How do I import music to my PS4?

The PS4 has the capability to play music files in the background while you play games or use other applications like the Internet Browser. This allows you to customize and enhance your PS4 experience by listening to your own music library.

There are a couple ways to import your music to the PS4. You can use the PS4 Media Player app to play music files from a connected USB drive. Alternatively, if you subscribe to Spotify Premium, you can play music through the Spotify app on PS4 without needing a USB drive.

This guide will walk through the process of formatting a USB drive, adding your music files to it, connecting it to your PS4, importing your music library, and playing the imported songs. It will also cover managing your library and troubleshooting any issues.

Why Import Your Music Library?

There are several key benefits to importing your own music library to your PS4 rather than relying solely on streaming services:

You have full control over your music collection when you build your own library, allowing you to import rare tracks or albums not available on streaming platforms (https://www.soundguys.com/how-to-build-local-digital-music-library-68789/). Streaming services constantly rotate available albums and songs, but your own library gives you permanent access.

Importing your own library allows you to listen to music when you don’t have an internet connection available. This makes it great for travel, or even just for listening in parts of your home that lack strong connectivity (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252887757).

Creating your own music library gives you more control over music discovery and your listening experience. You can organize your collection exactly how you want rather than relying on streaming algorithms that can sometimes lack transparency in how recommendations are generated (https://pitchfork.com/features/article/everything-you-need-to-build-your-own-digital-music-collection/).

Requirements

Here is what you will need to import music to your PlayStation 4:

USB drive – A USB flash/thumb drive or external hard drive formatted as FAT32 or exFAT and that has around 1GB of free space.

Media files – Files that are MP3, M4A, or WAV. The files must be saved in a folder called “Music” on the USB drive.

The USB drive must meet certain specifications for use with the PlayStation 4. It needs to be formatted as either FAT32 or exFAT, and have around 1GB of free space. Some drives that exceed 256GB in size may be using a different format by default, so reformatting is necessary. The media files must be one of the supported file types, with MP3, M4A, and WAV being the types the PS4 can play back. Those files should be copied or saved to a folder on the USB drive called “Music” in order for the PS4 to easily import them.

For detailed steps on formatting a USB drive and copying music to it for PS4 use, see the instructions at this guide.

Formatting the USB Drive

To be able to store music on your USB drive and transfer it to the PS4, you first need to format it as extended storage for the PS4. This will erase everything currently on the drive and reformat it to work specifically with your PS4 console. Here are the steps to format your USB drive:

Connect your USB drive to your PS4 using a USB port.
Go to Settings > Devices > USB Storage Devices on your PS4.

Select your connected USB drive.
Choose “Format as Extended Storage.” This will delete everything currently saved on the drive.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the formatting process.

Once your USB drive has been formatted as extended storage, it is now ready to use for storing and importing your music library to the PS4 (1).

Adding Music Files to the USB Drive

Once you have formatted the USB drive to create the “Music” folder, you will need to transfer your music files onto it. Make sure your music files are in common file formats that are compatible with the PS4 like MP3, FLAC, or WAV (Listening to music on a USB storage device).

To add your music files:

Connect your USB drive to your computer.
Open the “Music” folder on the USB drive.
Drag and drop your music files into the “Music” folder or copy and paste them into this folder.

Make sure your music files have fully transferred onto the USB drive before safely ejecting it from your computer.

Once your music files are copied onto the USB drive’s “Music” folder, it will be ready to connect to your PS4 to import and play your music.

Connecting the USB Drive to the PS4

Connecting your USB drive to your PS4 console to import your music library is easy. Simply follow these steps:

Make sure your PS4 is turned on and at the home screen.
Take your USB drive and insert it into one of the USB ports on the front of your PS4 console. The USB ports are located between the power and eject buttons.
After a few seconds, your PS4 will recognize that a USB drive has been connected. A notification may briefly appear on screen to confirm this.

Once connected properly, your USB drive will be available as external storage that you can use to import your music library to the PS4. The next step will be going into the PS4 settings to locate the drive and import your music.

Importing Your Music Library

The process of importing your music library from a USB drive to your PS4 is simple and straightforward once your USB drive is properly prepared. According to the PS4 user guide, the first step is to insert your USB drive which contains your music files into one of the USB ports on your PS4. From the main PS4 menu go to the ‘Music’ app tile and select it. You’ll then be prompted on where to import your music files from.

Select the ‘USB Music Player’ option. After a few moments, your PS4 will scan the contents of your USB drive and display all music files contained in the root folder and any subfolders. Use the X button to import the music files and folders you wish to add to your PS4’s music library. The system will copy the files over rather than move them. Once the import process finishes, eject the USB drive and all imported music will now be available to play within the Music app.

That covers the basics of importing your music library. The next section will detail how to actually play that music and manage your library. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional guidance on what content to include in the next sections!

Playing Imported Music

After importing your music library to your PS4, you can access and play the songs through the Music Player app on the system. To play your imported music:

On the PS4 home screen, scroll to Library and select it.

Find Music Player and launch the app.
Your imported music will show up in the Artists, Albums, Songs and Playlists tabs.
You can select a song or playlist directly to start playing it.

Use the controls within the Music Player app to manage playback, create playlists, shuffle songs, repeat tracks, and more.

The imported music will also be available to use with apps like ShareFactory for editing gaming videos. Plus you can play music in the background while gaming.

Remember to keep the USB drive with your music library connected to access the imported songs. If you disconnect it, the imported music will no longer show up in the Music Player app.

Managing the Music Library

Once you’ve imported your music library to your PS4, you’ll want to keep it organized for easy access and listening. Here are some tips for managing your imported songs:

Create playlists – The PS4 has a playlist feature that allows you to create custom playlists from your imported songs. You can make playlists for different moods, activities, genres or whatever categories make sense for your library.

Delete unwanted songs – You can select songs you don’t want anymore and delete them. This helps declutter your library.

Organize by album or artist – You can browse your music library sorted by either artist name or album title. Choose the view that makes the most sense for your library.

Use the search function – Finding specific songs is easy with the PS4’s music search. Just enter a song, artist or album name to quickly jump to it.

Check available storage – Keep an eye on the remaining USB storage as you add more music over time. You may need to remove some files if space runs low or use a larger USB drive.

Back up your library – Don’t lose all your imported tunes if your PS4 malfunctions. Occasionally back up your USB music files to a computer or other device.

By using playlists, deleting unwanted songs, organizing your view and other management features, you can keep your imported PS4 music collection tidy for frustration-free listening.

Troubleshooting

If you run into issues importing your music library to your PS4, here are some solutions for common problems:

If the PS4 doesn’t recognize your USB drive, try reformatting it to FAT32 or exFAT using your computer. Refer to the Reddit thread for steps.

If you receive an error that the music files are an unsupported format, make sure all tracks are MP3 or AAC files. The PS4 doesn’t support formats like FLAC or WMA.

If no music shows up after importing to your PS4, double check that all files are properly named and tagged with correct metadata like artist, album, and track info. The PS4 organizes music by metadata.

If some albums or songs are missing, connect your USB drive to a computer to confirm all expected files are present and readable. There may be a corrupted transfer or hidden files that didn’t get copied over properly.

Still having issues? Try re-exporting your music library, reformatting your USB drive, and importing again from scratch after restarting your PS4.