The reason to upgrade your PS4 hard drive is to store more games. The PlayStation 4 comes with a 500GB hard drive, and some of that is reserved for the operating system and mandatory installation files. That doesn’t leave a lot of space for games — especially if you have a digital library.
If you have a lot of games and find yourself regularly deleting them to make room for new ones, it might be time to upgrade to a larger drive. Even if you don’t have a lot of games, some game installations can be larger than 50GB.
If you only play physical discs, you probably don’t need to worry about upgrading your hard drive, since disc-based games only require a small amount of storage. If you want to upgrade anyway, or plan on switching to digital downloads in the future, it’s not too difficult — although it will void your warranty.
How to check the current hard drive space on your PS4
Before you upgrade your PS4 hard drive, you need to check the current hard drive space on your PS4.
Here’s how:
1. Go to Settings.
2. Select System Storage Management.
3. Select Applications.
4. Highlight and select an application.
5. Select Options and then View Details.
What are the benefits of upgrading to a larger hard drive
If you’ve been using your PS4 for a while, you may have noticed that your hard drive is getting full. This can be a problem if you want to download new games or apps, or if you want to save new game data.
Fortunately, upgrading your PS4 hard drive is relatively easy and it can give you the extra space you need. There are a few things to consider before you upgrade, though. First, you’ll need to decide what size hard drive you need. Second, you’ll need to choose between an internal or external hard drive. And finally, you’ll need to decide whether you want to keep your current data or start from scratch.
Once you’ve decided on the size and type of hard drive you want, the actual process of upgrading is relatively simple. First, backup your data (if desired). Next, format the new hard drive. Finally, install the new hard drive and restore your data (if desired).
Upgrading to a larger hard drive can give you the extra space you need to download new games and apps, or to save new game data. It’s also relatively easy to do, and it doesn’t require any special tools or knowledge.
How to add more space to ps4
The Playstation 4 comes with a 500GB hard drive. That might be enough for some people, but games are only going to get bigger and bigger, so you might find yourself wanting to upgrade your PS4 hard drive at some point. Luckily, it’s not too difficult to do, and in this article we’ll show you how.
There are a few things you’ll need to do before you start, though. Firstly, back up your data. You can do this either by connecting your PS4 to your PC with a USB cable and copying the files over, or by using Sony’s cloud storage service, PlayStation Plus.
Once you’ve backed up your data, you need to format the new hard drive. This can be done using a PC – just connect the hard drive to your computer and format it as FAT32. If you don’t have a PC handy, don’t worry – you can format the hard drive on your PS4. Just go to Settings > System > Backup and Restore > Format Extended Storage > Quick Format.
Now that the new hard drive is formatted, it’s time to install it in your PS4. Turn off your console and unplug all the cables. Then unscrew the case and remove the side panel (the screw is located on the back of the console).
Inside, you’ll see the hard drive bay – it’s the silver metal box on the left-hand side. Carefully unclip the old hard drive and disconnect the power and data cables (they should just pull out – if they don’t, make sure they’re disconnected at the other end). Now do the same with the new hard drive – connect the power and data cables first, then carefully slide it into place and clip it in.
Replace the side panel of your PS4 and screw it back in place, then plug everything back in and turn on your console. When prompted during startup, choose “Rebuild Database” – this might take a little while depending on how much data you have on your PS4, but once it’s done all of your games will be installed on the new hard drive and accessible from wherever you are in System Storage (just go to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices).
How to format your new hard drive for use with your PS4
Now that you have your new hard drive, it needs to be formatted for use with your PS4. Before you do anything, make sure to back up all of your data on a separate storage device, as this process will delete everything on your PS4’s hard drive.
Here’s how to format your new hard drive for use with your PS4:
1. Go to Settings > System > Backup and Restore.
2. Select “Back Up PS4.”
3. Connect your external storage device and select “Copy.”
4. Once the backup is complete, go to Settings > System > Storage Management > Devices.
5. Select your PS4’s hard drive, then select “Format as Extended Storage.”
6. Connect your external storage device and select “Use as Extended Storage.”
7. Your PS4 will now format the hard drive for use as extended storage. This may take a little while, so be patient. Once it’s done, you’ll be able to store games and other data on your external hard drive just like you would on the internal hard drive.
How to transfer data from your old hard drive to your new hard drive
Before you get started, there are a couple of things you need to do:
1. Backup your data. We recommend using an external hard drive for this.
2. Format your new hard drive. It needs to be the same file system as your PS4 (FAT32 or exFAT).
3. Insert your new hard drive into your PS4.
Now that you’ve got everything ready, here’s how to transfer your data:
1. Go to Settings > System > Backup and Restore > Backup System Data.
2. Connect your external hard drive to your PS4 via USB.
3. Select the external hard drive as your backup destination, then select Start Backup.
4. Once the backup is complete, go to Settings > System > Backup and Restore > Restore PS4, then select the external hard drive as your source and select Restore All Information (games, trophies, settings).
How to troubleshoot hard drive upgrade issues
One of the most common issues people run into when upgrading their PS4 hard drive is that their PS4 no longer recognizes the new hard drive. This can be a frustrating problem, but there are a few things you can do to try and fix it.
First, make sure that you have correctly installed the new hard drive. If the hard drive is not correctly installed, your PS4 will not be able to recognize it. Second, try restarting your PS4. Sometimes the console just needs a reboot in order to detect the new hard drive. Finally, if neither of those solutions work, you may need to format the new hard drive before your PS4 will be able to use it.