Expansion Bay
Console storage setup

Set up your new storage.

Choose your console for the exact install steps, then make sure new games use the space you just added.

Need space but have not bought a drive?

Xbox can find leftovers and duplicate installs. PS5 can remove unused game parts and captures. Start with the safe built-in controls and see the exact space you recover.

Free up space before you buy

Set up an Xbox expansion card

About 5 minutes

Plug it in, choose it for new installs, then start the download. The install-location step is the one people miss.

  1. 01

    Plug the card in

    The slot is on the back of the console, next to the HDMI port. Push the card in until it clicks. You can do this with the Xbox on; it will set itself up automatically.

    Check: It only goes in one way round. If it resists, turn it over rather than pushing harder.

  2. 02

    Tell the Xbox to use it for new games

    Without this, new games keep installing to the built-in drive and filling it up again. You can buy storage and still end up out of space.

    SettingsSystemStorage devicesChange install locationsGamesYour expansion card

    Check: Do this before you preload anything big. It only affects games installed after you change it.

  3. 03

    Install games from your phone

    Open the Xbox app on your phone, find the game, and send it to your console. It downloads while you get on with something else; you do not need to be near the Xbox.

    Check: The console needs to be on, or set to allow remote wake-up.

Install a PS5 M.2 SSD

About 15 minutes

You need about fifteen minutes and a crosshead screwdriver. Power the console off fully before opening it.

  1. 01

    Power down completely and unplug

    Not rest mode. Turn it fully off, unplug the power cable and wait a few minutes for it to cool.

  2. 02

    Take off the side panel

    Lay the console down, lift the corner of the panel and slide it off. It is designed to come away; you should not need force.

  3. 03

    Fit the drive

    Unscrew the expansion slot cover, seat the drive at a slight angle, press it flat and secure it with the screw.

    Check: The screw is small and the console will happily swallow it. Work over a table, not a carpet.

  4. 04

    Power on and let it format

    Put the panel back, plug in and switch on. The PS5 will spot the drive and offer to format it. Say yes; it takes a few seconds.

  5. 05

    Choose where new games install

    So new downloads land on the new drive rather than filling the built-in one again.

    SettingsStorageInstallation Location
Save safety

Your saves are safer than you think

Xbox keeps your saves separately from the game itself and backs them up to your account. Moving a game between drives, or from a USB drive to a card, does not touch your progress.

If your Xbox has been offline

Your most recent saves sit on the console until it next connects. Get it online and launch the game once before uninstalling anything, so the save syncs to your account first.

Move or copy a game if you want to keep it locally. Uninstall it only when you actually want the space back.

Stuck on a step? Ask us before you return the drive.