Format PS4 hard drive on Windows PC
0Here's how to format PS4 hard drive on Windows.
i. There is no way to format an external hard drive for PS4 without losing data. When you format a drive, you are essentially erasing all of the data on it. If you want to use an external hard drive with your PS4, you will need to format it in the PS4's file system, which is called exFAT.
However, if you want to keep the data on your external hard drive, you can transfer your saved data to some USB drive or, use a data backup tool to copy the data to another drive before formatting it. Once the data has been copied, you can format the external hard drive and then copy the data back to it.
Here are some data backup tools that you can use:
* **Macrium Reflect Free** is a free data backup tool that can be used to create images of your hard drives. This means that you can create a complete copy of your external hard drive and then restore it to the same drive or to a different drive.
* **AOMEI Backupper Standard** is another free data backup tool that can be used to create images of your hard drives. It also has a number of other features, such as the ability to schedule backups and to create incremental backups.
* **EaseUS Todo Backup Free** is a free data backup tool that can be used to create images of your hard drives, to schedule backups, and to create incremental backups.
Once you have chosen a data backup tool, you can follow these steps to back up the data on your external hard drive:
1. Install the data backup tool on your computer.
2. Launch the data backup tool.
3. Select the external hard drive that you want to back up.
4. Click on the "Backup" button.
5. Select a location to save the backup file.
6. Click on the "Start Backup" button.
Once the backup process is complete, you can format the external hard drive and then copy the data back to it.
Here are the steps to format an external hard drive for PS4:
1. Connect the external hard drive to your PS4.
2. Go to **Settings** - **Devices** - **USB Storage Devices**.
3. Select the external hard drive and press the **Options** button.
4. Select **Format as Extended Storage**.
5. Click on **Yes** to confirm.
The PS4 will format the external hard drive and then you will be able to use it to store games and other data.
ii. **exFAT** is the recommended file system for PS4. It is a newer file system that is designed for use with large storage devices. It supports file sizes up to 16 exabytes, which is much larger than the file size limit of FAT32. exFAT is also faster than FAT32, which can improve the performance of your PS4.
**FAT32** is an older file system that is still supported by PS4. However, it has a number of limitations, including:
* It supports file sizes up to 4GB.
* It is not as fast as exFAT.
* It does not support some advanced features, such as journaling.
If you are using a small external hard drive, FAT32 may be a good option. However, if you are using a large external hard drive or if you want the best performance, exFAT is the better choice.
Here are some of the benefits of using exFAT for your PS4:
* **Supports larger file sizes:** exFAT supports file sizes up to 16 exabytes, which is much larger than the file size limit of FAT32. This means that you can store even the largest games and applications on your external hard drive.
* **Faster performance:** exFAT is faster than FAT32, which can improve the performance of your PS4. This is especially noticeable when loading games and applications from the external hard drive.
* **Supports advanced features:** exFAT supports some advanced features that FAT32 does not, such as journaling. Journaling can help to protect your data from corruption in the event of a power outage or other unexpected event.
If you are planning on using an external hard drive with your PS4, I recommend formatting it in exFAT. It is the best file system for PS4 and it will give you the best performance and compatibility.
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