How To Connect An External Hard Drive To Your Ps4 Or Ps4 Pro
PS4 with a connected Seagate 5 TB HDD
It was a long time coming but you can finally connect an external hard disc drive to your PlayStation 4 or PS4 Pro. The days of swapping games in and out of the meager 500 GB internal drive in the PS4 or the larger 1 TB drive in the PS4 Pro are over. Connecting the HDD to either console is easy and only takes a few minutes. Heres how to do it.
You can use any external HDD that has a USB 3.0 connection. The PS4 and PS4 Pro will address up to 8 TB of storage. I used a Seagate 5 TB Expansion drive and the process went very smoothly.
The external drive needs to be formatted to work with the PS4s and after formatting, I had 4.6 TB of usable storage space. Keep that large footprint in mind when considering the size of the external HDD you plan to use.
The PS4s will only recognize one external storage drive at a time. If a drive that has been previously formatted for external storage on the console is connected, it will not format a second drive and will not recognize a previously formatted second drive. Also, the external drive cannot be connected to the console through a USB hub, it must be directly connected to one of the USB ports on the PS4 or PS4 Pro.
Format as extended storage
Here’s how to connect the external HDD.
Under Settings, go to Devices.
Under Devices, go to USB Storage Devices.
Under USB Storage Devices, press Format as Extended Storage.
Thats all there is to it. My 5 TB drive took less than a minute to format.
Move Games And Apps To The External Storage
You can also move your apps, games, screenshots, video capture, and data with your external storage.
Lets start by showing you how to move games and apps:
Moving games to external storage take time. Its about 20 to 25 minutes for each game. Thats still faster than re-downloading the content, though.
Also, you can repeat the process with all other file types within the storage menu. In particular, you can open Capture Gallery , Themes and Saved Data to move the content.
Way : Format Ps4 External Hard Drive Via Disk Management
Disk Management is also a good Windows utility to help you format disk. To format an external hard drive for PS4, please refer to the follwoing steps.
Step 1: Connect the external hard drive with a Windows computer.
Step 2: Press Windows and R on the keyboard simultaneously to get the following picture. And then input diskmgmt.msc and then click OK.
Step 3: Get the interface of Disk Management and select the partition on the external hard drive you want to format.
Step 4: Right-click the partition on the disk and then click Format.
Note:
Step 5: Select File System FAT32 in the new pop-up window for the external hard drive and click OK.
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How To Recover Data From Ps4
Sometimes, you will find the applications you need are lost during the transferring/deleted by mistake/disappeared after drive formatting. On this occasion, you must use a reliable data recovery tool to recover lost files immediately.
How to get the data back from the System Storage of PlayStation:
The Pros And Cons Of Using A Ps4 External Hard Drive
Having extra storage for your PS4 is undoubtedly a convenience, but is a PS4 external hard drive the ideal solution?
Your PS4 is a great games console, but its base hard drive might not satisfy your requirements. Meager storage space, slow load times, and frequent crashes might be plague your console. If you’re experiencing any of these, or other problems, then it could be time for you to upgrade your PS4 hard drive.
If you’re thinking of getting an external PS4 hard drive, here are the pros and cons to help inform your decision.
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Way : Format Ps4 External Hard Drive Via Minitool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a multifunctional tool that can help you manage partitions easily and safely, including formatting disk quickly.
Please follow the steps below to format best external hard drive for PS4 via MiniTool Partition Wizard.
Step 1: Plug the new external hard drive into a computer at first.
Step 2: Download MiniTool Partition Wizard Free by clicking the offered button and launch it to get its main interface.
Note:
Step 3: Right-click the partition on the external hard drive you want to format and click Format. Or select the partition on the external hard drive and then choose Format Partition from the left panel directly.
Step 4: Select FAT32 as the file system of the partition on the external hard drive and click OK to confirm these changes.
Step 5: Click Apply after going back the main interface of MiniTool Partition Wizard Free to execute all changes.
How To Use External Hard Drive On Ps4
If you download and store all your games and add-ons on your PS4 system storage, youll find it out of space very soon. Sony has allowed adding external hard drive to your PS4 now, so that you can have a lot more storage to install and save your applications! Want to know how to use external hard drive on PS4? Go on reading.
This article introduces the way on how to connect an external hard drive with your PlayStation 4, and the corresponding settings, such as how to move applications to your external hard drive, and how to disconnect the external hard drive on your PS4, etc. Try the following instructions!
