How To Upgrade your Playstation 5 Storage

There are many guides showing how to upgrade your PS5 storage. Here’s another one to help folks find the answers they need even faster!

The PlayStation 5 has one (1) internal slot for an additional solid-state drive (SSD) that you can use to upgrade your storage capacity. You’ll need to take off the PS5 case, open the slot cover, insert your SSD, close everything up, and then boot up your PS5 and format the card. You’ll then be able to use the card to store some of your PS5 data.

It’s actually not that difficult, but like all tech things that involve opening up a $500 dollar gadget, it can be intimidating at first.

Here’s what you need to do.

Get an SSD that works with the PS5

  1. Purchase an M.2 SSD, it should have specs similar to below.:
  • Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD
  • Capacity: 250 GB to 4 TB
  • Size: 22 mm width (25 mm wide drives are not supported), up to 11.25 mm height (with a heatsink). Be sure it comes wit heatsink!

If all that sounds, complicated, don’t worry because most manufacturers will specially say whether their product can be used with the PS5 right on the website.

Here’s what I got. Two terrabytes of powerrrrrrr.

Shut it down! Get a screw driver!

Before you do anything, completely shut down your PS5 and unplug all the cables. Remove the stand if you are using that. Move the PS5 and the SSD to a clean well lit spot where you can get to work. You will need a Phillips screwdriver.

Take off the cover

Strangely this may be the hardest part. You do not need any tools to take the cover off. You need to take of the or “bottom” cover to access the SSD slot. Since the PS5 can be set vertically or horizontally this can be confusing. The disc drive should be pointed away from you and on the left side, and the PS logo should be on the underside of the unit. If it is oriented that way, you’re i the right positoin to take off the cover and access the SSD slot.

To get the cover off, you need to push slide and pull up simultaneously. Watch a few videos. When you finally get it off it will come off way easier than you expected. I was having trouble. Took a break, and my elementary school kid literally got the cover off while I was watching a video. It’s all about the direction and angle, not the force.

Open the SSD slot

Locate the SSD slot, which is located on the bottom of the console. Remove the SSD slot cover by unscrewing the single screw that holds it in place.

You can see that the screw has been removed in the above photo.

Remove the SSD slot cover

There is one more small screw that will be revealed once you remove the SDD slot cover. You can remove this screw, and use it in a future step to screw down your SSD.

Insert the SSD

Insert the SSD into the slot at an angle and gently push it in until it clicks into place.

Use the screw you removed in the previous step to screw down the SSD.

Now put it back together!

Now just do everything inreverse.

Replace the SSD slot cover and screw it back in.

Reattach the console cover.

Plug in all the cables, and power it up.

When your PS5 boots up boots it should immediately recognize that the SDD is installed and prompt you to format it. Do this.

Confirm that the storage is available

Turn on the console and go to Settings > Storage > Installation Location to see the status of your storage set up, and also to move things around.

Video Time!

Now, fi you want to see a video, and an even better explanation than this, try this video!

Here is the YouTube video that I used to figure this out. Enjoy!