How to Transfer Data From Your Old PS4 to a New PS4

If you’ve purchased the new PS4 and are secretly dreading the process of transferring your data, have no fear – the console’s version 4.0 firmware update has made it incredibly simple to get back up and running like nothing ever happened.

Alternatively, you can use the Backup and Restore option on your PS4, which requires a USB storage device formatted in FAT or exFAT. However, we believe that the new Ethernet cable option is the most straightforward method for transferring data to your new console.

Continue reading to learn How to Transfer Data From Your Old PS4 to a New PS4?

Please remember that you should switch on your original console and sync your Trophy data to your PSN account before proceeding. It will not transfer along with the rest of your data.

Important Requirements

How to Transfer Data From Your Old PS4 to a New PS4

Transferring data across consoles, independent of the technology used, requires merely the usage of Ethernet cables. If you’re utilizing a wireless router, a single cable will suffice. If you’re using a wired connection, you must connect both consoles through Ethernet.

Any Ethernet cable will suffice. Use Cat6 “crossover” cable to connect two Xbox 360s in this walkthrough, but standard Cat5e or Cat5 connections should work just as well.

Both consoles will also require internet access to initiate the transfer. There is currently no way to shift data across PS4s in “offline” mode. The consoles will not transmit any data over the internet; instead, they will use it to register the new console with Sony’s servers as your primary PS4.

Which is Better, Wired or Wireless?

Because the transfer occurs over an Ethernet connection rather than a wireless network, there is no difference in transfer speed whether you go wireless or not. You need to ensure two things:

  • Both consoles are within range of the wifi access point.
  • Your wired router is connected to the internet.

Given that most of us use wireless networks for web browsing, the simplest way is to go wireless. In this case, a single Ethernet cable will suffice.

How to Transfer Data From Your Old PS4 to a New PS4?

Configure Your New PlayStation 4 Console

Unpack your new PlayStation 4 and proceed with the standard setup procedure. If you own only one monitor, you must connect it to the new console during the setup process.

Connect your new PS4 to a power source and follow the on-screen steps to begin using it, usually, including connecting to your local wireless network (if you have one). If you pick the wired route, your console should connect to the internet immediately.

The data transfer is initiated on the new console (the console to which the data is being transferred). When the PS4 dashboard appears, navigate to Settings > System > Transfer data from another PS4.

Login to PSN

If you haven’t already signed in to PSN on your new console, you will be prompted to do so. After that, you’ll be prompted to confirm if you want your new console to serve as your primary PS4.

Read Also How to Delete PS4 User Accounts Complete Guide

At any given time, you can only have one primary PS4. Once you deactivate a console as your primary device, all content associated with your account (game purchases, themes, and free PlayStation Plus games) will become unavailable to other users.

Prepare Your Previous PlayStation 4 Console

When prompted, turn on your old PS4 and then click Next. You are not required to connect a display unless you choose to. Once your new console identifies the old one, you’ll be required to hold down the power button on the old console for one second until a “beep” sound is heard.

Connect both consoles using your Ethernet wire at this stage. If you’re already connected to a wired network, you won’t need to do anything. 

Proceed as instructed on-screen and wait for the old PS4 to reboot. If you have a display connected to the old console, a notice indicating a pending transfer will appear on-screen.

Customize the Transfer

You’ll now be requested to choose the items you want to transfer from your old console to your new one. You can select application data (games, for example), game saves, capture gallery, themes, and preferences. 

After the transfer is complete, you’ll see how much space remains on your new console. Additionally, it would help if you got a time estimate for the transfer. 

Finally, you’ll be prompted to choose whether or not to make this new console the primary console for any other user accounts. If you choose no, these user accounts will retain their primary PS4 console.

Wait For Transfer 

Finally, click Begin Transfer and wait for both computers to reboot. Once the reboot is complete, a progress bar will appear on the screen to indicate how the transfer is progressing.

Do not panic if your console reports an exorbitantly long transfer time at first. Most reports indicate an initial wait time of 18 hours, although the entire process was completed in roughly 80 minutes, as initially projected. Other users have reported nine-hour wait times for about 500GB of data.

I’m not sure if using a high-speed Cat6 cable helps, but if in doubt, use the most OK cable available.

Use of External Hard Drives

Detach your external drive from your previous PS4 and reconnect it to your new one. It will continue to operate in the same manner as previously. Unfortunately, connecting two hard drives and transferring data between them is not possible. The PS4’s encrypted file system prevents this from being done on a PC or Mac as well.

The most efficient method of transferring data between two USB devices is copying your capture gallery to an external USB device using the Settings > Storage menu and then reinstalling or re-downloading application data.

You can also attempt to use the internal storage as an intermediary (again via the Storage menu). Still, given that most of us connect external drives when our internal storage becomes full, this is likely not an option for most users.

How to Transfer Screenshots to Another PS4?

You can quickly transfer your screenshots from one PS4 to another PS4. In this way, there is no chance of losing your screen short, so now the question is how to do this. 

So for this read our article How to Capture and Share Screenshots on the PS4

Transfer of Save Data Between Two PS4

When you transfer data from one PS4 to another, all saved data is transferred automatically. Thus there is no need to transfer anything manually. If you’re a subscriber to PlayStation Plus, it will back up your saved data to the cloud.

In Case of Any Error

How to Transfer Data From Your Old PS4 to a New PS4

If the internet is not an option for you or you continue to receive an error, have no fear. There is another possibility for you to consider! This operation will take twice as long because each download will have to perform independently rather than concurrently. However, if it preserves all those priceless memories, it is worthwhile.

Let me explain it in the short term for a detailed note on backup data read our information about How to Back Up and Restore Your PS4’s Data

How to Backup Save Data?

The first step is to transfer all of your data to a USB port before restoring it to your PlayStation!

  • Connect your USB flash drive to the PS4’s USB port.
  • Follow the instructions above to sync your trophies.
  • From the main menu, select the Settings option.
  • Choose a system.
  • Choose the Backup and Restore option.
  • Continue by selecting the data you wish to backup.
  • Select Back up and rename the backup file, something you will readily remember.
  • When the progress indicator indicates that the loading process is complete, your backup is complete.

After this, just restore data, and that’s it.

FAQs – How to Transfer Data From Your Old PS4 to a New PS4?

Can You Transfer PS4 Saves to Another User?

You can transfer them between other PS4 systems. However, they cannot be accessible without the same user on the new machine. You can also copy saved data to a USB storage device linked to your PS4 system as a backup.

Can You Merge Playstation Accounts?

Individuals who already have multiple accounts can consolidate them, or those who only have a PlayStation Network account can utilize that to access the other services. Consolidating consumers’ various PlayStation accounts into a single PlayStation account will help reinforce their brand’s identification.

How Do You Transfer Saves Between Users?

Select System Settings from the source console’s home screen. Choose Data Management > Transfer Your Saved Data from the menu. Choose to Send Saved Data to a Different Console. Select a user account and then save data from being transferred.

Conclusion

If you’ve upgraded to a PS4 Pro, practically all PS4 games benefit from Boost Mode, which you can enable via Settings > System > Boost Mode.

Do you still have concerns regarding How to Transfer Data From Your Old PS4 to a New PS4? Have you encountered any difficulties with this method?

If you continue to have difficulty transferring data from your PlayStation 4, please get in touch with Sony at 1-800-345-SONY (7669) between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. PST.

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