How to choose the default hard drive for PlayStation 4 game downloads

Ps4 App Install Location External Storage
Ps4 App Install Location External Storage (Image credit: Android Central)

If you're in the process of switching to a new external hard drive you'll want to get all the memory back onto your original PlayStation 4. Maybe, you gave up on the idea of an external hard drive altogether. Regardless, here's how you can get all of your precious save files back onto your PlayStation and reset your options to go back to automatically saving to the default hard drive.

Products used in this guide

How to move games to your preferred storage

  1. Select Settings from the main menu of your PS4 Home screen.
  2. Select Storage.
  3. Select System Storage
  4. Select Applications
  5. Press the Options button on your DualShock controller.

Source: Android Central (Image credit: Source: Android Central)
  1. Select Move to System Storage or Move to Extended Storage.
  2. Click the box next to all of the titles you would like to move to your default storage.
  3. Press Move and hit OK.

It's far too heartbreaking to spend over 300 hours finally beating Fallout 4 and then having to start over again, so make sure you get all of your existing files off of your external hard drive if you need them.

How to change your default hard drive

  1. Select Settings from the main menu of your PS4 Home screen.
  2. Select Storage.
  3. Press the Options button on your DualShock controller.
  4. Select Application install location.
  5. Select System Storage or Extended Storage depending on which you want to be used as your default.Source: Android Central

If you ever clear out the main hard drive of your console or want to stop using your external, all you have to do it follow the same steps.

Our top equipment picks

If you're moving back to your default hard drive while you get a new storage device make sure you check this one out.

Essa Kidwell

Essa Kidwell is an expert in all things VR and mobile devices who can always be found with an Oculus Go, a Pixel 2, and an iPhone 7+. They've been taking things apart just to put them back together for quite some time. If you've got a troubleshooting issue with any of your tech, they're the one you want to go to! Find them on Twitter @OriginalSluggo or Instagram @CosmeticChronus.