If you still have a Wii U, sooner or later yous're going to run out of storage. The Basic unit just includes 8GB of space, while the Deluxe ups it to a all the same-defective 32GB of infinite.

While the Wii U doesn't accept an expansive games library, you definitely don't want to take to delete a game every time you demand room for a new 1. So, in this article, we'll explicate how to add together more storage to your Wii U if yous're running low on space.

Using a USB Wink Bulldoze With Your Wii U

Your beginning external storage option for the Wii U is a standard wink bulldoze. These are bachelor online relatively cheaply, and can double your Wii U's storage with little try. It seems similar a natural pick, so what's the catch?

Every bit it turns out, Nintendo recommends against using a USB flash bulldoze for your Wii U. Because these devices accept a limited number of read/write cycles earlier they clothing out, they're not designed for regular utilise similar a game requires. A flash bulldoze, especially a cheap 1, could dice and result in lost data.

So, while your existing flash drives will piece of work with your Wii U, it isn't recommended. In other words, use them at your ain hazard.

Wii U SD Cards

The Wii U includes an SD card slot at the front of the console. Only you can't utilise an SD carte du jour for storing Wii U games. SD cards only work for storing pictures of your Miis, belongings screenshots in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and transferring information from a Wii to your Wii U.

If you want to utilize an existing SD card to save games, you tin work effectually this limitation past using a USB bill of fare reader. Just stick your SD card into the slot on the reader and plug the USB end into your console. The Wii U will read the device as if it'due south a USB drive, non an SD card.

Unfortunately, the same problem with flash drives applies to SD cards also. These devices aren't designed for the constant reading and writing that video games require. So yous can requite this method a try, but don't be surprised if your SD carte dies quickly as a result.

Nintendo notes that the Wii U supports SDHC memory cards up to 32GB, merely does not support SDCX cards. This limitation doesn't apply when using a USB adapter, as multiple people online accept confirmed that they utilise larger cards with no bug.

Go on in mind that SD cards inserted in the console'southward front slot can hold sure Wii game save data, significant that SD cards have some use if y'all play Wii games on your Wii U.

External Hard Drives for Wii U

Now we come to Nintendo'due south official solution. Adding an external hard drive is the just additional storage method that Nintendo recommends using with your Wii U, and thus it's what you should use. Information technology seems simple enough, but there are a few things to go along in heed when buying a new hard drive.

The company recommends that you use a drive that plugs into the wall (using AC power). 2TB is the Wii U's limit, though yous should never demand even close to that much. Devices with more storage will piece of work, but the Wii U tin can't use more than than 2TB. Also, Nintendo does not recommend using external SSDs.

Nintendo'due south website has a listing of external drives that are confirmed as uniform with the Wii U. Using any of those should exist safety, simply note that well-nigh of them are not current models. Nosotros discuss this more below.

Using an Existing Drive With Your Wii U

If y'all accept a desktop external drive under 2TB, it should piece of work fine with your Wii U. Just connect its USB cable into one of the Wii U's back USB slots, and plug the other finish into a ability outlet. This is the virtually reliable solution, because the drive doesn't have to rely on the Wii U for power.

If you lot want to avoid using an externally powered external bulldoze for some reason, you tin still employ a portable bulldoze. These are usually smaller, and employ a unmarried cable to both transfer data and receive power. However, Nintendo doesn't recommend using them. This is because the Wii U might fail to output enough power for the drive, resulting in crashes and potential lost data.

To mitigate this chance, y'all tin can purchase a USB Y cable. True to their name, these cables contain i plug on the external drive's end and dissever into two on the Wii U's cease. Considering the power and data transfer are separated into two USB ports, the Wii U should work more than reliably with a portable drive this way.

About people who utilize one of these cables with a portable drive don't have any bug. Nevertheless, some have reported issues with the Wii U not recognizing the bulldoze or it randomly shutting off. Be enlightened of these potential drawbacks if you choose to forgo using a drive with Air conditioning power.

Finally, if you accept an erstwhile hard drive sitting around, y'all can repurpose your old bulldoze into an external device. Simply buy a USB hard drive enclosure to house your drive and a USB Y cable to connect it to your system and you lot're all set.

