[VERIFIED] PS5-Compatible External Hard Drive List

Since Sony has released its April 2021 update for PS5 that allowed the use of external storage devices, so many users went out searching for an external hard drive that fits their PS5 console.

Unfortunately, not all external hard drives out there on the market are compatible with PS5, even if they seem to conform to the PS5 external storage standards.

For that reason, we have made this page with the intention to help the PlayStation community by compiling the verified PS5-compatible external hard drives.

PS5 External Hard Drive Compatibility Explained

It’s a fact that not every external hard drive will work on PS5 as extended storage. On the other hand, any USB external storage will work on PS5 as mass/backup storage (not extended).

Generally speaking, any external hard drive that is confirmed to work on PS4 will is also a PS5-compatible drive (learn more). But this is not the thing many PS5 users want to hear as they are already aware of it.

The actual problem is with the NEW external hard drives released after 2020. Why?

Well, when an external hard drive is new to the market, the driver that helps the PS5 system recognize and run the external hard drive is likely to be missing in the PS5 system software version a user is currently having.

This explains why several external hard drives won’t work on PS5 and why the PS5 system cannot recognize/detect them although they meet the PS5 external hard drive compatibility standards.

PS5 Extended Storage Compatibility Standards

Worth it to say that the PS5 system accepts all types of storage devices as extended storage, whether it’s a classical external hard drive, an external SSD, or a USB flash drive. All these three types can be PS5-compatible if they conform to certain criteria.

So, what are the standards that an external hard drive must meet in order to be compatible as extended storage for PS5?

• USB 3.x connectivity support | If your external hard drive is configured with USB 2.0 it will not work as extended storage on PS5, but it will work as mass/backup storage instead.
• Storage capacity is between 250GB minimum and 8TB maximum | Any external hard drive with a capacity limit outside that range is rejected by the PS5 system.
• Wired connection | The PS5 system rejects wireless external hard drives. So, make sure your external hard drive connects wiredly to your game console.
• HUB/Network external hard drives are not accepted | Make sure you buy an external hard drive with a SINGLE USB port because the external hard drive with multiple USB ports are not supported by the PS5 system.
• Single-layer drive | Just don’t try to use a dual-layer (DUO)/RAID external hard drive on the PS5. In most cases, the PS5 will reject the whole external hard drive, but it does happen sometimes, though, that the PS5 system will recognize only the first-tier drive only and ignore the rest.

Now, after you have chosen the right external hard drive for PS5 that meets all these compatibility standards, you need to learn how to connect and get your external hard drive to work on PS5.

Get Your PS5 External HDD To Work

There are a few things you have to take care of in order to get your PS5 external hard drive to work properly, which are:

• Connect your PS5 external hard drive to one of the two REAR USB ports only. If you connect it to the front USB port, the PS5 system will treat your external HDD as a backup/mass storage and you’ll not be able to use it as extended storage while it’s connected to that port.
• Direct USB connection | Your PS5 external hard drive must be connected DIRECTLY to the PS5 USB port, not via any medium like a USB hub, or else the PS5 system will reject it.
• Only ONE drive at a time | Don’t connect your external hard drive to the PS5 while there’s already an external hard drive connected to it and working as extended storage. If you do that, the PS5 system will reject the second drive until you disconnect the first one.
• Pre-format your PS5 external hard drive in exFAT | It’s preferable to get your PS5 external hard drive pre-formatted in the exFAT file system before connecting it to your game console, although most of the time nothing bad will happen if you don’t. Learn more on how to format and use PS5 external hard drive.
• Run the latest PS5 system software version | Make sure to keep your PS5 up to date in order to avoid any incompatibility issue with your external HDD on PS5.

For more details on using PS5 external hard drive and fixing its issues, here are a few sources that will help:

• Does Seagate External Hard Drive Work With PS5?
• How To Use PS5 Games On External Hard Drive
• The Pros and Cons of Using a PS5 External Hard Drive
• PS5 External Hard Drive Issues

PS5 Compatible External HDD List

Unless there’s a performance/functionality issue with your external hard drive, it shall work flawlessly on PS5 as long as it’s compatible and properly connected.

Below is a list of the PS5 compatible external hard drives that you can choose from without being afraid of incompatibility issues.