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How To Install And Use Ps4 Games To External Hard Drive
The PS4 runs out of storage fast. Theres a great way to increase the storage nonetheless. Were teaching you how to install PS4 games on an external hard drive if youre looking for solutions.
With over seven years in the market, its 500GB or 1TB storage is insufficient. You can manage the internal storage for a temporary solution or install a new internal drive for a complex, permanent solution.
Or, you can take the path in-between using a portable HDD or SSD drive. Almost any unit would do, as long as it has a 3.0 USB interface.
How To Install Ps4 Games To External Hard Drive
The process is easy, but were detailing each step nonetheless. In particular:
- Selecting a portable storage drive
- Formatting the storage drive on the PS4
- Making the drive the default install location for games and apps
- Moving games, apps, gallery items, and save data to the drive
PlayStation supports these steps officially so that you wont damage your console in any way. Also, if you have a PS5, it can help you migrate your games and data.
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Other Reasons We Like The Samsung T5
If youre trying to keep your entertainment center clean, the Samsung T5 is the perfect external hard drive. Weighing in at only 51 grams and measuring smaller than a business card, the T5 can sit comfortably behind your console, out of sight. Since its a SSD, it doesnt require any ventilation and doesnt make any noise, either.
Although its a good match for your PS4, the Samsung T5 is also a great choice as an external hard drive, in general. Samsung includes AES-256 hardware encryption on the device, allowing you to lock all of your data behind a password. You can learn more about how hard AES-256 is to crack in our description of encryption.
From performance to features to build quality, the T5 is excellent. Although its higher-than-average price tag may turn away some users, the performance is one of the Samsung T5. You can learn more about it in our Samsung T5 review.
Pros:
Two: System Of Playstation 4 Should Be Version 450 Or Later
The system of your PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 4 Pro must be updated to version 4.50 or later. That is simply because Sony added the external HDD support to PS4 when the 4.50 version was released early in 2017.
If you have an older system on your PS4, youll need to update it to the latest version before you can add a PS4 hard drive externally.
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Seagate Expansion Portable: The Best Value Hdd For Ps4
Price: £44 , £57 , £92 , £97 |
Its not the fastest drive and far from the most stylish, but the Expansion Portable gives you exactly what you need for your PS4: decent speeds and plenty of storage. The 2TB version reaches read speeds of 132MB/sec and write speeds of 129MB/sec, both of which are in excess of the 120MB/sec quoted and perfectly respectable for a portable HDD. And while its a chunky little slab of plastic, its well-built and very quiet. Unless youre desperate for a proper gaming drive, theres little reason to spend more and the 4TB and 5TB versions are an absolute steal.0
Key specs Type: Portable HDD Connectivity: USB 3 Spindle speed: 5,400RPM Size: 117 x 80 x 15mm
Price: £88 , £140 , £275 |
Key specs Type: Portable SSD Connectivity: USB 3.2 Gen2 Spindle speed: N/A Size: 74 x 57 x 11mm
Price: 8TB, £137 |
Key specs Type: Desktop HDD Connectivity: USB 3 Spindle speed: 5400rpm Size: 179 x 119 x 41mm
Price: 2TB, £76 4TB, £98 5TB, £133 | Buy now from Ebuyer
Western Digitals Black line of HDDs has always had a good reputation with PC gamers, but this is its first foray into the console gaming world. Not only do you get rugged build quality and a cool, industrial design, but you have more choice when it comes to capacity, with 5TB drives available for just over £100. If you don’t mind setting aside a mains socket, the P10 also comes in larger 8TB and 12TB sizes as a desktop hard drive.
Price: 2TB, £80 4TB, £113 |
Price: 2TB, £70 |
How Do I Transfer Games From Ps4 To External Storage
Once the formatting process is complete, select System from the PS4s home screen.
Find your way to the Storage option, then you should select System Storage.
Finally, select Applications.
Youll see a list of all of your locally stored PS4 games.
Find a game you want to move and click the options button on the controller.
Here youll find the option to move the game to external storage.
Simply select the option and wait for the move to be completed.
You can even select more than one game at a time by highlighting several games before hitting the options button.
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How To Set Up Your Ps4 External Hard Drive
A console is basically a computerand that means youll eventually need more storage to expand your game library as your internal storage becomes full. The portable Game Drive for PlayStation is the easy solution.
If you’d prefer to watch a video on this topic, let Seagates Maka break it down for you here.
How To Choose The Best External Hard Drive For Your Ps4
What should you look for in a PS4 hard drive?
