What Happens When You Format an External Hard Drive for PS4? The Complete Expert Guide

As an avid PS4 gamer and tech enthusiast, I‘ve spent plenty of time researching, testing and configuring external drives to get the optimal gaming setup. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share everything you need to know about using external storage with your PlayStation 4.

Quick Summary

Formatting an external HDD or SSD for PS4 use requires the exFAT file system to work properly. The formatting process is quick and simple, but will erase all data on the drive – so make backups first!

After formatting, you can expand your PS4 game storage by setting up the external drive as extended storage. A good external drive will provide faster load times, extra capacity for a large game library, and portability to use with different PS4s.

However, there are downsides to be aware of like lower performance on poor quality drives. I‘ll cover how to choose the best drive for PS4 and avoid potential issues like corrupted data. Let‘s dive in!

Detailed Step-by-Step Guide to Formatting for PS4

Follow these steps to properly format an external hard drive or SSD to work with your PS4:

Formatting Requirements

First, you‘ll need:

• A USB 3.0 external drive – this is mandatory for fast data transfer speeds.

• Drive capacity of at least 250GB – 1-4TB is a good size for PS4 games.

• A Windows PC or Mac for the actual formatting process.

• A PS4 console updated with the latest system software.

The Formatting Process Explained

On your Windows PC or Mac:

1. Connect your external drive via USB cable. Make sure it‘s plugged in securely.

2. Open up the disk management utility:

• On Windows, access Disk Management through the Control Panel or search.
• On Mac, launch the Disk Utility application.

3. Locate your external drive in the disk list and select it. Make absolutely sure you‘ve got the correct target drive before proceeding!

4. Click on "Format" to initialize the formatting process.

5. Choose "exFAT" as the file system from the drop-down menu.

6. Enable "Quick Format" for a faster format if the option is available.

7. Click "Start" or "Erase" to confirm – this will immediately erase all data on the drive! So make sure you‘ve backed up any important files first.

8. Wait for the formatting operation to complete – this usually only takes a few minutes.

9. Once done, safely eject the external drive before disconnecting it from your computer.

On your PlayStation 4:

10. Connect your newly formatted external drive to your PS4 directly via USB.

11. Go to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices and select your external drive.

12. Choose "Format as Extended Storage" – this sets up the drive to install PS4 games and apps onto it.

13. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process.

And that‘s it! Your external storage drive is now ready for use with your PS4.

Avoiding Data Loss during Formatting

• Backup up all important data on the drive before formatting, as the process erases everything.

• Use your PS4‘s backup and restore option to copy game saves you want to keep to online storage or a second drive.

• Always safely eject external drives before disconnecting them to avoid potential data corruption.

• Handle drives with care to prevent physical damage which could cause data loss. SSDs are more robust than spinning platter HDDs.

Choosing the Optimal Drive Format

While the PS4 technically supports exFAT, FAT32 and NTFS formats, exFAT is the only practical choice for external storage.

• FAT32 only supports files up to 4GB. Most PS4 game installs are way larger.

• NTFS is Microsoft‘s proprietary file system and not natively supported by Sony‘s PS4 operating system.

• exFAT handles large game installs of 50GB and above with no size limits while maintaining cross-platform compatibility.

So exFAT is by far the best file system for properly formatting external storage for PS4 use.

The Pros and Cons of Using Extended Storage

External drives provide a bunch of useful benefits for expanding your PS4‘s game storage and portability. But there are some potential disadvantages too:

Benefits

• Massive game storage – External drives can be up to 8TB to hold 100+ games.

• Faster loading – External SSDs can cut game load times by 25-50% over stock PS4 drives.

• Easy transport – Just unplug and take your games to a friend‘s PS4.

• Reliability – External drives fail less often than internal ones when transported.

• Convenience – Simple plug and play without opening up your PS4.

Drawbacks

• Slower HDDs can cause performance issues during intense gaming scenes with lots of texture pop-in.

• File corruption can occur if disconnecting unsafely while writing data.

• Drive failure means losing all data if backups aren‘t maintained.

• Adding more components can increase the risk of something going wrong.

As you can see, the significant benefits tend to outweigh the potential drawbacks if you use a quality external drive. But the downsides are worth being aware of.

