Don’t be afraid of installing a PS5 SSD – the process is remarkably simple, The PS5 may be a premium console that’s already loaded with outstanding exclusives so early in its lifespan. But games like Returnal, Horizon Forbidden West, and Gran Turismo 7, whilst amazing, can very shortly fill up your PS5’s storage space due to immensely massive file sizes.
Thankfully, a firmware replacement made reachable simply under a year after the PS5 launched made it so that proprietors of Sony’s flagship hardware may want to set up their personal internal SSDs to greatly increase the storage space available on the console. The downside is that it additionally intended having to remove your PS5’s faceplates and getting greater intimate with the system’s innards.
This is what initially put me off attempting to install an internal SSD for my PS5. I’m heavy-handed at the quality of times, so drummed it into my personal head that wants surgical precision to correctly install one of the best PS5 SSDs into my console, with one wrong move probably bricking the system entirely.
finally plucking up the courage to install my own internal SSD, that the whole process was more blissfully simple than imagined it to be.
Legitimately the trickiest part of installing the PS5 SSD wasn’t truly the clicking and fixing the thing into place. Nor was once it removing the SSD cover with a screwdriver. Nay, through some distance the most difficult part of the total process grew to become out to be putting off these damn faceplates from the PS5 itself.
the rest of the process proved to be delightfully simple. All that was once left to do used to be grasp a crosshead screwdriver and unscrew the protective lid beneath which the internal SSD is to be installed.
grab your compatible M.2 SSD, connected the included passive heatsink, and cautiously clicked it into place in the open slot. Then repeat the previous steps, albeit in reverse order, till the PS5’s faceplate used to be slotted again into place.
Upon plugging the PS5 back into the mains and switching it on, the console routinely went into an extremely brief SSD formatting process earlier than returning to the acquainted dashboard. And just like that,
Installing a PS5 SSD – the full adventure
If you’ve just bought a compatible M.2 PS5 SSD, or are looking to buy one for yourself soon, here’s a quick step-by-step breakdown of the steps you’ll need to follow in order to install it. Ensure you have a crosshead screwdriver to hand before you begin the process, too.
- Completely turn off your PS5 by holding down the power button for a few seconds.
- Unplug the console, and lay it down on a flat surface. The faceplate with the PlayStation logo should be face down.
- Remove the top faceplate by gently lifting the top end with one hand. With the other, firmly grab the bottom of the PS5 and slide the faceplate downwards until it releases.
- With the faceplate removed, grab your crosshead screwdriver and unscrew the protective lid, under which you’ll insert your PS5 SSD.
- Unscrew the smaller screw you’ll find under the protective lid. We’ll need this to screw the SSD into place afterwards.
- Ensure that the protective heatsink is firmly attached to the top of the SSD, and carefully slot it into place. You should hear a small slick when you’ve done so.
- Take the smaller screw from a couple of steps ago, and find the opening that overlaps with the back end of your SSD. Screw it into place to firmly secure the SSD in the slot.
- Now repeat the processes in reverse, from reattaching the protective lid to putting the faceplate back onto your PS5.
- Plug your console back into the mains and switch it on. Follow the on-screen instructions to format the SSD and prep it for use with your PS5.
And with that, you’re almost done. Finally, you’ll need to go into your Storage Settings on PS5, and manually select your PS5 SSD as your preferred internal storage device, to ensure your downloads are stored on your new SSD as opposed to the one already built into the console.
As the last step for peace of mind, you may want to download a game from your library onto the internal SSD, just to make sure everything works as intended, which if you follow the above steps, it should.
