How to Backup and Restore Data on Your PS5

I love my Playstation 5, but it has its issues, especially when it comes to saved data. Out of nowhere, the data for a game I had installed but hadn’t played in months was corrupted and I had to retrieve the last save I had from the cloud, usually losing progress.

Who knows, maybe it’s game-related. Maybe it’s just bad luck. The worst such luck with a PS5 game was Resident Evil: Village, where both cloud and save data became corrupted multiple times, causing hours of gameplay to go down the drain — something that’s happened to some friends of mine. And while it’s atypical for the PS5 experience, it goes to show that having a physical backup can be useful.

Below, we’ll explain how to back up and restore your PS5 data in a fairly simple way, so you don’t have to rely entirely on cloud saves.

For more information, check out how to factory reset your PS5 if it’s buggy or you’re looking to sell it.

How to Backup Your PS5 Data?

To back up your PS5 data, you’ll need a USB drive formatted in EXFAT or FAT32 via PC or Mac. Here’s what to do when you’re ready.

• Connect the USB to your PS5.

• Go to Settings > System.
  

• From there, System Software > Backup & Restore > Backing Up Your PS5.

• Select the drive to which you want to back up your data.

• Check the box next to the data type you want to back up.

• Select next one > Backup.

From here, your PS5 will reboot and the backup will begin. You will see a “backup complete” screen once it’s done and your console will reboot.

Sync your trophies manually

Also note that game trophies are not saved in a backup. Below we explain how to make sure they are synced to PlayStation Network.

• From the PS5 home screen, select your profile pictureand then Trophies.

• press the Options button on your controller and then Synchronize with PlayStation Network.

  Recover data on your PS5

  Restoring data to your PS5 is just as easy as creating a backup. When restoring from a backup, make sure that your console’s system software version is the same or a newer version of the system version from the backup.

  • Connect the USB to your PS5.

  • Go to Settings > System.

  • From there, System Software > Backup & Restore > Restore.

  • Select Restore > Yes.

  The PS5 will reboot and begin the restore process. Once it’s complete, you’ll receive an on-screen confirmation and the console will reboot.

  Regardless of whether you back up or restore your PS5, if you have an M.2 SSD card installed for extended storage, it will be unaffected.

  Don’t miss everything we know about the PS5 Pro.