Turn on your PS4™ console to avoid damages every time you wish to backup data. It’s a safety measure that ensures you don’t lose or corrupt data. It also keeps your USB drive and PlayStation 4 console secured.
In case of a breakage to your system, this guide allows you to backup and restore the following important saved data:
- Games
- Apps
- Video clips
- Settings
- Screenshots
- Themes
How To Backup Data On Your PS4 Using an External USB Drive
Here are the steps to help you backup all your saved data to an external USB storage device
1. Get enough space for the USB drive.
You can create space in your USB storage device by formatting the drive to FAT32 or exFAT for compatibility with the PS4 backup file.
2. Sync Trophies With PSN
Move to the function screen and select trophies, then press the OPTIONS button and select Sync Trophies With PSN.
3. Insert the USB Drive to your PS4
Simply connect the USB drive into one of the USB ports on your PS4.
4. Go to Settings
While at the home screen, navigate to the Settings menu.
5. Access Back Up & Restore
Go to System > Back Up and Restore.
6. Click on “Back Up PS4”
Select Back Up PS4 to start the process.
7. Choose Data to Back Up
Now you can select and confirm the types of data you want to backup (games, saved data, settings, themes, etc.)
Next, customize the backup file name and select Back Up then wait for the backup to complete.
Pro Tip: The time it takes depends on how much data you are backing up and the PS4 will restart during this process.
8. Remove the USB Drive
Safely eject the USB drive once the backup is complete.
Use PlayStation Plus Cloud Storage To Backup Data
Please note that this is only meant for PlayStation Plus subscribers.
Here are the steps to help you backup your saved game data to the cloud.
1. Go to Settings
While at the PS4 home screen, go to Settings and select “Application Saved Data Management”
Scroll down then click on “Saved Data in System Storage”
This will take you to “Upload to Online Storage.”
2. Select the game data to upload
Pick the saved data from the games you want to back up and choose Upload.
Automatic Cloud Backup
If you enable Auto-Upload in the Application Saved Data Management settings, your PS4 will automatically back up your game data to the cloud when you’re logged in.
Expert Tip: To access your cloud save limits, please make sure your PlayStation Plus subscription is active throughout the back up process.
Backing Up Screenshots and Video Clips
Sometimes you may feel the need to backup your screenshots and video clips separately.
Follow these simple steps.
1. Go to the Capture Gallery
From the PS4 home screen, open the Capture Gallery.
2. Choose the Media
Select the screenshots or video clips you want to back up.
3. Copy to USB Storage Device
You can now complete the backup by pressing the Options button and selecting “Copy to USB Storage Device.”
Expert Tip: If you’re a user who has never signed in to PlayStation Network (PSN), it means you can only restore saved data to the original PS4 console that was backed up. And, to restore saved data to another PS4 console, you must sign in to PSN before you backup data.
How To Restore Data onYour PS4 Console
You can easily restore data on your PS4 if you’ve backed up your data either through cloud storage (PS Plus) or an external device.
Here’s a simple process to restore your PS4 console data in both cases:
Restore from Cloud (PS Plus)
If you have a PlayStation Plus subscription and have backed up your data to the cloud, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your PlayStation Network account
- Go to Settings > Application Saved Data Management.
- Select Saved Data in Online Storage > Download to System Storage.
- Choose the game or app data you want to restore.
- Select Download to transfer the saved data back to your PS4.
Restore from External Storage (USB)
It’s important to remember to use a USB device formatted in FAT32 or exFAT for external storage.
And If you’ve backed up your data to an external device (like a USB drive), here’s how you can easily restore it:
- Connect the external storage device to your PS4.
- Go to Settings > System > Back Up and Restore.
- Select Restore PS4.
- Choose the backup file you want to restore from and complete the process.
Restoring Data: Restoring a backup will overwrite the current data on your PS4, so make sure to back up anything important before you proceed.
By following these steps, you can safely backup and restore your PS4 data whether using an external USB drive or PlayStation Plus cloud storage.
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