How to Fix if You Cannot Format External Hard Drive on PS4

Adding an external hard drive for your PS4 not only expands storage capacity but also increases game loading speed and improves gaming performance. In addition, the external hard drive can also serve as a perfect game library, providing you with strong portability. Since PS4 only supports FAT32 and exFAT, you need to make sure your external hard drive is formatted to these file systems. However, during this process, you may find that you cannot format external hard drive on PS4. Related errors include PS4 cannot format as extended storage CE-41902-6 and more.

Why does this problem occur?

Why You Cannot Format External Hard Drive on PS4

Typically, failure to format the external hard drive on PS4 may be caused by the following reasons:

• There are temporary glitches on the external hard disk or the PS4 console.
• The external hard drive does not meet the requirements.
• There are errors with the PS4 system software.
• The external hard disk is damaged and needs to be replaced.
• …

Next, keep reading to learn how to fix the formatting failure problem.

How to Fix Cannot Format This USB Storage Device as Extended Storage PS4

Fix 1. Reconnect the External Hard Drive to Your PS4

To rule out the temporary connection glitches, you can try removing the external hard drive from your PS4 console gently, and then reconnect it to your device. Moreover, you may consider connecting the disk to another device and making sure it works properly to ensure its health condition.

Fix 2. Make Sure the External Hard Drive Fulfill the Requirements

If you experience the PS4 cannot format as extended storage CE-41902-6 error, it may be because the disk is not a USB 3.0 or later disk. In this case, you need to replace the external disk. Also, this error may occur if you connect the disk to your console too slowly. To resolve it, you should reconnect the USB external storage device quickly and firmly.

Fix 3. Restart PS4

To address temporary errors on the PS4 console, you can try to restart it and check if the issue can be resolved.

1. Turn off your PS4 console.
2. Press and hold the PS button for a few seconds until you hear a beep.
3. When you see the Safe Mode window, select Restart PS4.

Fix 4. Update PS4 System Software

Outdated PS4 system software may be the reason why you cannot format external hard drive on PS4. In this case, you can check if there is a newer system software version available and download it by going to Settings > System Software Update.

Fix 5. Format the External Hard Drive on a Windows PC

If you are unable to format your external hard drive on the PS4 console, you may consider formatting it on your computer. On a Windows PC, you can format a disk via File Explorer, Disk Management, or powerful partition management software like MiniTool Partition Wizard.

In File Explorer/Disk Management:

1. Right-click the hard disk and choose Format.
2. In the new window, set up the volume label and file system (FAT32 or exFAT), and then tick the option of Quick Format or Perform a quick format.
3. Click Start or OK.

In MiniTool Partition Wizard:

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1. Launch this free partition manager.
2. Select the external hard drive partition, then scroll down the left menu bar to select Format Partition.
3. Type a partition label, choose the target file system, and then click OK.
4. Hit the Apply button.

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Closing Words

This post should have explained why you cannot format external hard drive on PS4 and provided solutions to resolve the issue. Now, you should have this problem addressed.