why does my ps4 tell me it cannot use a usb update

MP4 won't play if your MP4 file is corrupted or the information in the container is wrong. Your files must be located inside a folder (any folder you like) on the drive or your PS4 won't be able to use them. If you just have a video file and dump it into the 'root' folder of your USB drive, the PlayStation 4 won't see it. Sony doesn't mention this anywhere, so we bumped into this problem ourselves. You didn't place your MP4 file in folders. This will erase all files currently on the drive, so back up any files you care about before doing this.

Format it to use the exFAT file system if it's currently using NTFS. To double-check, right-click the drive in Windows and select 'Format'. If your drive is formatted with the NTFS file system, you'll see an error after you connect it to the PlayStation 4. When using a USB storage device, the drive must be formatted with either the exFAT or FAT32 file system, as the PlayStation 4 can't read NTFS.

To be specific, there's a number of potential scenarios how PS4 not working with MP4 files:

Maybe it's an issue of your file names, MP4 video format compatibility, the MP4 file type, or the USB file system etc. Why your PS4 won't see some MP4 files? Actually, it can be caused by various reasons. There's also a now-free-to-use Plex app for streaming videos from another one of your PCs.

This is thanks to the 'Media Player' app, which Sony added more than a year and a half after the PS4 was released. Like the Roku and Chromecast, Sony's PlayStation 4 can play video and music files from a USB drive or another computer on your network. Why Some Certain MP4 Files Not Playing on PS4? So what's the matter? This article will figure out why PS4 not playing MP4 files and how to view MP4 videos on PS4 easily. But the weird thing is that MP4 not playing error comes from time to time, for example, PS4 won't recognize MP4 files, or your MP4 video absolutely not showing in the folder of USB drive when PS4 Media Player is scanning files. MP4 file format seems one of Sony PlayStation 4 (PS4) supported native video formats for playback.

Why does my ps4 tell me it cannot use a usb update