Interface type: Any USB 3 drive of almost any size will work 250GB is the minimum capacity and a whopping 8TB the maximum. Neither the PS4 nor PS4 Pro support USB 3.1 gen 2 or USB Type C, so dont worry about spending extra on a drive that sports these newer interface standards.
Portable or desktop? For conveniences sake, wed recommend going for a portable external hard drive. The portability isnt actually that useful, but the one USB 3 connection will handle both data transfer and power, so you wont need an external power supply.
Right now, there are only two reasons to choose a desktop external hard drive. First, they can run to larger capacities: even the biggest portable drives max out at 5TB, while desktop drives go up to the full 8TB maximum capacity. Youd have to have a massive games library, though, to make that a deciding factor. Otherwise, some desktop drives have a 7,200RPM spindle speed, where portable drives usually only manage 5,400RPM. This can mean slightly better performance, and slightly shorter loading times.
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How much storage space do you need?
Here’s a look at some top-selling games for PS4 on Amazon, and how much room they take up on your hard drive :
Game storage requirements PS4
| 190GB |
Is it worth spending extra on an SSD?
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Moving Games Between Storage Locations
To move a game between your storage drives, go to Settings > Storage and select the device that contains the game you want to relocate. Choose Applications from the data types.
Now press Options on your controller and select Move to Extended Storage . Check all the games you want to move, then hit Move and confirm.
You can have add-ons for a game installed on your external drive, even if the main game is on your system storage.
Format External Drive In Ps4
How to add external storage and format it in your PS4:
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How To Set Up And Use External Storage On Your Ps4
If you’re out of space for PS4 games, connecting an external drive is the easiest way to get more storage. Here’s how to use an external drive on PS4.
Depending on which model of PlayStation 4 you have, the system came with either 500GB or 1TB of storage. And while this is enough to store several games, chances are that you’ll run out of space before long, especially since games get larger all the time.
Having to uninstall games every time you want to play a new one is a hassle the solution is adding an external drive to get more storage. Here’s how to set up and use an external drive on your PS4.
How To Move Applications To The External Hard Drive
you now have added the external HDD to your PS4, and you may want to move the installed applications to the external storage to clear more space for your system storage. Its pretty easy! Check it out:
1) Go to PS4 Settings> Storage.
2) Select the storage where those applications are currently located in, generally the System Storage, and select Applications.
3) Press the OPTIONSbutton and select Move to Extended Storage.
4) Select the applications you want to move, or select Select All to select all the applications by one click.
5) Select Move.
6) Select OK to confirm.
Then you can check those applications in the external storage now, and spare more space for your system storage.
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Using An External Hard Drive To Store Games And Apps On A Ps4
Seagates product lab team has been testing the new feature during the beta phase and its been working great! Set up is simple just plug your external USB 3.0 drive into one of PS4 USB ports, navigate to Settings, Devices, USB Storage Devices, then select your new drive and choose Format as Extended Storage.
Then to tell your PS4 to save all your future data on your new, bigger drive, just highlight the new drive in the settings , press Options on your controller, and choose Confirm all data will henceforth be saved to your new drive.
You can even move any of your existing content from your PS4s internal drive to your new external drive. Just choose Manage Content from the confirmation screen, highlight any game you want to move and click the Options button, then select Move to Extended Storage.
How To Back Up Your Ps4’s Data
First of all, make sure that the external storage device you’re using has twice as much storage space available as the PS4’s hard drive has the PS4 may make copies of data as it transfers it, which will take up more space than you expect.
Your external storage device also needs to be formatted as FAT32 or exFAT in order for the backup to be successful. If you’re wondering how to convert a drive to these formats, check out this guide from ASUS.
If you want to back up your PS4 Trophies, you’ll need to do so before you back up the rest of your data.
1. Navigate to the “Trophies” tab at the top of the screen, represented by an icon resembling a trophy, and press the X button.
2. On the next screen, press the Options button.
3. From there, select “Sync with PlayStation Network” and press X to back up your Trophies.
Once you’ve done that, you can move onto the rest of your data.
1. Plug the external storage device into one of the USB ports on the front of the PS4.
2. From the Home screen, navigate to the “Settings” tab in the top-right, represented by a small icon that resembles a briefcase, and press X.
3. In the next menu, select “System” and press X.
4. Select “Back Up and Restore” and press X, then select “Back Up” and press X.
6. After your backup is completed, you can name the storage device. Using the controller, type in the name you prefer, select “Back Up,” and press X.
The storage device can now be safely removed from your PS4.
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