So, you've got your hands on a brand new PS4 Pro, and you may be wondering how to transfer all of your games, saves, and other data across to the supercharged system. Alternatively, you may have bought a PS4 Slim, and be looking to move all of your content across. But what's the easiest way to do this transfer?
Transfer Data from Another PS4
Well, good news folks, Sony's made it really easy for you to copy everything to your new console. All you need to do is hook up your new system and ensure that it's running the latest firmware. Connect it via Ethernet cable to your old console, and turn both systems on. Then, from the main menu of your new console, scroll to Settings > System > Transfer Data from Another PS4.
This will walk you through the process, but watch the video above in order to get a better idea of the steps involved. The protocol will carry across all of your settings, users, save data, themes, and game applications, so you're essentially mirroring your old console on a new one. The process will also deactivate your accounts on the old console, and activate them on the new one.
It's worth mentioning that once the transfer is complete, you will need to format your old console if you intend to sell it or give it away. This is simple enough to do: you can find the option in Settings > Initialisation. And that's all there is to it really – once copied you'll have a brand new PS4 with all of your games, saves, and settings intact. Perfik.
[source bit.ly]
Comments 48
Kind of rules out being able to trade in the old PS4 for the Pro, like at GAME for example. Would have preferred a temporary cloud storage increase where this could all be stored. Better than nothing I guess.
Will it transfer my PT demo?
How long does this process take for 500gb ps?
This was one of the reasons I was put off as I wasn't aware of this and with all the games out in November I didn't want to spend a week redownloading everything.
@Shellcore You realise that you can back everything up to an external hard drive though? Backing up stored games etc on to the 'cloud' would take forever for those on DSL connections and even days on a decent fibre line.
@solocapers You could back everything up on an external...if it supported it. Yes you can do that by transferring from your internal once removed from the device to a temp HDD, but that's more steps than its worth. And as noted yes this does make trade ins a little more awkward but not by much
@kyleforrester87 curious about this too, actually
@kyleforrester87 I guess it's too much to expect a 4K patch?
I want to take advantage of the GAME offer, too, and am interested in finding a way to transfer everything...
I'm keeping my PS4 i'll just put into the bedroom once i've transferred everything cross to the Pro.
@BLPs "You could back everything up on an external...if it supported it. "
umm.. https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2015/03/guide_how_to_back_up_your_ps4_hdd_to_a_usb_drive
How long the transfer process is for 800gb and does the new ps4 will have games folder exactly like the old one?
@B-I-G-DEVIL
If it took him about 1:30h for 275gb, it would take approx 3h or less for 500gb.
Which is much faster then doing it over USB 3.0.
I did it that way, i used USB. 3.0 HDD which has about 80mbps transfer rate on my PC, and first backed up cca 400gb on it (took me about 6h), and transfer again on ps4 was much faster (cca 3h). So, LAN transfer is the way to go.
Only thing I didn't get is, do we have to have cross cable, or normal LAN cable?
@Shellcore If you're doing a trade-in then you can do a Back Up and Restore. I don't think everything carries across like this process, but you will at least be able to maintain all of your saves and (I believe) Settings.
There are quite a few options available.
@solocapers ohave. That's what I get for being a developer minded person. You said External Hard Drive which in work is a HDD, when you meant a USBDrive. I thought you meant a full HDD.
Guess that's what I get for being an idiot.
@get2sammyb
USB transfer gets you everything, just like LAN transfer.
@kyleforrester87 It will actually, yeah.
@B-I-G-DEVIL Took me an hour to transfer 300GB, so you're looking at just under two for 500GB.
@Diskach Thanks for the correction! There you go, then - two decent options for switching to a new PS4 system.
@get2sammyb thanks - tempted more now to get one. It seems pretty straight forward compared to what I thought it would be.
can it compress my existing 1.16Tb of data onto the 500gb hdd too?.
This is definitely grand news its basically wussy i did in 2011 with these PS3 OG and slim! But i think ill just do it the hard way as my current PS4 has 2TB and it only makes sense to have the better machine have more memory! And heck reinstalls are speedy as heck on that samsung 2TB HDD! But man do i wish swapping HDDs worked like PS2 memory cards!
@get2sammyb Will probably go with the standard back up then. Thanks.
My wi-fi is crap so I hate to think how long it'll take to transfer 300 odd gb.
While the transferring seems simple enough, Sony is not making it as easy to have more than one PS4 in a household as it was with a PS3. There are ways, however, that they could avoid the abuse (that they initially supported, mind you) of enabling content on multiple Playstations simultaneously, without this annoying lockdown.
1 - Enable a Primary and a Secondary PS4 option, with both having the same rights. Everything else works as is. Not perfect, but makes life a lot better for a multi-user household.
2 - Enable full sharing rights over same local network. Solves multi-user household problems completely. Does allow for potential abuse from larger local networks, such as dorms. Could argue that it is within the spirit of the "Disc sharing" that Sony promoted so heavily.
3 - Combo of 1 & 2. Secondary console only has same rights if on same local network.
4 - Enable sub-accounts same access rights to games/apps/PS+ as parent account (allowing for parental controls, obviously). Makes sending the kids to play on the second console a lot easier, though the second adult/parent in the house still has issues. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
Ah, great to hear I can actually back up easily. I think I will take half a day off work to get Ps4 Pro from GAME on 10th November (not confident they will still be there by 16th).