Picking the Best External Drive for Your PS4

All USB 3.0 external drives with at least 250GB of storage will work on PS4. But there are a few crucial factors to consider in choosing the right external drive for your needs and budget:

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) vs Solid State Drive (SSD)

This is the most important decision for your external PS4 drive purchase. Let‘s compare the pros and cons:

Hard Disk Drives (HDDs):

• Much cheaper per terabyte than SSDs – often less than half the cost.

• Offer massive storage capacities up to 8TB.

• 5400rpm+ HDDs provide decent performance for PS4 games.

Solid State Drives (SSDs):

• Up to 5-6x faster than HDDs thanks to instantaneous data access.

• More reliable and durable with no moving parts.

• Consume less power and run cooler than HDDs.

• Currently more expensive per terabyte – but dropping in price over time.

For the optimal PS4 experience, I recommend choosing an external SSD over HDD if you can afford it. While HDDs are totally fine, SSDs will significantly improve your game loading times.

Drive Size Recommendations

How much storage do you need? Here are my recommendations based on your gaming habits:

• Casual gamers – 250GB to 1TB

This provides space for 5-15 average sized PS4 game installs.

• Enthusiast gamers – 2TB to 4TB

Enough room for 25-100+ games in a large digital library.

• Hardcore gamers – 4TB to 8TB

Can store a gigantic collection of 100-200+ games if you play a huge variety.

For most PS4 gamers, I think 2-4TB is the sweet spot in terms of capacity versus cost. But buy the highest amount you can afford if building a big library.

Brands and Models to Consider

For the best reliability and performance, look at these top-tier external drive models for PS4:

Hard Disk Drives

• Seagate Game Drive 2TB to 4TB

• WD_Black P10 2TB to 5TB

• Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB to 3TB

Solid State Drives

• Samsung T5 500GB to 2TB

• WD_Black P50 500GB to 2TB

• SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD 500GB to 2TB

I particularly recommend the Samsung T5 and WD_Black P50 SSDs. Their fast random read speeds make them ideal PS4 external drives with rapid load times. They are more expensive per terabyte than HDDs, but offer big performance benefits.

Avoiding and Troubleshooting External Drive Issues

While modern external drives are generally quite reliable, problems can still occur in some cases:

Avoiding Corrupted Data

• Don‘t disconnect an external drive during active transfers. This can corrupt data.

• Eject the drive properly through your PS4 settings before unplugging it.

• Handle drives gently. External SSDs can withstand more abuse than HDDs.

• Virus scan your drive occasionally to remove any malware.

Fixing an Unrecognized External Drive

If your PS4 stops detecting your external drive:

• Check USB connections – try different ports and cables.

• Reboot your PS4 console and external drive.

• Reformat the drive with exFAT if the PS4 OS can‘t read it.

• Try connecting the drive to a PC. If unrecognized, the drive itself has failed.

Recovering Lost Data from a Corrupted Drive

• Firstly, stop using the drive immediately to avoid overwriting more data.

• Try PS4‘s rebuild database tool in Safe Mode – this fixes some software errors.

• Use data recovery software to extract files from a corrupted drive.

• As a last resort, reformat the external drive if all else fails. Make sure to back up data first!

Diagnosing Drive Failure

If your external drive stops working altogether:

• Check all USB connections on both ends and with different cables.

• Try a different USB port, or connect to another PS4 or PC.

• If the drive isn‘t recognized anywhere, it has likely failed and needs replacement.

• Install a new drive and restore your data and games from a backup.

My Personal Recommendations

I‘ve used various external storage drives with the PS4 over the years. Based on my first-hand experience, here are my top picks:

• WD_Black P50 SSD – My current PS4 drive. Incredibly fast with rapid game load times. Built like a tank. Can get pricey for higher capacities.

• Samsung T5 SSD – Used this for 2 years. Great value from a top SSD brand. Very portable with a compact design.

• Seagate Game Drive 4TB – What I recommend for most gamers. Affordable high capacity. Good performance from a known HDD brand.

I hope these personal recommendations are useful if you‘re choosing an external PS4 drive! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Conclusion

That sums up this comprehensive guide on using external storage with your PS4! To recap:

• Formatting is a quick process but will erase all existing drive data. So make backups first.

• The exFAT format is the only practical option for PS4 external drives.

• External SSDs are better for performance, while HDDs offer more storage for the cost.

• Choose a quality drive from a top manufacturer for optimal reliability.

• Take care to avoid data corruption and loss. Make regular backups.

I hope these tips help you expand your PS4‘s game storage in the best way possible! Feel free to reach out if you need any other tech advice for your PlayStation gears. Game on!