How to Upgrade Your Sony PS4 Hard Drive Without Reinstalling Everything

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"Hey, do you know how to upgrade or replace the hard drive of a Sony PS4 with a larger one? My current hard drive is almost full, and I plan to upgrade to a bigger one to store more games. However, I don't want to reinstall any files or redownload game packages. Do you have any idea how to tackle this issue?"

Are you having the same issue with your PS4 hard drive? Don't worry when your game console's storage is full. In this article, we'll provide you with a quick and easy way to **replace and upgrade your Sony PS4 hard drive to a larger capacity** without needing to reinstall anything. Of course, all your game files and data will be kept safe.

Preparing to Upgrade Your PS4 Hard Drive

Before you decide to upgrade your PS4's hard drive, figure out how much space you actually need.

What you'll need: • A PlayStation 4 full-size system • A Phillips head screwdriver • A computer with Internet access • An external storage device with at least 1 GB of available space • An officially supported replacement hard drive. The PS4 system only supports 2.5-inch internal hard disk drives (9.5mm thick or slimmer)* and Serial ATA (not Parallel ATA) internal hard disk drives.

If you want to replace your PS4 hard drive manually without using cloning or backup software, follow these instructions to perform a PS4 hard drive swap:

Step 1: Backup Game Files on Your PS4 Hard Drive

If you have a PlayStation Plus subscription, you can choose to back up your saved data to the online storage of your PlayStation Network account. You can save up to 100 GB of game data and up to 1,000 save data items. To back up your entire PS4 to an external device, follow these steps:

Trophy data is not included in backups, so it's important to synchronize them.

Go to the “Trophies” menu, press the “Options” button, and select “Sync with PSN.” Then, back up your PS4 data as outlined in the previous step before swapping out the hard drive.

Step 1: On the PS4 home screen, insert your external storage device into one of the USB ports on your PS4.

Step 2: Go to Settings > System > Backup & reset > Backup. Check the data you want to back up.

A progress bar shows the current status of the backup. You can cancel at any time.

Step 3. Give your backup a name. When you're done, select "Backup" and press the "X" button.

Step 4. Eject the external storage device from the PS4 system.

• To view any captured images, go to Settings > System Storage Management > Capture Gallery, and you'll see everything that's been recorded. • Press Options and select Copy to USB Storage Device, or tap the Share button to upload images to Facebook to save them. • Videos can be saved to a USB device, Facebook, or even YouTube in the same way.

Step 2: Remove the Old PS4 Hard Drive

Step 1: Turn off the PS4, unplug the AC power cord, and disconnect any other cables from the system.

Step 2 Place your hands on the hard drive cover and slide it to the left. Lift up the right side first, then remove the hard drive cover.

Step 3: Unscrew the drive and pull it toward the front of the system to remove it.

Remove the old PS4 hard drive

< strong > Step 4 : Remove the four screws around the hard drive enclosure with a crosshead screwdriver.

Procedure 3: Installing and Upgrading the PS4 Hard Drive to a Larger Capacity

Step 1: Install the new hard drive in the PlayStation 4 system's hard drive bay.

Step 3: Screw the new drive into the system. Be sure to seat it fully in its sled.

Step 4: Install the PS4 system software on the new hard drive

The hard disk drive (HDD) installed in the PS4 must be recognized and formatted by the PS4. You must then install the latest PS4 system software update.

Step 1. Go to the PS4 System Software update page. Download and install the update onto a USB or external device (1 GB of free space required) according to the instructions.

Step Two: Install the software, then boot the PS4 into Safe Mode by holding down the power button until you hear a second beep.

Step 3. Select “Initialize PS4 (Reinstall System Software),” then press the X button.

Step 4. Insert the external storage device containing the system update into a USB port on your PS4. Press [OK], then press the X button.

Step 5: Select “Next,” and then press the X button. The update file will be copied to your PS4.

Step 6: Once the copy is complete, read the "System Software License Agreement," select "Accept," and then press the [X] button. The system software will now install on your PlayStation 4.

