PS5 Pro SSD – How to upgrade and transfer from an old PS5

It might have more than double the storage of the original PS5, but even with a 2TB SSD now built into the PlayStation 5 Pro, it’s pretty much inevitable that gamers are going to start to feel the pinch of having too many games installed. Thankfully, you still have the NVMe SSD slot to enable you to upgrade the console with some off-the-shelf PC parts.

Sony has the exact same recommendations and requirements for a third party NVMe drive, but there’s an added wrinkle for the PS5 Pro, if you consider that a lot of buyers will be upgrading from the base PS5. That’s the situation that we found ourselves in and how to handle it.

What SSD expansion drives are compatible with PS5 Pro?

Just as with the base PS5, Sony states that any PS5 Pro SSD needs to be PCIe Gen 4 with a target sequential read speed of 5,500MB/s or faster and with a heatsink recommended. In practice, you can actually make do with less SSD speed, though compatible drives are now plentiful, and there’s plenty of options that are marketed as being PS5 compatible.

Head here for more details on PS5 compatible SSDs.

Will you lose data if you transfer an SSD to a PS5 Pro?

No. You will not lose data if you move an SSD between PS5 consoles. Similar to an external USB HDD for PS4 games and storage, an NVMe SSD that has games installed from one PS5 will almost seamlessly let you play all of those games on another PS5 console – though obviously, it’s a bit more complicated and technical to do the actual swap!

How to install a PS5 Pro NVMe SSD

The process to install an SSD in the PS5 Pro is very similar to that of the original PS5 and pretty much identical to the PS5 Slim.

You will need:

• A steady, clear, well-lit workspace
• A #1 Phillips cross-head screwdriver (a magnetic screwdriver is very useful)
• Your NVMe SSD

Now just follow these steps, or watch the embedded video above.

1. Place the console upside down, from the perspective of using it horizontally. The bottom of the PS5 has the face plate with the four PlayStation button symbols on it – not the PS logo. Have the front of the console (with the two USB-C ports and power button) facing you.
2. Remove the smaller of the two face plates on this side, lifting from the front and bending the plastic until you hear a click. Do NOT lift from the rear, as there are three retaining clips that are designed to hinge out of position.

3. This will reveal the main air intake for the cooling fan and the grey metal plate covering the NVMe drive slot.
   We recommend turning the console around so that you are not reaching across the fan as you remove screws.
4. Remove the screw from the expansion slot cover and lift the cover out of place.
   This reveals five screw holes for each possible size of NVMe drive, each with a length number etched beneath, and with a screw and spacer by default in the 22110 position. The most common NVMe drive is 2280, so remove the screw and shift the metal spacer to the corresponding indent.

5. Take your NVMe drive and align with the expansion connector, with the notch lining up if you have the correct orientation (heatsink up). Angle the SSD in slightly, with the slot slightly raised from the base of the drive bay, and push firmly into place before laying the NVMe drive down flat onto the spacer.

6. Fasten the drive in place with the screw.
7. Replace the slot cover and secure with its screw.
8. Reattach the face plate, angling in the three retaining clips at the rear of the consoleand then firmly pressing in the other clip points until they click.

With the SSD installed, you can now hook it back up to power and a screen and turn it on. If it’s a brand new SSD, the console will prompt you to format the drive, but if transferring from another PS5 console, it will instead automatically rebuild the SSD database and process all of the installed games to be playable.

Congratulations, you now have *even more* storage in your PS5 Pro!