How to choose and install the right external hard drive for your PS5

PS5 external storage requirements To be fair, using an external HDD is different from boosting your console’s internal storage capacity, but offloading some of your games to an external hard drive will save space on your PS5’s main SSD. The only major downside is that you can’t play PS5 games from an external storage device, but you can store them there for easy access when you want to reinstall them. PS4 games, on the other hand, can be played on PS5 from an external drive and work perfectly, making it a viable option if your primary goal is to install more games on your PS5.

Of course, you can’t go plugging any old hard drive into your PS5; only certain hard drives are compatible as expanded storage options. Specifically, you will need a drive with one of the following SuperSpeed USB connection types: However, even if your hard drive meets those specifications, Sony is clear that some drives simply will not work on PS5. Do your research and shop specifically for PS5-compatible drives if you plan on buying one.

G/O Media may get a commission Don’t fret if your USB hard drive won’t work as an expanded storage device for your PS5; you can use it to create an external backup of your console instead. This can be done on any USB storage device large enough to hold the data you want to backup. You can’t play games from a backup drive, but you can keep data safely stored locally, which will come in handy if your PS5 ever suffers a hardware failure or memory corruption, and could free up extra space on your PS5’s internal SSD.

Size also matters. Expanded storage drive must have at least 250 GB of space, and the largest supported size is 8 TBs. SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.0/USB 3.1 Gen1/USB 3.2 Gen1)SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen2/USB 3.2 Gen2/USB 3.2 Gen1x2) SuperSpeed USB 20 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen2x2)

So, once you have a PS5-compatible hard drive, it’s time to get it ready to use as an expanded storage device. To do so, you’ll need to properly connect, format, and configure the drive on your PS5. Here’s what to do: How to use an external USB drive as expanded storage on PS5

Format the drive The first step is simple enough: Plug the drive into a USB port on the back of your PS5 console. The drive must be connected directly to the PS5—it won’t work if you connect via a USB hub. Similarly, you can only use one external hard drive at a time. Multiple can be connected, but only one will be active as the expanded storage location. Connect the drive to your PS5

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