How to Install or Transfer PS5 Games to an External Hard Drive

How to Install or Transfer PS5 Games to an External Hard Drive.Your PlayStation 5‘s 825GB internal storage seems like a lot, but modern video games can be big. Many games require more than 50 GB and some even exceed 100 GB. As a result, you may run out of storage sooner rather than later.An external hard drive or SSD is a practical and economical solution. It increases the available storage space, allowing you to install more games and keep your console running smoothly and efficiently.This guide will provide an easy approach to setting up an external hard drive on Sony PS5 and using it to move, install and copy games.

Prepare for the Initial Setup

To expand storage on your PS5, you must have a USB 3.0 compatible external hard drive or SSD with at least 250GB capacity. Don’t worry if the drive is too big – the console supports sizes up to 8TB.In addition, you will need a USB-3.0 compatible cable to connect your external drive to your PS5. If you’re not sure, just use the cable from the drive’s packaging.You also need to free up the SuperSpeed USB-C port on the front or one of the USB-A ports on the back of the console, depending on the cable your external drive is using. The forward facing USB-A port is not compatible with extended storage media.As a last step, make sure your PS5’s system software is up to date. This improves hardware compatibility and fixes known issues with the extended storage setup process. Navigate to Settings > System > Software Update to update the system software.Related: Want to learn more about how PS5 and extended storage devices work? Check out our PS5 external drive explanation.

Format the External USB Drive

Assuming you’re all set, it’s time to set up your external drive to work as an extended storage device with your PlayStation 5.Warning: Back up any data on an external hard drive as PS5 requires you to erase it before setting it up.Start by plugging your USB drive into either the USB-C port on the front panel or the USB-A port on the back of the console (there are two). Do not connect the drive through a USB hub. Then:

Select the Settings icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Scroll down the settings menu and select Storage.

Go to Extended USB Storage > Format as Extended USB -storage .

Select Yes and wait for the console to format the disk.

Click OK to complete the installation process.

Move Games to the Extended Storage

Once you set up your hard drive as an extended storage device on your PS5, you can start moving games to it right away. Here’s how:

Select the game you want to move to the home screen or games library.

Click the Options button and select Move games and apps interval>.

Tick the boxes for other games you want to move and select Move.

Press OK.

Please wait while the console moves games from its internal drive to additional storage. This may take some time, depending on the speed of the latter.

Install Games on the Extended Storage

PS5 can be configured to install games directly to extended storage, but functionality is limited to PS4 versions of video games only. To set it up:

Open the PS5 settings menu and select Memory.

Go to Installation Location> PS4 Games & Apps< /range>.

Click the Settings button and select Extended USB Drive</ range>.

PS4 digital and disc games should now automatically copy data to an external drive.

Copy Back Games to Internal Storage

Developers develop PS5 games to take advantage of the lightning-fast performance of internal storage, which is why the console won’t let you play them through extended storage. Therefore, if you want to play the ported PS5 game, you must copy it back. For this:

Highlight the game on the home screen or game library span>and select Copy.

Wait for your console to finish returning the game.

Unlike PS5 games, you can play PS4 games from an external drive. Simply select Play from your home screen or from your game library. However, if you want to take advantage of the increased internal storage read speed, here’s how to get them back:

Highlight the game on the main screen, press the Options button and select Move games and apps.

Select the other games you want to copy back and select Move.

Click OK and wait for the console to copy the selected element or elements back.

Delete Games on the Extended Storage

If your extended USB storage device starts to fill up, you can uninstall games to free up space. Here’s how:

Open the PS5 settings menu and select Memory.

Select Extended USB Storage > Games & Apps span>.

Select a game and click the Options button.

Select the Select Items to Remove option.

Tick the boxes for other games you want to remove and select Remove.

Remove the Extended Storage

You should only disconnect the Extended Storage USB Drive after it has been safely disconnected. For this:

Go to Settings > Storage.

Select Extended USB Storage> PS5 Safely Remove< /range>.

Remove the extended capacity USB flash drive from the PS5 console.

Don’t forget to reconnect your external drive whenever you want to move or copy games.

You’ve Extended Your PS5’s Storage

It turns him around! Expanding your PlayStation 5‘s storage with an external hard drive or solid state drive is a smart move for any avid gamer. Sure, it doesn’t pack as much power as an NVMe M.2 SSD slot, but it provides plenty of room for an expanding collection of games and upstages the PS5’s storage management issues.