USB extended storage on PS5 consoles

USB extended storage on PS5 consoles

Learn how to format a USB drive as USB extended storage, which USB drives can be used as USB extended storage, and what can be stored in USB extended storage.

What you can do with a formatted USB extended storage drive

Format a commercially available USB drive and use it as extended storage to save your game and app data. USB extended storage is also helpful at times such as when you want to make room on your console storage or when your console storage is full.

  • PS5 games
    Move games you've already finished or games you haven't played in a while to USB extended storage. PlayStation®5 games can't be played directly from USB extended storage, so make sure to copy PS5® game data back to your console storage when you want to play the game again.
  • PS4 games
    You can set your USB extended storage as the installation location for your PS4 games. You can play PS4 games directly from your USB extended storage.

If you want to use USB extended storage that you were previously using with your PlayStation®4 console or another PS5 console, simply connect it to your PS5 console. 

Manage PS5 console storage
USB extended storage on PS4 consoles

USB extended storage requirements on PS5 consoles

  • SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbps or later.
  • 250 GB minimum, 8 TB maximum capacity.
  • Not all devices are guaranteed to work with the PS5 console.
  • You can't connect the drive through a USB hub.
  • Two or more USB extended storage drives can’t be connected at the same time. You can connect multiple USB drives to your console, but you can use only one at a time.
USB ports guide

The following SuperSpeed USB connections are supported on PS5 consoles:

  • 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**). 

* USB 3.2 Gen1x2 devices are supported but as single-lane USB3.2 x1 connections (5Gbps). 

** USB 3.2 Gen2x2 devices are supported but as single-lane USB3.2 x1 connections (10Gbps).

Important connection information

If the USB drive isn't disconnected properly, there may be data loss, corruption, or damage to your console or USB drive. Safely remove a USB drive.

How to format a USB drive as USB extended storage

When you format a USB drive, any data saved on the drive is erased. Data erased this way cannot be recovered, so be careful and make sure you do not erase important data.

USB drives that you used as USB extended storage on your PS4 console or another PS5 console don’t need to be re-formatted.

When you first start using a USB drive with a PS5 console, format the drive as USB extended storage by following these steps: 

  1. Connect your USB drive to a USB Type-C port (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) or USB Type-A port (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) on your PS5 console.

USB ports guide

  1. Go to Settings > Storage.

  2. Select USB Extended Storage > Format as USB Extended Storage.
    When there are multiple USB drives connected, you can change which USB drive you format by choosing Select Another USB Drive.

Do not turn off the power or disconnect the USB drive while it's being formatted. Doing this may cause data loss, corruption, or damage to your PS5 console or USB drive.

How to move games between USB extended storage and PS5 console storage

  1. Go to your Game Library, highlight the data you want to move, press the options button, and then select Move Games and Apps.
    If you're using both M.2 SSD storage and USB extended storage, go to the Movable to USB Extended Storage tab. 
  2. Select Move. 
  • To play your PS5 games, you need to copy game data from your USB extended storage back to your PS5 console storage. To do this, go to your games home and select Game Library. From the Installed tab, you can find the games that are saved on your USB extended storage. Highlight the game you want to copy back, press the options button, and then select Copy to save it to your console storage.
  • You can play PS4 games directly from USB extended storage.

How to automatically download PS4 games to USB extended storage

You can set PS4 games to install directly to your USB extended storage.

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Select Installation Location.

Delete data on USB extended storage

  1. Go to Settings > Storage.
  2. Select USB Extended Storage > Games and Apps.
  3. Select the Delete Content tab.
  4. Select the data you want to get rid of and select Delete.

Safely remove USB extended storage

When you want to temporarily stop using your USB extended storage, or you want to use your drive on another PS5 console or PS4 console, make sure your console's power indicator is completely off before disconnecting the USB extended storage from your console.

If you want to disconnect USB extended storage while your console is turned on, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Storage.
  2. Select USB Extended Storage > Safely Remove from PS5.
  3. Disconnect the USB extended storage from your PS5 console.

When you want to use the USB drive again, connect it to the USB Type-C port (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) or the USB Type-A port (SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) on your PS5 console.

USB ports guide
  1. Go to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices 
  2. Select Stop.

How to reformat (delete or wipe) USB extended storage as a USB drive

You can format a drive when you no longer want to use it as USB extended storage for your PS5 console. When you format the USB extended storage, all game data saved on the drive is erased.

  1. Go to Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage.

  2. Select ... (More) > Format as exFAT.

Do not turn off the power or disconnect the USB drive while it's being formatted. Doing this may cause data loss or corruption, or damage to your PS5 console or USB drive.

Types of data
Back up or restore

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