How to Transfer Music to a PSP Memory Stick

What to Know

  • On PSP: Insert Memory Stick, power on, connect to PC via USB, select Settings > USB Connection > X button, look for USB Mode message.
  • On computer: Open PSP Memory Stick, create PSP folder and Music subfolder, drag and drop files from PC to PSP Music folder.
  • Disconnect: Eject the PSP on your Mac or select Safely Remove Hardware from the Windows taskbar, disconnect the USB cable.

Even though the PSP is mainly a gaming machine, it also makes a great portable music player. You won't be able to fit your whole music collection on a single Memory Stick (though they get bigger and cheaper every day), but you can easily switch to new music once you know how to transfer the files.

Here's How

  1. Insert a Memory Stick into the Memory Stick slot on the left side of the PSP. Depending on how much music you want it to hold, you may need to get a larger one than the stick that came with your system.
  2. Turn on the PSP.
  3. Plug a USB cable into the back of the PSP and into your PC or Mac. The USB cable needs to have a Mini-B connector on one end (this plugs into the PSP), and a standard USB connector on the other (this plugs into the computer).
  4. Scroll to the Settings icon on the home menu of your PSP.
  5. Find the USB Connection icon in the Settings menu. Press the X button. Your PSP will display the words "USB Mode" and your PC or Mac will recognize it as a USB storage device.
  6. If there isn't one already, create a folder called PSP on the PSP Memory Stick—it shows up as Portable Storage Device or something similar—(you can use Windows Explorer on a PC, or Finder on a Mac).
  7. If there isn't one already, create a folder called MUSIC inside the PSP folder.
  8. Drag and drop image files into the MUSIC folder just as you would save files in another folder on your computer.
  9. Disconnect your PSP by first clicking on Safely Remove Hardware on the bottom menu bar of a PC, or by "ejecting" the drive on the Mac (drag the icon into the trash). Then unplug the USB cable and press the circle button to return to the home menu.

Tips

You can listen to MP3, ATRAC3plus, MP4, WAV and WMA files on a PSP with firmware version 2.60 or higher. If your machine has an older firmware version, you can't play all formats. (​Find out what version your PSP has, follow the tutorial linked below, then check the firmware profiles to see what formats your PSP can play.)

Memory Stick Duo is a better type of stick than Memory Stick Pro Duo for music files. Memory Stick Pro Duos may not recognize all music files.

You can create subfolders within the "MUSIC" folder, but you cannot create subfolders within other subfolders.

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