Although PS4 is a console and a PC a computer, they are both computers and share comparable hardware. But is a PC able to read a PS4 hard drive? In this article, you will find out How to Access Ps4 Hard Drive on Pc.
A PC may read and handle files stored inside a PS4 file hard drive, but it must first convert the PS4 file hard drive into a FAT format (either ExFAT or FAT32).
When your PS4 HDD format is lost permanently, remember this before formatting the HDD.
I’m explaining How to Access Ps4 Hard Drive on Pc, how to obtain data from a PS4 hard drive, and How Do I Connect My PS4 External Hard Drive To My PC?
How To Use A PS4 Hard Drive On A PC
- Connect PS4 HDD to your computer through an external USB or internal slot drive and right-click on the drive.
- Choose “Disk Management,” which shows all the discs attached to your computer, and select an external PS4 hard disc, usually the final disc drive to test if the RAM matches the PS4.
- Right-click on the shaded blue section and pick ‘Delete Volume’ If asked, click yes.
- Repeat step 3 for each blue-shaded portion to leave a single black-shaded portion on the drive and
- Right-click on the black-shaded region and choose a new, basic volume wizard.
- Click ‘Next’ until the next partition format section appears and the file system changes to ‘ExFAT’ or ‘FAT32’ (whichever is applicable).
- Click on ‘Finish’ until the end of the wizard and finish the formatting procedure. Your external drive has been converted into your PC’s functional disc drive!
After successfully reformatted your PS4 HDD as your PC’s new storage drive, you can now preferably replace your missing PS4 internal storage drive with an upgraded Solid State Drive (SDD).
An excellent choice is the Seagate 2TB drive for PC gaming, it is incredibly fast for 6GB/s, and you can purchase it for an Amazon deal for your PS4.
How to Access Ps4 Hard Drive on Pc?
Here are some ways to backup the precious files that are saved on the HDD of PS4:
1. Save your data files automatically or manually on a dedicated internet cloud server via PlayStation Plus. It applies solely to PlayStation Plus subscribers, however.
2. Transfer backup data to an external USB storage device. The USB drive can be formatted as exFAT or FAT32 to save time, while PS4 will still format it for you during the first use.
You can be afraid to replace the internal hard drive of your PS4 with a new and superior storage option, mainly if you have unlocked many game awards and trophies and hundreds of hours in the game.
Read Also: How Much Does a Ps4 Weigh Complete Guide
However, shortly, the minimal storage capacity supplied will eventually become a persistent problem. With new game titles starting on the PlayStation Store every month, the problem needs to be dealt with sooner or later.
But how much room do you need, if it is insufficient for 500GB of internal storage?
How Do I Connect My PS4 External Hard Drive To My PC?
You definitely won’t find it difficult to connect a PS4 hard drive to your computer; check below two primary techniques.
- Install the PS4 HDD manually in the PC hard disc slot
- Open the PC casing and install the hard disc into any specific drive slots
- Connect the PS4 HDD through a USB SATA / IDE external converter or cable.
- Add the cable to the hard drive and plug it into your PC USB slot (some adapters have boxes to cover the HDD).
- If it is done correctly, your computer reads it like a standard disc drive.
The second approach is to encrypt your PS4 hard drive in a format not recognizable by Windows; refer to the beginning of the post to learn how to fix it so that your PC may read and access the external hard disc of the PS4.
PS4 Lost Save Data PS4
Given the low internality of PS4 and the demand for online and offline games, many people opt to install an external disc to PS4. However, PS4 customers reported saving missing data from time to time, and both the internal storage and the external hard drive lost their data.
Read Also: How to Slide in Madden 21 Ps4 Simple Guide?
In truth, several circumstances, including unintentional removal, power failure, and loss of connectivity, might all lead to the loss of PS4 complex drive data. Given this, I decided to show you the usual techniques to retrieve PS4 data in different situations.
How to Recover Removed Ps4 Captures
The following steps show you how to complete PS4 data recovery after the PS4 game has been mistakenly erased.
Step #1. look at this comparison page to choose the sort of license that best suits your needs. Then, get the MiniTool Power Data Recovery installation program from a trustworthy link and save it to your local drive.
Step #2. browse to the local drive setup software and double-click to start installing MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
Step #3. Start the data recovery program and connect your computer to the PS4 hard drive.
Step #4. choose Devices on the top of the program window and look for your PS4 drive via the drives mentioned below.
Step #5. Select your PS4 hard drive and select lost files on it by clicking the scan button. (You can also double-click the PS4 drive to scan directly.)
To define file types in advance, you would best click the Scan Settings icon (left sidebar) if you need only to recover particular types of data such as MP4, AVI, and MKV.
Step #6. Navigate through the identified partitions and directories to see if your deleted PS4 data is contained.
If you find the data you have removed, such as captures, choose them and click Save.
Read Also: How to Connect Unsupported Bluetooth to Ps4?
If you can’t see the PS4 data between the results, you should wait until the scan discovers the desired game files. Then, could you select all of them and click Save?
Step #7. select a drive with enough space left to store the file and click the OK button to confirm it. (To avoid data overwriting, you would better not pick a PS4 drive.)
The last step is to wait for the PS4 game data recovery. (When all selected game data are retrieved, a prompt window appears at the given location, click OK to shut.)
How to Format the Internal Hard Drive for Ps4 on Pc
There are two ways to format the PS4 internal hard disc. Either way, the stock hard disc will inevitably be removed from its drive cage and connected to a computer.
These are two ways:
- Place the PS4 hard disc in the USB external hard disc box, then connect it through a USB connection to the computer. You can format it like you format any external hard drive when your computer recognizes the disc and automatedly installs the needed driver files.
- You can connect your PS4 hard drive to your computer’s motherboard directly if you have a free/unused SATA data cable and another free power wire. However, this needs you to turn off the computer during this operation. Then the system recognizes the disc, and you may format it just like any internal hard drive you format.
It would help if you remembered that FULL format is the best way to restore PS4 hard drive performance. Do not use fast format if performance is one of your considerations. The FULL format removes faulty sectors, which could affect PS4 HDD performance and create issues.
FAQs – How Do I Connect My PS4 External Hard Drive To My PC?
How do I test my PS4 hard drive on my PC?
On your computer, you need to download and install the software. The application is launched after connecting the PS4 hard disc.
You can find the recovered Drive/Partition on the main screen—select Drive/Partition Recovery from the drop-down menu. The program will scan for deleted files and present the results on a separate screen.
Is there a way to extract the hard drive from a PS4?
Step 1: Turn off your PlayStation 4.
Step 2: Remove the cover from the book. The hard drive bay is positioned under the glossy panel on the left side of the console (when looking at it from the front)…
Step 3: Remove the single screwdriver from the assembly. Once you’ve taken the cover off, there’s only one screw left to remove from the system.
Step 4: Disconnect the PS4’s hard drive.
How do I fix my PS4 hard drive on my PC?
Only by connecting your PS4 hard drive to a PC and running the CHKDSK command on your drive will you be able to resolve the issue.
If that doesn’t work, go ahead and do a FULL format operation, and it should take care of the problem immediately and correctly.
What format is the PS4 hard drive?
The FAT32 or exFAT file systems must be used to format your hard disc, solid-state drive, or USB flash drive, as the NTFS file system will not work on a PlayStation 4 or any other device. We propose exFAT as a file system because it can handle data more than 4GB in size.
Read More: