How to Upgrade the PS4 Hard Drive

Your PlayStation 4 console comes with a 500GB hard drive, but that is not enough for video games on the the PS4. Most Windows laptops come with a terabyte or more now, and you can't help but feel shortchanged by just 500GB considering that most games take up around 50GB of space each. This handy guide shows you how to replace the 500GB hard drive that comes with your PS4 for something a little more substantial. And no, doing this will not void your warranty; Sony says so in the manual that comes with your console.

You could use a solid state drive (SSD) or a hybrid drive but we recommend sticking to a standard 5,400rpm laptop drive as others are not officially supported by Sony. Once you have your drive, you're good to begin.

1. First, follow the instructions on how to back up your PS4 games and data.
2. Once the data has been backed up, turn off the PS4 and unplug it from its power source.
3. The PS4 hard drive bay is located beneath the glossy section of the console. Push it up to remove it.
4. You'll notice a PlayStation branded screw (pictured below), remove it with a screw driver.
5. Pull the HDD toward the front of the system to remove it.
6. Using a phillips screwdriver, remove the screws (four places).
7. Do not remove the rubber inserts from the screw holes.
8. Place the replacement hard drive on the mounting bracket, and then attach using the screws (four places). Be careful not to make them too tight.
9. Attach the hard drive to the system using the screws, ensuring it is fully inserted in the hard drive bay.
10. Reinstall your PS4's system software (instructions are here).
11. Now you can copy the data you backed up earlier via pen drive to the PS4 after switching it on. Keep in mind that you must be signed in with the same PSN account used when you first copied the saved data:

• Connect a USB storage device to the system.
• Select Settings from screen.
• Go to Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data on USB Storage Device > Copy to System Storage.
• Select a title.
• Press X to add a checkmark in the checkbox for the saved data you want to copy, and then choose Copy.

You're good to get back to gaming on your PS4. Now with more storage space.

How to Reinstall Your PS4's System Software

While the PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a good gaming console, it isn't perfect. Sometimes you'll find yourself in a situation when you need to reinstall the system software. You need to reinstall the software if you plan to replace a hard drive, or if you're facing issues with games and menus slowing down, or if your console was on during a power outage. This is different from the usual system update procedure.

This how-to has two parts to it, the first is finding the right software update and the second needs the PS4 to boot in safe mode.

To do this to your PS4, you'll need a USB hard drive or a thumb drive (with around 1GB of free space) and a computer with Internet access.

Obtain the correct update

1. Download the PS4 firmware from this page on your PC, the link you're looking for is labelled as Download Now. This is not your usual system update that is around 300MB, rather, this is the entire software. To tell if you're downloading the right file, it's around 800MB. Even if you are on a fast connection, downloading it may take some time due to Sony's servers. The file name should be PS4UPDATE.PUP.
2. Plug the hard drive into your PC's USB port. Open it and create a new folder. Name it PS4. In PS4, create another folder. Name it UPDATE. Use exactly that name, in capital letters only, so it can be recognised by the PS4.
3. Copy the file to the UPDATE folder on your USB flash drive.

Put your PS4 in safe mode

1. Connect the USB to your PS4.
2. If your PS4 is on, switch it off. If the power indicator is lit up in orange (rest mode), hold the power button until you hear the system beep for a second time.
3. Your PS4 now boots up in safe mode. Select Initialize PS4(Reinstall System Software).
   
   

   
4. Just follow the screens to complete the update, there are no further settings to choose.

Please note:

1. If your PS4 does not recognise the update file, check that the folder names and file name are correct. If they are not exactly as listed above, in UPPERCASE characters, this will not work.
2. Also, all users and all data will be deleted, so back up your data before doing this

How to Take a Backup of Your PS4 Games and Data

The PlayStation 4 (PS4) got the hotly anticipated Yukimura update, also known as firmware 2.50, on Sunday. It was crucial for a host of reasons, the most important of which is the ability to back up the entire contents of your PS4, including game installs.

This will help if you ever need to re-install a game. Some of which, like Grand Theft Auto V weigh in at around 40GB. With the new update, you won't have to re-download any of your digitally purchased games if you decide to upgrade your PS4's hard drive to something more substantial than the existing 500GB it comes with. It could also be useful if you've deleted a game to make space on your console, and want to play it again.

You'll need an external hard drive or USB pen drive to store your existing data from your PS4. Follow these steps to back up and restore your data:

1. Format the USB storage device
• Plug in an USB hard drive to your Windows PC. 
• Right click, select Format. 
• Choose the exFAT format option. 
• For the allocation unit size option, choose the maximum possible value listed in the drop down menu.
2. Back up data for games


• Connect the USB storage device to the system. 
• From the function screen, select Settings > System > Back up and Restore .
• Choose Back Up PS4.
• Press X to add a checkmark in the checkbox for saving Applications. 
• Your PS4 will now restart and transfer all the data. Depending on the amount of data, it could take a few hours, to longer than a day.
3. Now you can copy the data you backed up earlier to the PS4 after switching it on. 
   Keep in mind that you must be signed in with the same PSN account used when you first copied the saved data.
   
