How to Format exFAT for PS5 with External Hard Drives?

What format does my external hard drive need to be for PS5?

The PS5 has many improvements over the PS4. However, it's also obvious and somewhat disappointing that the PS5 has less storage than the PS4. After subtracting the system's storage space, the PS5 only has 667GB of space out of 800+GB, which is less compared to the PS4's 1TB hard drive. Thus, more users will choose to use external hard drives for PS5 storage expansion.

PS5 external hard drives require a few prerequisites. They need USB 3.0/3.2 for data transfer. Besides, the drives can hold from 250GB to 8TB of data.When you connect that, you only need to use the USB port on the back. The front USB port will not work with external drives. Also, don't connect the drive to the PS5 with a USB hub. Last but not least, you'll need to format the drive before you can use it on the PS5.

“What format does my external hard drive need to be for PS5?” The PlayStation official says that the PS5 should be formatted for either the exFAT or FAT32 file systems. But we would like to recommend you to use exFAT. What is exFAT for PS5? Unlike FAT32, exFAT doesn't limit the size of files it can read, which means a single exFAT file can be bigger than 4GB. More importantly, it's easier to use because you can copy files (like games and videos) from one place to another without much trouble.

Step-by-step guide to format external hard drive for PS5

Based on different needs, here are some different methods for PS5 format as exFAT. You can connect the external hard drive on a Windows PC or just format the drive on PS5 console. 

Method 1. Format to exFAT for PS5 with AOMEI Partition Assistant

The most direct method to format external hard drive for PS5 is to use AOMEI Partition Assistant. This is a comprehensive disk manager that helps you to format large USB flash drives, SD cards, HDD, SSD or others to many file system. You can use it to format your drive to FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, Ext4/Ext3/Ext2. If you need, you can also use it to convert exFAT to FAT32.

If your hard drive has a RAW file system or becomes write-protected due to a corrupted file system, you can only use this method first to remove the status. 

You can free download it and follow the guide to format external hard drive for PS5

AOMEI Partition Assistant

The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

First, ensure your device can be detected and connected to the Windows computer. Then, you can follow the steps now.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click on the partition you want to format and choose the "Format Partition" option.

Step 2. In this interface, select "exFAT" from the drop-down menu. If necessary, you can also specify the desired "Cluster Size". Once done, click "OK" to proceed.

Step 3. After making the selection, you will return to the main interface. Take a moment to review the virtual result. Once you have confirmed your choice, click on "Apply" followed by "Proceed" to begin the formatting process.

Tips:

If your drive shows as unallocated space, you can just right-click the drive in AOMEI software and choose "Create Partition".

Method 2. Formatting external hard drive for PC5 with File Explorer

To format as exFAT for PS5, you can also use File Explorer. However, just as we mentioned before, once your drive has any error, this method will not work on.

Step 1. Locate the drive, right-click on it, and select "Format" from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. Choose the file system, like FAT32 or exFAT for PS5, give your drive a new name, and check the box for "Quick Format".

Step 3. Then click the Start button to begin formatting your external hard drive.

Method 3. Do PS5 external hard drive format via Disk Management

Disk Management can also help to format external hard drive for PS5.

Step 1. Right-click on your desktop's "This PC" icon and choose "Manage". From the popup window, click on "Disk Management" located under the "Storage" section on the left.

Step 2. On the right side, you will see a list of all the disks, partitions, and their details. Right-click on the partition you wish to format and select the option to "Format".

Step 3. Set a volume label and choose a file system, then click "OK". Confirm the operation by clicking "OK" once again.

Step 4. Please be patient as the formatting process will take some time to complete.

Note: If you're an advanced user, you can also try DiskPart to format the hard drive, which is a more complex method.

Method 4.Try PS5 Console to format hard drive for PS5

When connecting an external hard drive to a PlayStation for the first time, you'll need to format it to make sure it works. Here's how to use a PS5 console to format external hard drive for PS5:

Step 1. You can connect the external hard drive to the PS5's back. Select "Storage" from the list of options after going to "Settings" the controller.

Step 2. Choose "USB Extended Storage" and then "Format as USB Extended Storage". This will initiate the formatting process, which may take some time.

Tip: Recover lost data after formatting the external hard drive

A post on Reddit says, "I have a 2TB HDD with 2 partitions. Partition 1 is NTFS and partition 2 is exFAT. PS5 is showing the exFAT partition but is unable to use it. So if I format the HDD on PS5, will it format the exFAT partition or the entire drive (including NTFS)?" The reply from user JohnXm is, "The console will format the entire drive." According to the following conversation, it is obvious that the help-seeker is afraid of losing his data after formatting, and he is still looking for a better solution.

