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I recently bought a PS4 Slim and I have been running out of storage for new possible games. I came to ask whether I could transfer my games from my PS4 to a USB stick and not an HDD. Actually in my place, HDD cost a lot more than a 2TB usb stick. Was planning on purchasing a 2TB flash drive.

If it is possible, can you guide me through it?

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    Are you asking whether you can replace the internal hard drive with a usb stick? Because the PS4 doesn't distinguish between external hard drives and usb sticks.
    – pboss3010
    May 31, 2019 at 16:51

2 Answers 2

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Yes, it's possible.

You need USB drive with more than 256GB that supports USB 3.0.

Once connected, you should go to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices on your PS, and then select Format as Extended Storage.

After that to change default storage for your games and other downloads you can go to Settings > Storage , press Options and select Application Install Locations.

To move existing games/application go to Settings > Storage > System Storage > Applications , select your game, press Options and select Move to Extended Storage.

Sources:

While it was not asked specifically, I personally think that it may be worth considering changing internal HDD to SSD instead - you will gain both extended storage and performance boost (better loading times). Also you won't have USB always sticking from your console. SSD is more expensive for sure, but if you decide to go that direction, this guide (Upgrade PS HDD) will help.

Actually, looks like external storage may grant better loading times too - see PS4 External Storage Tested.

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  • Since you're mentioning increased load times when upgrading the internal storage, might also be worth mentioning the OP might experience deceased load times with an external drive
    – Wondercricket
    May 31, 2019 at 17:31
  • Thanks for the response by the way can I recopy back my games from usb to the PS4? Thanks in advance.
    – Bido262
    May 31, 2019 at 18:02
  • @Bido262 I think it works the same - you just need to select External storage and then Move to System Storage.
    – arghtype
    May 31, 2019 at 18:07
  • Interesting on the better load times. Myself and somebody else I know started seeing decreased load times after using an external drive. It might be specific to specific consoles and/or hdd
    – Wondercricket
    May 31, 2019 at 18:16
  • @Wondercricket yes, I was surprised by that article too. This may be different for different models (original, slim, pro) and for different drives.
    – arghtype
    May 31, 2019 at 18:28
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No. You can not download games to,or even move them to, a USB flash drive. I see a lot of tech sites saying you can,but if you try, you will get a error msg telling you it can't be formatted, and if you call playstation support, they will tell you that you will need external hard drive, HDD specifically.

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