How to Clean PS4 Hard Drive Safely [4 Free Ways]

When need to clean PS4 hard drive?

PS4 (PlayStation 4) is a popular video game console. If you are a game lover, you must long for it. You can use it to play big games, watch videos, listen to music, and enjoy many other various entertainments. However, it still exists some annoying problems, which trigger you to clean PS4 hard drive, such as:

✍ When you find your PS4 storage is full. Although a new PS4 has a storage of 500GB, the size of a game is becoming larger and larger. Thus, after installing several games, you will find there is not much space for you to download other games.

✍ When you can't download games and updates on PS4. This may be caused by system errors or insufficient storage space. If the problem didn't disappear after fixing the system error, it's time to clean PS4 hard drive for more space.

✍ When you want to sell the unused PS4. If you decide to sell your PS4, the most important thing is to keep your data safe. Clearing out the hard drive on the PS4 thoroughly can make the data irreversible so as to protect your personal information from leakage.

4 methods to clean PS4 hard drive step by step

As we said before, there are many circumstances where you need to clean up the hard drive of your PS4. Therefore, this part will guide you on how to clear a PS4 hard drive by introducing four free ways. Scroll down to get the step-by-step tutorial.

• Method 1. Delete unused apps and games
• Method 2. Clean up game data and file
• Method 3. Clear out screenshots and video folders
• Method 4. Wipe PS4 hard drive completely

▶ Method 1. Delete unused apps and games

If you have installed many apps or games on your PS4, you can delete some barely used games to free up space. This is the most common way that almost all users will adopt.

Step 1. Open your PS4 console and head to "Settings".

Step 2. Go to "System Storage Management" > "Applications".

Step 3. Hit the "Options" button on your controller and select "Delete".

Step 4. Tick off the games and Apps you want to remove and hit the "Delete" button.

▶ Method 2. Clean up game data and file

After deleting a game as Method 1, do you think you have deleted it completely? Absolutely not! The saved data about the game is still on your PS4 and constantly taking up your storage unless you delete it manually. Thus, don’t forget to follow the steps below to clean up game data and files.

Go to "Settings" > "Application Saved Data Management" > "Saved Data in System Storage" > "Delete".

▶ Method 3. Clear out screenshots and video folders

Video clipping and screenshot-taking are favorable features in PS4. It allows you to share wonderful moments in a game with your friends. However, as time flows, your screenshots and videos will pile up quickly, which consumes plenty of storage. So, regularly deleting the screenshots and video clips you no longer need is a good way on how to clean hard drive PS4.

Step 1. Find your profile on the interface of PS4, then, you'll find a folder icon and select it.

Step 2. Scroll to "Others" for screenshots and video clips.

Step 3. Hit the "Options" button on your PS4 controller and select "Delete".

Step 4. Select the items that you want to delete.

Step 5. Hit the "Delete" button to remove them.

▶ Method 4. Wipe PS4 hard drive completely

If you are not satisfied with the space freed by the above three methods, this method is exactly what you want. Wiping PS4 hard drive completely will erase all the data on it and the data won't be retrieved anymore. It seems like you will get a new PS4 again. Therefore, if you don't mind losing all the games on your PS4, you can use this method to wipe your hard drive and reinstall the key games you usually play.

To ensure the lifespan and performance of the hard drive after wiping, I recommend you use a professional hard drive wiper named AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. It provides you with a safe and quick way to clean PS4 hard drive completely. This convenient software will finish it only in three clicks.

Now, you can download this freeware to see how to clean a ps4 hard drive.

Step 1. Connect PS4 hard drive to your PC. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. In the main interface, right-click the hard drive that needs to be wiped, and select "Wipe Hard Drive".

Step 2. It will pop up a window for you to choose the wiping method. Here we can only choose "Fill sectors with Zero". The other three methods are available when you upgrade to the Pro edition. Click "OK" to continue.

Step 3. Click "Apply" to start wiping.

With the help of AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard, you can easily clean PS4 hard drive to get more free space. By the way, if you are not willing to wipe all the data, you can use AOMEI software to upgrade the current PS4 hard drive to a larger one. This can also make you get more space.

Conclusion

In this passage, we have talked about four free ways to clean PS4 hard drive step by step. You can choose one according to your real need. To be honest, the "Wipe Hard Drive" feature is warmly welcomed by the majority of people because it can free up the most space on a drive. In addition, it's also a PS4 partition resize tool to help you extend your PS4 partition.