   
   • Connect the USB storage device you used to back up games to the system.
   • From the functions screen, select Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data on USB Storage Device > Copy to System Storage.
   • Select a title.
   • Press X to add a checkmark in the checkbox for the saved data you want to copy, and then choose Copy.

Once you do this, the game is copied to your PS4 and you can get back to playing it whenever you want to.

How to Take Screenshots on the PS4 and Share Them

For gamers, the PlayStation 4 (PS4) isn't just a spanking new kit to play games on - there's a social element to it as well. Yes we spend hours playing our favourite games, but when we get that perfect headshot, unlock a new level, or simply run into a weird bug, we want to share it with our friends.

Sony acknowledges this and this is why the PS4 controllers comes with a dedicated Share button. Before you can share screenshots, there's a few things to keep in mind:

1. The first time you connect to Twitter or Facebook on the PS4, you need to enter your username and password for services.
2. Though Twitter and Facebook let you upload multiple pictures on other devices, here you are limited to uploading only one image at a time.
3. In certain situations you may not be allowed to take a screenshot. These include some game opening screens or cut-scenes that maybe deemed as spoilers by developers.

With those disclaimers out of the way, here's how you can share your greatest - or worst - gaming moments with your friends by taking a screenshot on the Sony PlayStation 4:

1. Press the Share button on your PS4 controller for at least one second.
2. This will open up the share menu. Here, press the triangle button to save the screenshot.
   

   
3. If you want to discard the screenshot, press the circle button on the PlayStation 4 controller.
4. To share the screenshot, press the Share button again, choose the Upload Screenshot option.
5. Now you can choose which screenshot you'd like to share. Choose the screenshot you want by navigating to the image of your choice.
6. You will now be asked to choose which online service you would like to share it to.
7. Choose your service i.e. Facebook or Twitter.
8. Enter a comment (or not) and select Upload.

That's it, you just shared your first screenshot from the Sony PlayStation 4.

How to Update Your PS4

With a bunch of great games like DriveClub and LittleBigPlanet 3 already available, and the likes of BloodBorne and Uncharted 4, amongst others, on the horizon, the PlayStation 4 (PS4) is undoubtedly the most popular next-generation console right now.

And the PS4 is getting better with each update, the latest of which promises to bring much awaited features such as Suspend/ Resume that's present on the Xbox One.

Another reason to keep your PS4 updated is to prevent losing access to network functionality. This makes itself felt with an annoying error message asking you to "Update system software to use network features." Updating system software fixes this and is necessary for games that have online multiplayer such as Destiny and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Here's what you need to know on how to update your PS4 - and there's a way to do it even if the PlayStation 4 isn't connected to the Internet.

Update via the Internet

1. If your PS4 is already connected to the Internet, switch it on. Either press the console's on button or the PlayStation button on the Dual Shock 4 controller. It's the button in the centre of the controller.
2. On the home screen, select the toolbox icon called Settings.
3. In settings, select System Software Update. Choose Update Using Internet. This lets your console check for the latest firmware update. If you aren't already on the latest firmware, you will be prompted to download it and it should start immediately.
   

   
4. The moment the download is complete there will be a notification on the left top corner. On the home screen, select the Notification icon and then selectDownloads. In Downloads, choose the firmware file and follow the instructions to install it.

Update via USB

1. Procure a USB flash drive. It should have at least 320MB free and be in FAT32 file format.
2. Plug the flash drive into your PC's USB port. Open it and create a new folder. Name it PS4. In PS4, create another folder. Name it UPDATE. It is mandatory that the file names are named as is, in capital letters only, so it can be recognised by the PS4.
3. Download the update file from Sony's website to your PC. Copy it to the UPDATE folder on your USB flash drive. The file name should be PS4UPDATE.PUP.
4. Connect the USB flash drive to the PS4. From Settings, select System Software Update. Choose Update from USB Storage Device. Follow instructions to update.
   

   
5. If the PS4 system does not recognise the update file, check that the folder names and file name are correct. Enter the folder names and file name in upper case.

Update via Game Disc

1. When you insert a disc that contains a newer version of the system software, it shows you a screen that guides you through the update process. Follow the the instructions to update.

As you can see, Sony's provided for every possibility in the event your PS4 isn't connected to the Internet. For more tutorials, visit our How to section.