Buying a New External Drive for Your Wii U

If you don't take a spare bulldoze, you'll demand to buy a new external USB hard drive specifically for your Wii U. What size you should buy depends on your needs. Wii U games are smaller than PS4 or Xbox One titles, and so 1TB should be more than enough for even the most passionate Wii U gamer.

Still, you should be wary of drive pricing. Desktop external drives are now readily available in sizes of 4TB and above. Older, discontinued models with less storage space tin can cost more a modern drive, so it might be a better value to purchase a bigger bulldoze than your Wii U tin use.

The Fantom Drives 1TB offers a good balance of storage and price, simply it'due south not the but option. Consider consulting the list of compatible external hard drives on the Wii U subreddit.

A final important bespeak is that the Wii U uses USB 2.0 ports. Whatever USB iii.0 device is backwards-compatible and will work with the Wii U, but you lot won't do good from the extra speed. We don't recommend buying a USB two.0 drive now, as its slow speeds will be a huge drawback if y'all use it on whatever other device in the futurity.

Formatting a Drive for the Wii U

Whatever solution yous choose to use, you'll have to format your device for utilize with your Wii U. This locks it down so you can but utilize information technology with your specific panel and no other devices.

Thus, you can't put games on your external drive and so have it to a friend's house to play those games. Y'all besides can't go dorsum and forth between using the bulldoze with your PC and your Wii U.

This means that if you're ownership an external bulldoze for your Wii U, you should be prepared to leave information technology permanently attached to the system.

Thankfully, formatting a new device is simple. Plough off your Wii U before connecting the device, then plug its USB cable(southward) into the system's rear USB port(s) and plough on the console.

Y'all should see a prompt to format the device---notation that formatting will permanently destroy all information on the bulldoze. So if you're reusing an older drive, make sure there'due south nothing on it that you intendance about.

If you don't see a prompt to format the drive, yous tin can practice so manually. Select the Organisation Settings icon on your Wii U's menu, then scroll to the Data Management option and press A to select it. Select the Delete All Information on USB Storage Device option and follow the instructions to format your bulldoze.

Wii U Data Management

In one case yous've added an external storage device, your Wii U uses it as the default download location. You lot'll take to manually move games to your organisation's internal storage if you want to.

Managing Your Wii U'due south Data

Subsequently your external drive is all set up, you can manage what'south on information technology at any time. Go to Organisation Settings > Data Management and select the Copy/Motion/Delete Data option.

Choose USB Storage to run across the games y'all have installed on the drive. Yous can select System Memory to view the games on the system's internal storage too.

Wii U Storage Devices

If yous want to copy or move information between drives, perchance to back up your game saves, press Y to copy or X to motility it. Tap all the games you desire to re-create/motion, then the Y or X push again. You'll come across a prompt asking you lot to confirm the action.

To delete game data, highlight the game and press A. Hither you can scan the various save data for that game. Select everything you lot want to delete, then choose Delete. Take a look hither to see if you can delete whatever former games---peradventure you don't demand external storage after all.

Wii U Copy Data

Note that you tin can simply actively use one external storage device with your Wii U. The to a higher place screenshot shows 2 in the Information Management option, but this is just for transferring data between them.

What'due south the Best Choice for Expanding Wii U Storage?

This all might exist a little confusing, only nosotros can summarize the Wii U's external storage situation with the post-obit:

  • The best solution is using an external difficult bulldoze nether 2TB that plugs into the wall for AC power.
  • Using flash drives or SD cards is not recommended because they may vesture out speedily.
  • You can use a USB Y cablevision with a portable external bulldoze, simply it may have performance issues.
  • Repurposing an sometime hard bulldoze using an enclosure also works, with the in a higher place caveat.
  • Older, smaller external drives may price more than coin than modern drives that are over 2TB.
  • The Wii U doesn't employ USB 3.0'due south improved performance.

Don't forget that Nintendo has re-released many of the best Wii U games on the Nintendo Switch, then you might adopt to put your money towards Nintendo'southward newer console instead of external storage for your Wii U.

Image Credits: frantysek/Depositphotos, Takimata/Wikimedia Commons

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About The Author

Ben Stegner (1801 Articles Published)

Ben is the Editor in Chief at MakeUseOf. He left his It chore to write full-time in 2016 and has never looked back. He'south been covering tech tutorials, video game recommendations, and more as a professional writer for over eight years.

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