4 Fixes for PS5 Not Recognizing External Hard Drive

Pankil is a Civil Engineer turned freelance writer. Since his arrival at Guiding Tech in 2021, he delves into the world of how-tos, and troubleshooting guides for Android, iOS, and Windows. Besides his new-found love for mechanical keyboards, he’s a disciplined footfall fan and loves international travel with his wife.

Try Basic Fixes

Fix 1: Format the Drive as USB Extended Storage

You’ll need to format an external hard drive with your PS5 for the first time as external storage. While the PS5 should prompt you to format a newly connected external hard drive, the notification may occasionally fail to appear, or you might miss it. In such cases, you can follow these steps toformat the driveas extended storage.

Step 1:On your PS5 home screen, select theSettings iconat the top right corner.

Step 2:SelectStoragefrom the list.

Step 3:SelectUSB Extended Storage > Format as USB Extended Storage.

Wait for the process to complete, and you should then be able to use your drive as external storage on your PS5.

Fix 2: Configure the PS5 to Supply Power to USB Ports in Rest Mode

Is your PS5 not recognizing the external hard drive when you wake it up from Rest Mode? Or does the external hard drive stop working when the PS5 is in Rest Mode? This could occur if you’ve configured the console so that it does not supply power to USB ports during Rest Mode. Here’s how to change that setting.

Step 1:On your PS5 home screen, select theSettings iconat the top right corner.

Step 2:SelectSystemfrom the list.

Step 3:SelectPower Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode.

Step 4:SelectSupply Power to USB Portsand chooseAlways.

Fix 3: Rebuild PS5 Database

If the existing PS5 database is corrupt, you may experience problems using an external hard drive. Here’s what you can do to fix it.

Step 1:Power off your PS5 and connect your DualSense wireless controller to the console via a USB cable.

Step 2:Press and hold thePS5’s Power buttonuntil it beeps twice to enter Safe Mode.

Step 3:Press thePS buttonon the controller.

Step 4:Select theClear Cache and Rebuild Databaseoption.

Step 5:Select theRebuild Databaseoption.

Once the process is complete, your PS5 should boot normally. Then, check if it still fails to recognize your external storage drive.

Fix 4: Update the System Software

Your PlayStation 5 regularly receives updates that bring performance improvements and bug fixes. Installing these updates is a good idea if you want to steer clear of any issues.

Step 1:On your PS5, go toSettings > System.

Step 2:Select theSystem Softwaretab and select theSystem Software Update and Settingsoption.

Step 3:SelectUpdate System Softwareto continue.

Step 4:Select theUpdate Using Internetoption.

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Last updated on 27 August, 2024

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