Step 7: Once the update is done, your PS4 will automatically restart. Press the PlayStation button on your controller to log in with your user profile.

Step 8. Sign in with an existing PlayStation Network (PSN) account, or create a new one.

Step 9. Confirm the version number on the Settings > System > About screen. Your system is now updated.

Program 5: Restore PS4 Backup from an External Device

You can restore saved data to your PlayStation 4 system from an external device or USB storage device by following these steps.

Step 1: Connect the USB storage device or external hard drive to the system.

Connect the USB to the PS4

Step 2: Go to Settings > System > Backup & reset.

Step 3: Select “Restore PS4” and the backup file you want to restore.

You will see a prompt telling you that your system will reboot and initialize after the backup process is complete. Select “Yes.”

To restore saved data that you previously stored online, connect to the PlayStation Network, and then go to [Settings] > [Application Saved Data Management] > [Online Storage] > [Download to System Storage]. Select the data that you want to restore.

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Tip extra - Upgrade to a bigger hard drive easily

If you are looking for a powerful and effective tool to change or upgrade your system drive or secondary hard drive to a new HDD/SSD, then the professional disk cloning software - Disk Copy can meet your needs.

Recommended: Upgrade with a Disk Clone Tool for HDD/SSD

The Disk Copy tool allows you to clone systems, disks, and partitions without any complicated operations, helping you to easily upgrade your hard drive to a larger one. It is fully compatible with all Windows systems. Moreover, it enables you to transfer Windows from HDD to SSD without losing data or reinstalling Windows.

To clone or upgrade your drive, download and try it now. Follow these instructions to upgrade your disk immediately:

Step 1: Select “Disk Mode,” and then choose the smaller disk as the source disk.

Step 2: Select the larger hard drive to save your data, then click "Next".

Step 3: Edit the disk layout if needed, and click “Continue” to proceed.

• "Resize partitions automatically" adjusts the layout according to the size of the target disk for optimal performance. • "Copy as is from source disk" keeps all settings unchanged and makes the layout identical to the source disk. • "Edit partition layout" allows you to manually adjust/move the partition layout of the target disk.

< strong > Step 4: A warning will pop up, telling you that data on the target disk will be overwritten. If there is no important data on it, click “OK” to proceed.

Step 5: Wait for the process to complete.

In short

That's all there is to it – this is how you can upgrade your Sony PS4 hard drive to a larger one without reinstallation. Follow these steps to help you expand your Sony PS4's storage capacity for an enhanced gaming experience.

Worth mentioning is that if you plan to upgrade your laptop's hard drive, you might want to try a disk cloning tool. It allows you to upgrade your hard drive to a larger capacity without having to reinstall Windows or lose your data. There are many more practical features waiting for you to explore.

Frequently Asked Question: How to Upgrade the Sony PS4 Hard Drive Without Reinstalling the System

If you see any PS4 error codes or have other issues with your PS4, try the troubleshooting steps below.

1. Can you replace the hard drive in a PS4?

Replacing or upgrading the internal HDD in a PS4 or PS4 Pro is a straightforward process. When replacing the drive, you can use any standard SATA II hard drive, or an SSD that's no thicker than 9.5mm.

How do I transfer games from one PS4 hard drive to another?

1. Backup games saved on your PS4's hard drive.
2. Remove the old PS4 internal hard drive.
3. Install and upgrade to a larger PS4 HDD.
4. Install the PS4 system software on the new hard drive.
5. Restore your PS4 backup from an external device.

How do I fix database errors on my PS4?

While using your PS4, you may continually run into issues with corrupted data or a damaged database. You can fix this error in one of two ways:

• 1. Repair corrupted databases on PS4
• 2. Repair corrupted data on PS4

Refer to the full guide for how to fix a corrupt database or data on your PS4.

4. How do I fix the issue of PS4 not turning on?

To turn on your PlayStation 4, follow these steps:

• Replace the power supply
• Replace the power cable
• Plug the console directly into a wall outlet
• Fix the power button
• Clean the dust out of your PS4
• Insert a disc into the PS4
• Rebuild the PS4 database
• Seek professional manual assistance