, plug your USB drive into the front and attach a DualShock 4 controller via its own USB cable. Then press the on switch on the front of the machine for seven seconds or longer. This will boot up the console into Safe Mode and give you some options. Choose “Initialise PS4 ” and the PS4 will find the update and install it. It only takes around five minutes in total and then your PS4 will reboot and start up as if it has just been unboxed and set up for the very first time.
Buy And Install The New Ps4 Hard Drive
Buying a new Hard Drive is tricky and the following are the guidelines and links to official sources with the best ratings.
Any hard drive complying with the standards can be a good replacement but you can also improve the standard hard drive resulting in performance and storage improvement as well.
The standards are simple to understand:
Once, you have bought the hard drive, all you need to do Install the new hard drive is:
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Best Budget Ssd For Ps4
Crucial BX500
Crucials drives dont quite have the performance levels of Samsungs drives, but in the PS4 that is less important thanks to their older storage connectivity systems. Drives like the Crucial BX500 still deliver a good performance boost over the PS4s internal drives, and theyre just as reliable as Samsungs products.
The BX500 is a little cheaper, too. Its possible to get a 480GB drive for $49 if youd like to give your PS4 a speed boost without any extra space handy if you often play the same selection of games. Its 1TB and 2TB models come in at $100 and $199 respectively.
Explained In 5 Easy Steps
Many users are unsure about what is the correct procedure and what are the best hard drives to opt for, so I have compiled a complete guide for the whole process.
Now, you might be thinking you will lose your all saved game data, so we will make sure you have backed up your data.
Honestly, you dont need to worry because its really easy to replace your PS4 Sony hard drive without losing any data.
But first, make sure you got the below-mentioned things ready before replacing the hard drive:
Curious about how SSDs/Hard Drives Work?Head over to our Complete Guide on Storage.
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How To Replace Or Upgrade Your Hard Drive On Ps4
Materials:
- USB Flash Drive
- 2.5 inch serial ATA hard disc drive
Directions:
1. Go to playstation.com, and find the most recent system software. The current page for this is here: or here: . Scroll down and look for this section:
Download the 700-800 MB system recovery/new install software. The most recent download is this one, if you’re having trouble finding it on your own.
2. Test your USB drive with your PS4 first. Make sure it plugs snugly into one of the USB ports on your PS4 — some drives are too fat and can’t be inserted all the way. If your drive works, move on to the next step.
3. Plug your USB drive into your computer. You can use a PC or a Mac, but you have to make sure the USB flash drive is formatted as FAT or FAT32 to avoid issues. Most flash drives come preformatted and should be ready to go, but if you want to be sure note that erasing and formatting your drive only takes a few seconds and the system may return an error with other formats. On a PC, right-click the drive and select Format from the menu. On Mac, use Disk Utility and erase and reformat using MS DOS and Master Boot Record scheme.
3. Create a folder titled PS4 on the flash drive. Create another folder titled UPDATE within that PS4 folder.
7. Remove the left side of the PS4 case by simply depressing it and sliding it to the side, as shown.
That’s it! Congrats.
Install The Ps4 System Software On The New Hard Drive
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The Best Sony Playstation 4 Games For 2020
Now that your PS4 is super-charged, try it out with one of our picks for The Best Sony PlayStation 4 Games.
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Four: Freeing Up The Caddy
On the regular PS4 you’ll notice the hard drive is not yet in full view. There’s one screw we need to unscrew to release the frame that holds the hard drive, using a Phillips screwdriver.
It’s the largest one on the metal surface you’ll see, and is inlaid with the classic PlayStation button icons.
Once the screw is removed, you can just pull the drive caddy out horizontally from the PS4’s body.
To replace the hard drive in the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro, you’ll just need to unscrew the single screw that holds the caddy in place.
You will then be able to slide out the hard drive caddy.
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Removing Ps4 Hard Drive
PS4 hard drive removal is pretty easy. All what you need to do is to have a compatible screwdriver to unscrew the drive and then pull it out. Something like this screwdriver. One youâve it with you, youâre now ready to dismantle the PS4 stock hard drive and remove it.
So here are the step-by-step guide on how to remove PS4 hard drive.
Step 1: Power off your PS4.
Step 2: Have the cover off.The hard drive bay is located under the shiny panel on the left side . It actually slides off from the center to the edge.
Step 3: Remove the one screwdriver.Once you have the cover off, there is only one screw you need to remove.
Step 4: Remove PS4 HDDSlide out the original PS4 hard drive and remove the four screws from the caddy.
Thatâs it all. Now your PS4 hard drive has been successfully removed and youâre ready for replacing it with a new hard drive.
Best Hard Drive For Ps4
Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSHD 2TB
If you want to upgrade your PS4 hard drive and are looking for the best hard drive option right now, then you should seek out an SSHD. These drives combine platter-based storage with smaller, faster portions of flash memory, and they learn which files you use frequently and move them to the faster flash storage so they can be loaded faster.
If you play the same games frequently, youll see a performance improvement. The 2TB capacity means that youll get loads of extra space even if the games you install dont benefit from the flash memory portion of the drive, and itll certainly never be slower than the PS4s internal drives. Its not particularly expensive, either.
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Ps4 Lost Save Data Ps4
Since the internal storage of PS4 is limited and the demands for online & offline games are increasing, many people choose to add an external hard drive to PS4. However, users reported the PS4 save data missing issue now and then their data were lost from both the internal storage and the external hard drive.
In fact, a series of reasons including accidental deletion, power failure, and connectivity loss could all lead to the PS4 hard drive data loss. Considering this, I decided to teach you the commonly used ways to recover data from PS4 hard drive in different situations.
Why Do You Need To Replace The Ps4 Internal Hard Drive
The reasons for PS4 hard drive replacement include the following situations:
- The current internal hard drive doesnt have enough space and you need to use a new hard drive to increase the storage space to your system.
- The old PS4 hard drive slows down and you want to use a new hard drive to increase the performance speed.
- Your PS4 hard drive is damaged or corrupted.
However, do you know how to replace PS4 hard drive? MiniTool Software writes this post to show you how to replace PS4 hard drive.
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Method 1 Delete Unused Apps And Games
If you have installed many apps or games on your PS4, you can delete some barely used games to free up space. This is the most common way that almost all users will adopt to.
Step 1. Open your PS4 console and head to “Settings”.
Step 2. Go to “System Storage Management” > “Applications”.
Step 3. Hit the “Options” button on your controller and select “Delete”.
Step 4. Tick off the games and Apps you want to remove and hit the “Delete” button.
How To Recover Data From Ps4 Hard Drive In Different Ways
PS4 is a world-famous video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The PlayStation series wins the heart of a large number of gamers. According to users feedback, I find many of the PS4 gamers are in face of the same problem: lose data suddenly and need a solution for PS4 data recovery. Now, Ill introduce different ways to recover data from PS4 hard drive, including using MiniTool Software.
To be specific, PS4 stands for PlayStation 4, which is the eighth generation of home video game console designed by Sony Corporation. PS4 attracts a large number of home game lovers since its first release in February 2013. All in all, the PlayStation 4 was announced to critical acclaim.
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Recover Ps4 Games By Re
You are allowed to download the lost PS4 games again from the PlayStation store as long as you log in with the same account used to buy the games previously. Dont worry the re-download of the games is free of charge.
Users can also resort to the PS4 game CDs to recover data if they have one.