@Longaway Any idea on how many PS4's Sony allows on an account. The PS3 allowed up to 4, and I believe up to four different user's tied to that account. As someone whom has a large digital library I can tell you that they did not allow two users to play the same game, simultaneously, on the same account.
Anyway, with the internal drive size pretty much being limited to 2tb (I know latest firmware has allowed up to 4tb, stable) I was thinking about getting a second PS4. That is if Sony doesn't allow for a proper external hard drive experience.
@TomKnows I'm not talking about playing the same game on the same account simultaneously.
You've got multiple PS3s, so you know that you can play on one, while someone is playing on another that you have connected to your account, and they can access all of your purchases from their own login.
On the PS4 that is almost impossible. Anyone logging into the PS4 you've made your "Primary" has access to your purchases & PS+ benefits. However, on any other console, they do not, unless you are logged into that console at the same time.
So, you're playing on your "Primary", the kid's want to play something, well, you can't just send them to the other console. In your own house. That you've connected to your account. Nope. You have to stop using your primary PS4. Either swap rooms with the kids, or stop playing altogether, so that you can sign in to the second machine, so they can have access.
I want to do this with the new arrival, the ps4pro.
The idea was to use the ps4pro in the livingroom and the old regular ps4 in the bedroom, but this video got me asking myself if this is even possible, since you have to deactivate the old one. Does anyone know here if i can use my psaccount on both (not at the same time!). I'm not paying for psn access twice and have a lot of game digital only. Any help appreciated.
ow & thanks: 1 - Enable a Primary and a Secondary PS4 option, with both having the same rights. Everything else works as is. Not perfect, but makes life a lot better for a multi-user household.
2 - Enable full sharing rights over same local network. Solves multi-user household problems completely. Does allow for potential abuse from larger local networks, such as dorms. Could argue that it is within the spirit of the "Disc sharing" that Sony promoted so heavily.
3 - Combo of 1 & 2. Secondary console only has same rights if on same local network.
4 - Enable sub-accounts same access rights to games/apps/PS+ as parent account (allowing for parental controls, obviously). Makes sending the kids to play on the second console a lot easier, though the second adult/parent in the house still has issues. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
But guys, really..
Can I transfer my PT demo?
This is perhaps the most important question of the decade.
Not buyin one until VR and NX but, in a year or so when the time comes, I may. If the results warrant it. Really it comes down to how soon my existing HDTV lasts. It's 7 years old and probably has another 7 years in it.
In which case I'll just wait for the next generation.
I wish you could just pull out the hard drive from 1 Console and stick it into a Newer Console and it would just work like that. It took years(it felt like it) for me to transfer my stuff from my old PS3 to my newer PS3 and that has put me off doing it again for life :-/ When I get the Pro I will get a 2TB Hard drive then just download all my stuff again and load up my discs etc etc and all my game saves are on my memory card to.
@get2sammyb dang! 2 hrs for 500GB, night have to do mine overnight lol
It's saying 5 hrs for me and only 164 GB to transfer! 😭
Wish you could transfer PS3 saves to PS4. I'd like to not have to start MGSV over again...but it's still worth it.
I already got 1,5 Tb hdd on my PS4, so I will just open up my old PS4 and remove that hdd and put it in PS Pro... Easy peasy...
Can't believe that Pro have only 1Tb of storage, tho!
@Jocinetu
The hdd will be formatted if you change it over, back it up first.
The big problem is by having a 2TB hdd on the old ps4 console.
That makes backing up once, and loading the data 2 times over...
OUCH!
Just started the transfer and it's saying 10 hours!! What the hell!?
@Mergatro1d Over lan (2 cables) it will correct itself; wifi no idea. 750gb took me 3 hours.
@Drawfull I'm doing it via lan and its still taking an age. 6 more hours. Don't get it...
@Drawfull hang on, 2 cables? I've just got the one connecting both ps4s. Perhaps I am doing it via wifi after all! Arse. The router is in a different room so I'll have to stick with it.
@get2sammyb hey sam i have a question. I just got the pro and have a 4k tv with hdr. Do you suggest getting a expensive aftermarket hdmi cable, or the one the comes with the pro is good enough?
@Brasilkilla The one that comes with the Pro is more than enough unlike the old analogue cables HDMI is digital so quality of cable is unimportant.
Sony supply a fast high bandwidth HDMI 2.0 cable which is all you need. Hope that helps.
@Jocinetu Sadly it is encrypted so you will have to re-install and download everything again.
Alternatively you can do what I have done, which is to back up everything you want to transfer via an external USB HD then remove the drive from the PS4. Transfer the HD to the PRO re-initialise the console with the latest firmware and then do a system restore via the PRO with your external HD. It can take a few hours dependant upon file size. For example my 1tb stated 5 hours to back up. I decided to delete the smaller games and just transfer around 300gb which took 1 hour each way. Hence why I am on here still waiting lol.
@GBMatthew yes it did, thanks for the quick reply
Just an update to let those of you know who might be interested that Sony has installed a good HD in the Pro it's an HGST which is a Hitachi based drive. These are very good and considered to be one of the most reliable drives, far better than the Seagate and Samsung previously used in the older PS4 models.
@Shellcore Its faster if you uninstall old games you dont play and reinstall later.
@Carl-G Just dont forget if you do it like that you will lose youre screenshots with your trophies.
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