You have save data on your PS4 but you would rather play the game on your beefy powerful PC? Is it possible to transfer save data from PS4 to PC? I decided to research the internet and find out.
You can backup PS4 save data to a USB drive but the save data is encrypted, in certain Bethesda games you can encrypt the save data to play. Usually, the PC can not decrypt PS4 save data, but as cross-platform games are in the cloud your save data can transfer from PS4 to PC.
I know it sounds a bit confusing! Don’t worry, I will explain why transferring save data across platforms is hard to do and if you can transfer PS4 recordings to PC.
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Why You Cannot Transfer PS4 Game To PC
You can transfer PS4 game data to a USB drive no problem(see below) but to the PC these data files are encrypted, and the ability of your PC understanding these save files has been broken.
Transferring non-cross-platform games from PS4 to PC is only possible with Bethesda games like Skyrim, as certain coders have made tools that allow you to move save data from PS3 to PC, so these tools are very platform and game-specific.
For a game that is not Skyrim to be moved from PS4 to PC like Witcher 3, someone needs to create a tool for that game for PS4 which is not easy to do. and takes a lot of time to create.
If your game data is cross-platform like Fortnite or Rocket league, everything is saved on the cloud and very little is based on your PS4 so transferring saves is easy. To understand more about cross-platform gaming and how it works, please check this post.
But why would developers not make cross saves more possible? Different consoles and PCs have different BIOS which is is the console or PCs output/input system, that affect how your device boots up after you turn it on, and different decoding options making cross saves difficult to create.
Every console and specific games would need separate modifications for cross saves, and there isn’t enough interest for developers to make it a fully supported function.
However, you can transfer PS4 saved data files into a USB for storage purposes, as if your PS4 is 500 GB it will often run out of space, see below for a guide.
How To Transfer Recordings From PS4 To PC?
Transferring your cool gaming montages and killstreaks can be a hassle without a USB and even with a USB you need to format it with all takes time. But did you know you can easily transfer PS4 recordings WITHOUT a USB stick! Here’s how.
How To Transfer PS4 Recordings To PC Without A USB
- In the PS4 menu go to library, then capture library which is where your clips are stored
- Choose the clip you want to share and hold the share button on your controller, you can share to YouTube, Facebook or Twitter but you need to share to YouTube to download clips
- If you don’t have a YouTube account go make one
- Login to your YouTube account and click on YouTube Studio located under your YouTube profile in the top right of the screen
- To the left of the screen, you will see videos, navigate to videos, and next to the video you will see three dots(see below) click on these dots and click download video to download your video straight to your PC without ever needing a PC!
I don’t take the credit for this candy download hack the channel YourSixStudios found this, see his video above for a visual explanation.
How To Backup PS4 Saves To USB
Does your PS4 always seem to run out of memory and your constantly deleting games? I know your pain, and I wrote more about why game sizes are just getting bigger here.
Luckily backing up your PS4 save data onto a USB is SUPER easy! All you need is a USB stick either 2.0/3.0, if you don’t have a USB drive I have the SanDisk Ultra that has super fast loading times which you need for your PS4, get it for a cheap price around $7.99 on Amazon here.
I recommend getting a 3.0 like the Sandisk as a 2.0 will not work for the PS5 and other newer electronics, so why limit yourself? Your USB drive must be formatted to FAT 32 or ExFAT.
How To Backup Save PS4 Save Data To USB
- Firstly check to see if your USB is the right format by plugging your USB into the PC and right clicking the USB to check the properties
- If it isn’t back up all the data on your USB either onto a computer or another USB, right click on USB hit format and see either FAT 32 or ExFAT
- Plug your formatted USB into the PS4 click settings- applications saved data management- saved data in system system
- Then click the game files you want to copy and click copy to storage device, depending on your games this could take 30 seconds to 1 minute
Enjoy your freed space! Watch the YouTube video above if your confused and would like a video explanation.
How To Transfer Saved Game Data From PS4 To PS Now?
In order to do this you MUST have a valid PS Plus membership to transfer saved game data.
- Scroll up on the PS4 home menu and choose settings
- Scroll DOWN and choose [application saved data management]
- Then choose [saved data in system storage] then [upload to online storage]
- Choose the game that you want to transfer saved data. Choose the game that you want to transfer saved data, select the files you want and then click [upload]
- If you are asked whether to overwrite saved data in online storage choose [yes] if you want to replace the data in online storage
- Press the PS4 home button, start the game you selected in PlayStation Now
- Press the PS4 home button again to open the PS Now menu, select [Application Saved Data Management], select [OK] to close the PSN Now game
Are digital PSN games tied to an account? Learn the facts.
- Choose [Saved Data In Online Storage] select [Copy To PS Now] pick the game your playing.select the files you want to transfer and then choose [copy]
- Press the CIRCLE button twice. load your saved data and continue playing!
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SanDisk Ultra 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive (Amazon Link)
