If you've had a PS4 for more than about 10 minutes, you've more than likely had to delete a number of old games to make room for new ones as your tiny internal 500GB HDD has repeatedly become full. In order to fix this, you really only have a few options; either upgrade to the newest PS4 Pro 1TB or 2TB model, or buy a larger storage drive to upgrade your current PS4 storage capacity.

For those of you with disposable income, buying the new machine might be the right choice, especially if there are deals on trading in your current PS4, however, for the rest of us that would like to get more space without spending a pretty penny, here's a step-by-step guide.

What You Need:

• Phillips head screwdriver
• 1TB or 2TB 2.5" SATA HDD or SSD (no more that 9.5mm thick)
• USB flash drive with at least 2GB capacity
• Computer with USB ports and internet access

The original PS4 came with either a 500GB SSD or a 1TB SSD for the later models. The PS4 Pro came with a 1TB SSD. Depending on what you want to upgrade to, you have 3 options:

You can save some money by going with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), but you'll notice a bit of lag when switching between apps and games on your PS4.

If you want to go with an SSD (Solid State Drive), you'll get better performance, but you'll also pay more.

The third option is the SSHD (Solid State Hybrid Drive), giving you slightly better performance than a standard Hard Disk Drive, but for a lower cost than a Solid State Drive.

HDD

• Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB Portable Hard Drive External (STDR2000100) - $64.99 (You will need to remove this HDD from the case)
• Western Digital Blue 1TB 7mm HDD (WD10SPCX) - $75.99
• Seagate 2TB BarraCuda HDD (ST2000LM015) - $84.99

SSHD

• Seagate 1TB Gaming SSHD (ST1000LM014) - $59.25
• Western Digital 1TB SSHD (WD10S21X) - $64.94
• Seagate 2TB FireCuda Gaming SSHD (ST2000LXZ01) - $94.99

SSD

• Western Digital Blue 3D NAND 1TB PC SSD (WDS100T2B0A) - $119.99
• Western Digital Blue 3D NAND 2TB PC SSD (WDS200T2B0A) - $259.99
• Seagate Barracuda SSD SATA III 6Gb/s 1TB Internal SSD Drive (STGS1000401) - $139.99
• Seagate Barracuda SSD SATA III 6Gb/s 2TB Internal SSD Drive (STGS2000401) - $299.99

You’ll need to back up your saved game files before you start tinkering with the internal hard drive. This is because once you install the new drive, you’ll need to start from scratch.

There are two ways of backing up your save files, along with any other content you want to keep, such as video clips and screenshots.

The easiest option might be one you’ve already chosen. PlayStation Plus members can upload save files to the cloud, meaning you can download them right away when you boot up your upgraded hard drive.

Some of you will have this set up to happen automatically when your PS4 is in rest mode, meaning you can skip this step altogether.

You can check that by heading to Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data in System Storage > Upload to Online Storage. If any of your games listed in this section as a PlayStation Plus user say “Off”, their respective save games won’t have been uploaded to the cloud.

To fix that go to Settings > Power Saving Settings > Set Functions Available in Rest Mode. In this menu, make sure the Stay Connected to the Internet option is ticked to perform background uploads in Rest Mode.

If you just want to make extra sure your saves are safe, you can back them up on a USB drive. It has to be formatted to FAT, FAT32 or exFAT to store the saves on, but as long as it is, just plug it into the front USB ports of your PS4.

Then, head to Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data in System Storage > Copy to USB Storage Device. Within this menu, you’ll find a list of all your game saves.

You’ll have to go through each one individually, check Select All and then press Copy to USB. There’s no way to copy all of them in one batch, but despite being a slightly laborious process, it doesn’t take long to do once you get going.

If you’ve got any gameplay videos or screenshots you want to keep, you’ll want to move them to your USB drive, too. Just go to the Capture Gallery within the System Storage Management and select Copy to USB Storage Device within the options presented.

You will need to know which model of PS4 you own before starting the process.

Once you’ve saved all the necessary saves and gameplay clips and screenshots, it’s time to remove the HDD.

Turn off your PS4 completely and unplug your console from the wall, removing any wires from the back of your PS4

DO NOT just put it into Rest Mode.

Move your PS4 to a flat surface where you’ve got enough room for all your necessary tools.

• Remove the HDD from the mounting bracket and insert the replacement drive.

• Replace the screws; being careful not to over-tighten them.

• Re-attach the drive cover.

• Proceed to Preparing the USB Flash Drive

• Insert the replacement hard disc drive into the mounting bracket, and then secure it using the screws. Do not overtighten the screws.

• Proceed to Preparing the USB Flash Drive

• Insert the replacement HDD into the caddy and replace the four screws.

• Insert the caddy into the PlayStation 4 bay and replace the screw.

• Reconnect the HDMI, power, and any other cables that were disconnected in the first step.

• Power on the PlayStation 4 to make sure everything is functioning properly.

• Proceed to Preparing the USB Flash Drive

• Place the replacement HDD on the mounting bracket for the PlayStation 4 system's HDD, and then attach using the screws (four places).

• Attach the drive to the system using the screw.

Be sure to fully insert the HDD in the HDD bay

• Proceed to Preparing the USB Flash Drive

Now that you have the update file on your flash drive, we'll need to get it installed on your PS4.

• Plug all your various wires back into your PS4.
• With the PS4 turned OFF, plug in the USB drive with the install file on it, then attach your DualShock 4 controller via USB cable.
• Start your PS4 in Safe Mode by holding the power button on your PS4 down for at least 7 seconds until it beeps to let you know it is booting up in Safe Mode.

Once you’ve been through that, you’ll have to add your PSN account and sign-in to be able to download all your games and apps.

NOTE: Don’t panic if you have to go through the setup process again when booting up for the first time after installing your HDD.

All of your previously downloaded games and apps will be located in your Library at the far right of your PS4 main screen.

The only negative to the upgrade process is that reinstalling all of your games takes an while, so be prepared to spend an evening downloading the games you want back on your system. You’ll definitely want to download them in order of playing priority.

NOTE: When reinstalling your game saves from a USB drive, you won’t be able to install saves for any games you haven't re-downloaded yet. It’ll take you quite a while to download all your titles, so don't expect to move all of your save games immediately.

You can copy saved data from a USB storage device to your PS4 system by performing the following steps.

NOTE: You must be signed in with the same account used when you first copied the saved data.

• Connect a USB storage device to the system.
• Select (Settings) from the function screen.
• Select [Application Saved Data Management] > [Saved Data on USB Storage Device] > [Copy to System Storage].
• Select a title.
• Press the X button to add a check mark in the checkbox for the saved data you want to copy, and then select [Copy].

For those with PS Plus, you can download your saved data from cloud storage to your PS4 system by performing the following steps.

NOTE: You must be signed in with the same account used when you first copied the saved data.

• Go to [Settings] > [Application Saved Data Management] > [Saved Data in Online Storage]
• Select [Download to System Storage].
• Place a tick next to each save file that you wish to download, or choose [Select All], and select [Download]