Sony’s PlayStation 4 Pro Launches Today, Here’s How To Migrate Your PS4 Data

Sony today released the newest version of its PlayStation 4 console, the PlayStation 4 Pro, essentially a supercharged version of the original with faster hardware to support 4K gameplay and High Dynamic Range (HDR) visuals. The PS4 Pro isn't a new generation console, it's basically a hardware upgrade with support for all of your original PS4 content, and Sony has made it easy to transfer all your data to the PS4 Pro. Here's how.

First a little housekeeping is in order. You need to make sure that both your original PS4 and your new PS4 Pro are running the latest system software from Sony. This should happen automatically when you go online, but to double check, go to Settings and scroll down to System Software Update and make sure that version 4.0 or higher is installed.


The next step is to connect both consoles to your home network. You can do this via Wi-Fi or with Ethernet cables. Only your PS4 Pro needs to be hooked up to your TV for the data transfer, though. You'll also need to sign into your PS4 Pro with your PSN ID to start the process.


Once you've done that, the PS4 Pro will automatically detect that you're signing into a new console with your PSN ID. A screen will ask if you want to extract data from your original PS4 to the new Pro model. Just follow the prompts, which hold your hand through the initial process. When it finds your old PS4, it will ask that you press the power button on it for about a second until you hear a beep.


After you've done that, connect the old and new console to one another using a LAN cable—each one has a LAN port on the back. Alternately, you can grab two LAN cables and connect each console to your router.


You're in the home stretch at this point. Sony will give you a choice of which type of a data to transfer, including Applications, Saved Data, Captures, Themes, and Settings. As you select each category, you'll see how much free space will remain on the PS4 Pro once the proposed data transfer is complete. The screen also shows an estimate of how much time it will take.

The last step is to designate your PS4 Pro as your primary PS4 console. In doing so, the PS4 Pro will automatically download updates and upload saved game data to your PS Plus cloud storage.

That's it, you're finished! Assuming you chose the whole kit and caboodle, everything will be transferred over except for user passwords (for services such as PSN and Netflix), profile data of user accounts that have never been signed into your old PS4, and any trophy data that wasn't previously synced.

If you plan to sell or trade in your old PS4, be sure to wipe the drive first. Just go to Settings > Initialization > Initialize PS4 > Full. Make sure you do this after you've already transferred your data, as once you wipe your PS4, the data is gone forever.