How to Add an External HDD to Your Game Console

If you're a gamer then you have probably found the best deals on games are there when you buy digital copies. Along with that, services like Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus guarantee you a couple of free games you can download each month. But with current generation games clocking in at 50GB or more, the 500GB hard drive in your Xbox One or PlayStation 4 starts to fill up really quickly.
You're a little better off with a PlayStation 3 or an Xbox 360, where games will usually be under the 10GB mark, but the hard drives on those consoles were also smaller, so it's still a problem. Since you can keep music and movies on the consoles as well, they fill up really quickly.
Luckily, gamers can just plug an external HDD into the console's USB port and use that make room on the internal drive. One thing you need to remember is that the hard drive needs to be formatted to use - this means that every single thing on the drive will be deleted before you can use it.
If there is any important data on the drive, make sure you save it before going ahead with any of the steps below. Formatting a drive is an irreversible step and it can take hours, depending on the size of the drive, so make any backups as needed, and then start the process only when you know you have the time.
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 will work with external storage of up to 32GB, in the FAT32 file system. For this reason, we would recommend using a USB thumb drive, instead of an external hard drive with your Xbox 360. While 32GB does not sound like much, this will allow you to save at least three full games, along with their save data, on one pen drive. If you're a fan of indie games, then you will probably be able to fit a lot more in there.
The one thing you'll need to do is make sure the thumb drive you're using is on the FAT 32 file system - some guides suggest that you can go directly to Step 7 and the Xbox 360 will format the drive for you, but we tried this with a couple of different thumb drives and that was not always the case. So, you could try step 7 first, but if your thumb drive is not detected, then start with Step 1.
1. Connect the thumb drive to your Windows PC, and go to My Computer.
2. Right click on the drive's icon, and click on Properties. Under the name of the drive, it should state the file type. If it's FAT32, then you can jump to step 7. Otherwise, you need to format the drive. This will delete everything on the drive, so back up any data you need to keep.
3. The fastest way to convert it to FAT32 is to use the command prompt. First, press the Windows Key + R to show the run dialogue box.

4. Type cmd, and click on OK.
5. In the window that pops up, type in the following text, leaving out the quote marks: "format /FS:FAT32 X:". You'll need to change X: to the name of the drive.
You can see the name of the drive in the My Computer window - do not accidentally type in the wrong letter because once you confirm this command, the process is not reversible.
6. You're given a prompt to press enter when you run the program. Just to be safe, double check the name of the drive you entered in the command before pressing the enter Key. This finishes the process, and you can check the filesytem of the drive as described in Step 2 to confirm.

7. To use the thumb drive, you can now eject it from your computer, and connect it to the Xbox 360.
8. Go to System settings > Memory > USB Storage > Configure Now. This process took a minute, and after that, we could store games, demos, save games to this drive.
You can also follow steps 1-6 to format an external HDD to FAT32, which can then be used with your Xbox 360. You can save movies and music to the HDD and play them from your Xbox 360 automatically, so this is useful if you are using the console as a music player. However, you won't be able to use more than 32GB for saving games.
PlayStation 3
Unlike the Xbox 360, you can't save PS3 games to the external drive, so here, we'd suggest using an external HDD to keep all the music, movies and TV shows you want to watch while the games stay on the internal HDD on your console.
The PS3 also only recognises FAT32 drives, so you'll need to follow steps 1-6 described above first. After that, you'll have to do one more thing to use it with your console.
1. After you've converted the drive to FAT32, go back to My Computer and open the drive.
2. Create the following folders: MUSIC, PHOTO, GAME and VIDEO. You can now fill up all the folders (except GAME) with the media content you want to access on your PS3.
While you can't play games from the external HDD, you can back up your downloaded games to the HDD; this means that if you delete a game, you don't have to waste data to redownload it. To back up a game:
1. After you've connected the HDD to the PS3, go to Settings > System Settings > Backup Utility > Backup.
2. Select Confirm and then select USB Drive, and your entire PS3 will be backed up on to the HDD. This process will take some time. Once this is done, you still can't play games from the external HDD, but if you need to make space, you can delete old games from the PS3, and transfer them back on later.
3. To recover games from the backup, start the PS3, then go to Game > Saved Data Utility
4. Select the external HDD. Scroll through the list to find the game you want to import. Press the triangle button on your controller, and then select Copy. This will copy the backup to the PS3 and you can use it again.
Xbox One
The newer consoles are a lot more like computers, and using an external hard drive is also relatively simpler. With the Xbox One, there is only one caveat - the HDD has to support USB 3.0, and has to be at least 256GB in size. If you're just looking at the external HDD to store your media and not your games, then there isn't a minimum storage limit or a requirement for USB 3.0 either.
1. To use it, just connect the HDD to your Xbox One. You will be asked if you want to format the HDD.
2. You have to choose Yes to use the HDD. This process is automatic and will take a little time. That's it - once you do this, it'll automatically be used to save games and other content.
PlayStation 4
The PS4 does not allow you to save games to the external HDD. You can simply plug an external HDD into the PS4, and use it to store all your movies and TV shows. You can copy videos from the PS4 to the HDD, so you can save all your gameplay footage without worrying about filling up the console's storage. However, you can't save games to the external drive with the PS4. Since the PS4 supports USB 3.0, if you use an external HDD with USB 3.0 then you'll obviously get much faster data transfer speeds - but it is compatible with older HDDs as well.
We hope this guide helped you with a space crunch on your console. If you have any console tips and tricks to share with our other readers, let us know via the comments.