PS4 firmware 4.50 was just released, and one of its biggest features is external storage support. That means you can buy any external HDD and instantly expand the amount of games your console can hold. Especially for those still stuck with 500GB, that’s a major improvement. This brief guide will show you how the feature works.

WHICH EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES WORK WITH PS4?

Currently Sony allows just one external storage device to be paired with the console at a time. Drives can only be used on multiple consoles if they’re registered to the same PSN account. It must also meet these requirements.

  • USB 3.0 or later
  • 250GB minimum with a maximum of 8TB
  • The unit must be directly connected to PS4.

It should also be known that once your external hard drive is linked to your PS4, it can’t be used for anything else without a complete reformat.

WHICH EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE SHOULD I BUY FOR PS4?

That choice is up to you, but our colleagues at iDigitalTimes recently compiled a list with five strong suggestions at varying price ranges. Generally speaking, anything with at least 5,400 RPMs, transfer speeds up to 5 GB/s and positive user reviews will do the trick.

HOW DO I FORMAT AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE FOR PS4?

Once you have the drive you want to use, plug it into the console’s USB port. Then, go to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices. Select your drive’s name and press Format As Extended Storage. Click next, format and confirm when asked.

Once the process is finished, the external will become the default location for future game and app installs. This can be changed in Settings > Storage by hitting the Options button. You can set either the system or extended storage as the application install location.

HOW DO I TRANSFER GAMES TO MY PS4 EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE?

In Settings > Storage, select System Storage and choose Applications. You’ll see your list of installed games. Press Options and select Move To Extended Storage. Check the boxes for everything you want moved and select Move.

To safely eject your drive, hold down the PS button, scroll up to the Devices submenu and select Stop Using External Storage.

PS4 Firmware 4.50 is available now as a free download.
Will you be using an external hard drive with your PS4? Was the process simple enough? Tell us in the comments section!

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