Now, here is, AOMEI Partition Asssitant. It also offers Recover Data function that helps restore lost data from complex scenarios, including formatting, accidental deletion, virus or malware infection, and even system crashes. More than 200+ types of files are supported for recovery. 

AOMEI Partition Assistant

The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

Step 1. Open the installed AOMEI Partition Assistant. Click on "Recover" from the top menu, then select "Recover Data".

Step 2. Choose the external hard drive that you lost the data and click "Start Scan".

Step 3. After the scanning process is complete, a list of all deleted files will be displayed. Tick the checkboxes next to the lost files you want to recover, then click "Recover".

Step 4. Select a destination path to save the recovered files.

Step 5. Once the recovery process is finished, navigate to the chosen path to locate and access your recovered files.

How to use external hard drive for PS5?

You can use the external hard drive as extra storage for your PS5 after formatting it to exFAT. 

1. Install PS4 Games to PS5 External Storage automatically

PS5 games can be played on PS4, and most PS4 games can be played on PS5. You can save space on your PS5's SSD by downloading and installing PS4 games on an external hard drive. You can then play these games straight from the drive.

You can also make your external hard drive the usual place on your PS5 to store new PS4 games you download from the store. All you have to do is:

Step 1. Keep your external hard drive connected to your PS5 console. Then go to Settings > Storage > Extended Storage.

Step 2. Turn on the feature “Install PS4 Games to USB Extended Storage”.

After that, your new PS4 games will be downloaded to your external hard drive automatically.

2. Move Games Between an External Drive and PS5 Console

You can not play PS5 games that are stored on USB drives. If you have PS5 games on an external hard drive, you need to copy the game you want to play to the PS5's internal storage before you can play it.

Most of the time, copying a game is faster than getting it again. Also, to copy a game, do these things:

Step 1. Connect your external hard drive to PS5 and go to your Game Library.

Step 2. Select the game you want to copy and press the Options button. Then select Copy.

Tip: You can also use this feature to move your PS4 games to the console, as long as you select a PS4 game, press the Options button and select Move to Console Storage.

3. Delete Unwanted Data on PS5 External Storage

You can remove a game or app from your PS5 external hard drive when you no longer want to use it. Do what it says below while the drive is still hooked up to the computer.

Step 1. Navigate to Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage > Games and Apps on your PS5 console.

Step 2. Choose the Delete Content tab.

Step 3. Select the game or app that you want to delete and choose Delete.

4. Safely Remove Your External Hard Drive for PS5

When you are done using your portable hard drive, you should take it off your PS5 safely. Unless you do this, you could lose data or damage the machine or external hard drive.

Here are some safe steps you can take to remove a the external hard drive:

Step 1. Go to Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage.

Step 2. Select Safely Remove from PS5.

Step 3. Unplug your external hard drive from the port on the back of the console.

To turn off your PS5, you can disconnect it without any trouble once the power indicator is flat.

Conclusion

Here is all about exFAT for PS5. With our comprehensive guide, you can format external hard drive for PS5 with any file system you need. And you can also use it to recover lost data with AOMEI Partition Assistant. This powerful software also provides Clone Disk function if you need to upgrade PS5 hard drive. For Windows Server User, it offers the AOMEI Partition Assistant Server edition.

FAQs

1. What is exFAT for PS5?

exFAT, which stands for "Extensible File Allocation Table," is a type of file system that is used to set up external hard drives, USB drives, and other storage devices. For the PS5, exFAT is important because it lets the console read and write large files quickly and handle large amounts of storage space.

The exFAT is better than older file systems like FAT32 because it can handle files bigger than 4GB and larger partitions. This is important for storing HD games, media, and other big files on the PS5. Using exFAT makes sure that the external storage works with the PS5 and can handle the needs of modern media and gaming.

2. What is format as exFAT meaning for PS5?

If you want to format an external hard drive or USB storage device as exFAT for PS5, you need to make sure it is set up with the exFAT file system. This file system works best with flash drives and other large storage devices, so the PS5 can read and write data quickly.

Older file systems like FAT32 can't handle larger files and partitions, but exFAT can. This makes it perfect for storing HD games and media files. Formatting a drive as exFAT on the PS5 makes sure that it works with the system and gives you the best performance when storing and accessing media, game data, and other files.

3. Why do I need to format my external hard drive for PS5?

You need to format your external hard drive for PS5 to make sure it works with the system and runs at its best. For the PS5, to read, write, and manage data on an external drive correctly, it needs a certain file system format. This process helps to avoid mistakes, and ensure that the data is correct, thus allowing PS5 uses the external storage for games and apps more efficiently.