PS4:Upgrading your Hard Drive

Note that your replacement HDD must be larger than or equal to the size of the original HDD; and you will need an external HDD of larger or equal size as well.

1. Format the external drive as FAT or exFAT
2. On the PS4, navigate to Settings → System → Backup and Restore → Backup. The process may take hours to complete.
3. Shut down the PS4 and unplug it.
4. Swap out the hard drives with the following steps:
   • Unplug all cables from the PS4.
   • Slide the glossy cover until it pops and you can remove it.
   • Unscrew the screw with the PS4 button symbols on it.
   • Unscrew the screw holding the hard drive in.
   • Slide the hard drive out and unscrew the screw from the hard drive cradle.
   • Unplug the hard drive and plug in the replacement drive and reassemble the console.
5. Plug the cables back in and start the PS4. It will ask for a firmware file of the firmware it had installed, or the most recent one. Download the update of choice and place it in a folder called UPDATE, and place that folder in folder called PS4, and place it on the root of a USB flash drive. Plug it into your PS4 and follow the onscreen instructions to install it.
   • This will format the new hard drive automatically; it may take some time.
6. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up the system.
7. With the external hard drive plugged in, navigate to Settings → System → Backup and Restore → Restore, and select the backup you had made previously. This process may take hours to complete. Your system should now be back to the way it had started, but with more hard drive space.