How to replace your PS4 Hard Drive

[Haze]

Looking to replace or upgrade your PS4's hard drive? Not sure how to or just looking for some tips? Well look no further then this thread. Follow the below instructions and you'll come to realise how easy it is (compared to the PS3, that is).

Before we go on, just some general information for you to know before you continue on.

• The PS4 hard drive itself is the standard 2.5-inches. So when purchasing your new hard drive, keep the size in mind.
• Also, the hard drive needs to be no taller then 9.5 millimeters.
• As well as being able to use a HDD, you can also use a SSD drive.
• The mininum hard drive space you need is 160GB.
• PLEASE NOTE: Doing this will delete EVERYTHING from your console. The PS4 will be as if you just took it out of the box and hooked it up to your HDTV for the first time. You will have to set up your internet connection again, re-download/re-install any games you may of already had on your console as well as your PSN account!

Ok, so with that above information in your head, it's time to actually get into it and upgrade your hard drive!


TO REMOVE YOUR CURRENT HDD:

You will want to lay your PS4 flat. Try not to stand it up or move it. On the left will be the shiny black plastic casing. This is where the hard drive lay. There will be a single screw with the PlayStation button symbols. Go ahead and unscrew it.

Then, slide the hard drive out which should be in a casing of its own. There will be screws that are holding the hard drive inside of the casing so once again, unscrew those screws.

Make sure you carefully slide the hard drive out!

All you need to do now is slide in your new hard drive into the casing you just took the old HDD out of, put the screws back in, slide the hard drive in it's casing back in the PS4 console, screw back in the screw with the Playstation button symbols, and finally place the shiny black plastic casing on top and voilà - you have just replaced your hard drive!

That easy isn't it? But wait there is more, but no need to worry, as the hard part is over!

Now it is time to reinstall the Playstation System Software. For this step, you will need a USB stick with at least 1GB of free space, and you will also need to download the PS4 UPDATE file from the official Sony website which you can find right here: http://us.playstation.com/support/systemupdates/ps4/new-install/

You will then need to connect your USB to your PC/laptop and create a new folder with the title PS4. Inside this newly created folder, you need to create another new folder with the title UPDATE. Once you have downloaded the PS4 Update file from the Sony website (which has the file name PS4UPDATE.PUP), move the file to the newly created UPDATE folder.

Now, here is the final step!

Unconnect your USB from your PC/laptop and insert it into your PS4. Make sure your PS4 is switched off. Now hold down the power button on the PS4 for at least 7-8 seconds which will start the PS4 in Safe Mode.

Select Update System Software from the menu that should pop up once the system is on. Then follow the instructions on-screen to restore your PS4 back to its original state. This process will take at least a few minutes.

And guess what? THAT IS IT. YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED YOUR NEW HARD DRIVE TO YOUR PS4. Congratulations!

If you are needing a step-by-step visual guide, Gamespot have a great instructional video which you can view below:

If you have any questions or constructive criticism, feel free to post it below. Hope this has helped and been useful for you

 

[Oberon]

Very nice tutorial.

I replaced mine day one.

1TB 7200rpm (PS4 stock one is 5400rpm) HDD. I didnt go for the SS (or Hybrid),a little more expensive.

I must say it easy,Ive never done it before and it was still easy so if I can do it Im pretty sure almost anyone can.

 

[Gumby]

So is there a way to save my game saves before I swap out hard drives? I can easily set up my system again but I hate to lose my saves etc.

 

[Oberon]

You can save/copy to USB or to cloud (as a PS+ subscriber) and download them later.

 

[Gumby]

Awesome thanks for the reply!

 

[sambarnes90]

This is a great guide and video.

It's not something I'll be doing right away, but I think as time goes on I'll eventually upgrade to an SSD.

They dramatically improve PC performance, I don't think it'll have as dramatic an effect on the PS4 but no doubt it will do something to those pesky load times!

(In my experience I have to say load times have been really good on the PS4 in general...)

 

[carlitox007]

too soon for this for me.

 

[SeaJay]

Does this void any warranty?

 

[Oberon]

No it doesnt. There are no seals broken etc when replacing the HDD.

 

[rkkeller]

You can also buy complete kits to make things easier.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SPS4H5H1.5/

 

[rkkeller]

I might take the plunge soon, but wanted to ask a couple questions first.


Is there any overheating risk in using a faster HD, say a 7200 hybrid?

Can you still redownload for free the older PS+ games that were free?

 

[Oberon]

Is there any overheating risk in using a faster HD, say a 7200 hybrid?

Well I have'nt heard of any overheating probs although a 7200rpm HDD will ofcourse spin faster so in turn get warmer/hotter.
I believe its miniscule though. I have used a 1TB 7200rpm drive since I bought my PS4 launch day back in Nov last year and have had no problems.

Can you still redownload for free the older PS+ games that were free?

No,if you miss them then thats it.
However in future there is a small trick you can do be able to access future ones later on.
For eg my PS3's HDD has the stock 80GB it came with and I find I havent got enough space on the HDD to download newer PS+ free games as I havent finished (or even started) the older ones. So what you do is just click the download button on the game,it does tell meI havent enough room on my HDD but when I go to my account/downloads list I can then access them at a later date when I do have space to download them. That way I dont miss out.
But as I said,if you are new to PS+ and havent even clicked download on any previous games then no,you have missed out.Just like I missed out on all the previous PS+ games for PS3 before I bought PS+ last year.

 

[troutski]

Great guide and video. I wish I had had the money to put an SSD into my PS4 when I purchased it, but I opted for a regular hard drive that had better specs than the original one. More memory is always better in my opinion. I'm still interested to see any potential speed increases with a solid state drive, though. Maybe some day!

 

[drunkchiksrEZ]

Quick question here. I plan on upgrading my PS4 HDD to the 1TB Hybrid. My question is this when i do the upgrade do i lose my game saves. Like lets say I'm half way through CoD Ghosts campaign at the time of upgrade, will I have to start the campaign all over after upgrading to the new HDD? If its a yes, whats the best way to save your data so that i will be able to access it after the HDD upgrade. I dont really care about downloads and all that stuff just pretty much my game saves. I can always re-download everything I had on the stock HDD. Thanks in advance.

 

[f_dog80]

Backup your saves or use the cloud save if your a plus user.
I used the cloud when I upgraded my hdd. Very handy.

 

[drunkchiksrEZ]

Backup your saves or use the cloud save if your a plus user.
I used the cloud when I upgraded my hdd. Very handy.

Stupid question lol but what exactly is the cloud save and how do I use it? I have PlayStation Plus so that's not a problem.

EDIT: Never mind googled it and figured out what it is and how to use it. Thanks

 

[rkkeller]

Darn, tried to download the Destiny demo and my space is filled! Time to decide what to do upgrade or delete some stuff.

 

[rkkeller]

I made my decision already and just ordered a 2tb HD. Its going to suck having to reinstall every single game and demo I had and add all the game save information, but there was really no choice.

 

[schoat333]

I wish there was a way to back up my digital games so I don't have to re download them.

 

[Oberon]

I wish there was a way to back up my digital games so I don't have to re download them.

As I have said many time before.
Another reason why digital only blows big time.Downloading large files can take many of us ages,not to mention one's own IPS's bandwidth caps per month.