1TB SSD PS5 Can I Use On Mac?

Understanding the 2 types of SSD

There are two types of storage you can add to the PS5.

1. External USB SSD

A portable SSD connected to your PS5 via a USB cable.

Sony recommends you use USB extended storage drives with:

• Any size from 250GB up to 8TB.
• SuperSpeed USB of 5Gbps or higher.
• Direct connection to the PS5 (no USB hub).

The 1TB external SSD is fine for size, but you can't guarantee all USB drives will work.

You can save games to the external USB SSD, but cannot play PS5 games directly from it. You will have to copy them back onto the internal or installed M.2 SSD.

You can play PS4 games directly from the external USB drive.

Source: Sony PS5 USB extended storage guide

2. Internal M.2 NVMe SSD

This is an internal SSD installed in the dedicated expansion slot on the PS5.

This can be used to download, store and play games directly from.

However, not all 1TB NVMe SSDs will be compatible.

Sony's compatibility requirements include:

• PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe.
• Sizes of 250GB to 8TB.
• A sequential read speed of 5,500MB/s or faster is recommended.
• Appropriate heatsink/cooling for effective heat dissipation.
• Correct size SSD, including its cooling structure.
• M.2 SATA SSDs are not supported.

Always check the full compatibility requirements.

Source: Sony PS5 M.2 SSD installation guide

Can I use an SSD from my PS5 on my Mac?

Here is where it gets interesting...

Yes, but you need to understand the formatting.

When you format your external SSD as PS5 USB extended storage, your console prepares the drive to save games. This is not the same as a drive you would use on your Mac to save documents, photos and videos.

Therefore, you should treat your PS5 extended storage as storage for your console.

Connecting to your Mac

When you connect the drive to your Mac, your Mac may not recognise it as a normal, accessible external drive.

If you still need the games saved on the drive, don't go ahead and initialise or erase it.

You can use Disk Utility on your Mac to format drives to APFS and exFAT formats. To change the drive to be compatible with your Mac, you will have to erase and format it. This will wipe the drive.

Source: Apple Disk Utility file system formats

Can I use an external SSD from my PS5 on my Mac?

If you no longer need the games saved on your external SSD, then you can convert it back to a standard USB drive.

Go to:

Settings > Storage > USB Extended Storage > More > Format as exFAT.

Please note this will wipe all your games and other data on the drive. Make sure you back up any important data first.

Once formatted, connect it to your Mac and you can use it as an exFAT external drive.

Source: Sony PS5 USB extended storage guide

Can I use the same SSD for both my PS5 and Mac?

It depends on what you're trying to do.

You can use an external drive formatted to exFAT to store regular files from your Mac and use it with the PS5 for supported USB functions.

You can save documents and videos from your Mac on the drive, view supported images and videos from your USB drive in the PS5 Media Gallery, and copy screenshots and videos from your PS5 to the USB drive.

However, you cannot copy media from the USB drive into your PS5 console storage or use it to transfer arbitrary files into the PS5.

This isn't the same as PS5 USB extended storage. You won't be able to use the drive for PS5 game storage while it is formatted as exFAT.

Sony explain the differences between the USB storage options here. PS5 Storage Guide.

They also explain how to view supported images and videos from your USB here. Media Gallery Guide.

You can also check the supported USB video and music formats here. USB Media Guide.

If you're looking to store regular files for your Mac and access supported media or USB functions on your PS5, then exFAT is a good option. However, if you're looking to add more games to your PS5, you need to use the extended storage format.

Can I use an internal M.2 SSD from my PS5 on my Mac?

This is a bit different.

If you have added a 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD to your PS5 and want to use it on your Mac, you can physically take the drive out and connect it to your Mac using a compatible NVMe enclosure.

However, Sony state that you must format the entire M.2 SSD for use with your PS5. You cannot partition it to use part for PS5 games and part for regular storage.

In order to use it on your Mac, you will have to wipe and format it. This will erase the PS5 data on the drive.

Make sure to have an enclosure that will work with your specific M.2 NVMe SSD, including its physical size and cooling structure.

Source: Sony PS5 M.2 SSD installation guide

What type of SSD should I get?

It depends on your requirements.

If you frequently use your Mac and PS5, it may be easier to buy separate storage.

One last thing: Is your Mac still running out of space?

Although having an external SSD can help you save more documents, videos and files, you may still have problems.

You may still have issues with your applications, browsers, downloads, dependencies, Xcode DerivedData, simulators and caches using up your internal storage.

This can be a big issue if you're using large development projects.

Rather than randomly deleting folders, it helps to know where your storage is being used.

Diskfern can help you see where your storage is being used on your Mac, find large files/folders and see what you can delete. Diskfern.

Start with a scan of your Mac.