Western Digital (WD)

WD Gaming Drive

• WDBDFF0020BBK-WESN (2tb)
• WDBCRM0030BBK-NESN (3tb)
• WDBM1M0040BBK-WESN (4tb)

WD Elements Portable

• WDBUZG0010BBK-WESN (1tb)
• WDBU6Y0020BBK-WESN (2tb)
• WDBU6Y0030BBK-WESN (3tb)
• WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN (4tb)

WD Elements Desktop

• WDBWLG0040HBK-NESN (4tb)
• WDBWLG0060HBK-NESN (6tb)
• WDBWLG0080HBK-NESN (8tb)

WD My Book Desktop

• WDBBGB0030HBK-NESN (3tb)
• WDBBGB0040HBK-NESN (4tb)
• WDBBGB0060HBK-NESN (6tb)
• WDBBGB0080HBK-NESN (8tb)

WD My Passport Portable

• WDBYNN0010BBK-WESN (1tb)
• WDBS4B0020BBK-WESN (2tb)
• WDBYFT0030BBK-WESN (3tb)
• WDBYFT0040BBK-WESN (4tb)

WD My Passport Ultra Port

• WDBC3C0010BSL-WESN (1tb)
• WDBC3C0020BSL-WESN (2tb)

Seagate

Seagate Expansion Portable

• STEA1000400 (1tb)
• STEA2000400 (2tb)
• STEA4000400 (4tb)

Seagate Expansion Desktop

• STEB3000100 (3tb)
• STEB4000100 (4tb)
• STEB6000403 (6tb)
• STEB8000100 (8tb)

Seagate Portable

• STGX1000400 (1tb)
• STGX2000400 (2tb)
• STGX4000400 (4tb)

Seagate Desktop

• STGY8000400 (8tb)

Seagate Backup Plus Slim

• STEH1000100 (1tb)
• STDR2000100 (2tb)
• STDR4000100 (4tb)
• STDR5000100 (5tb)

Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim

• STDR1000100 (1tb)
• STEH2000100 (2tb)

Seagate Backup Plus Desktop

• STDT2000100 (2tb)
• STDT3000100 (3tb)
• STDT4000100 (4tb)
• STDT5000100 (5tb)
• STDT6000100 (6tb)

Seagate Game Drive

• STGD2000400 (2tb)
• STGD4000400 (4tb)

Toshiba

Toshiba Canvio Basics

• HDTB305XK3AA (500gb)
• HDTB410XK3AA (1tb)
• HDTB420XK3AA (2tb)
• HDTB330XK3CB (3tb)
• HDTB440XK3CA (4tb)

Toshiba Canvio Advance

• HDTC910XK3AA (1tb)
• HDTC920XK3AA (2tb)
• HDTC930XK3CA (3tb)

Toshiba Canvio Connect II

• HDTC805XK3A1 (500gb)
• HDTC810XK3A1 (1tb)
• HDTC820XK3C1 (2tb)
• HDTC830XK3C1 (3tb)

G-Technology

G-Technology G-DRIVE mobile

• 0G10264 (1tb)
• 0G10339 (2tb)
• 0G10348 (4tb)

PS5 Incompatible External HDD List

As for the list below, it contains the PS5 incompatible external hard drives. They neither work as extended storage nor as backup storage. Therefore, these are the drives that you have to avoid as a PS5 user.

Western Digital (WD)

WD My Book Duo Desktop RAID

• WDBFBE0080JBK-NESN (8tb)
• WDBFBE0120JBK-NESN (12tb)
• WDBFBE0160JBK-NESN (16tb)
• WDBFBE0200JBK-NESN (20tb)

Incompatibility Reason: This is a duo drive that is partly compatible with PS5. The PS5 system will only recognize the first drive and ignore the second. Therefore, you’ll get only the half storage capacity of this drive and won’t enjoy the RAID benefits.

WD My Cloud

• All models of WD My Cloud are not supported

Incompatibility Reason: Network Attached Storage (NAS) is NOT compatible with PS5.

WD 10tb My Book Desktop

• WDBBGB0100HBK-NESN (10tb)

Incompatibility Reason: 10tb storage capacity is NOT supported by PS5 system.

WD 10TB Elements Desktop

• WDBWLG0100HBK-NESN (10tb)

Incompatibility Reason: 10tb storage capacity is NOT supported by PS5 system.

WD My Passport Wireless Pro

• WDBVPL0010BBK-NESN (1tb)
• WDBP2P0020BBK-NESN (2tb)
• WDBSMT0030BBK-NESN (3tb)
• WDBSMT0040BBK-NESN (4tb)

Seagate

Seagate Backup Plus Fast

• STDA4000100 (4tb)

Incompatibility Reason: This is a duo drive that is partly compatible with PS5. PS5 system will only recognize the first drive and ignores the second. Therefore, you’ll get only the half storage capacity of this drive and won’t enjoy the RAID benefits.

Seagate Backup Plus Hub

• STEL4000100 (4tb)
• STEL6000100 (6tb)
• STEL8000100 (8tb)
• STEL10000400 (10tb)

Incompatibility Reason: Hub external hard drives are NOT supported by PS5 system.

Conclusion

If you want to use an external hard drive on PS5, make sure it fits the purpose you want it for. You should select a PS5-compatible external hard drive that meets all the standards specified in order to get it working properly on the PS5.

If your external hard drive seems compatible yet it doesn’t work still on PS5, you need to wait for a system software update in hope that it contains the relevant driver files that help PS5 system to recognize your external HDD.