Here are the best mac hard drives and external storage options in 2020. Overall storage space will typically play the main role in the final price youll pay for an external hard drive. Buffalo ministation extreme nfc external hard drive. This small compact ssd drive from samsung comes with both a usbc to usbc cable and a usbc to usba, meaning its perfect to use with your macbook or mac. Its ready formatted for use on mac, time machine ready and small enough to fit in your coat pocket. May 02, 2020 external drives can be a great solution to that problem, as well as a good backup source to keep your most precious data protected. Choosing the right format for your external hard drive b. Maybe its because it looks just like the imac theyre using with its sleek silver aluminum casing but we think it might be something else. Gtechnology 10tb gdrive usbc desktop external hard drive. Feb 08, 2020 with the growing popularity of ssd drives, the average mac has less storage than it used to, making an external drive handier than ever. May 09, 2019 the best external hard drives for mac in 2020. Jan 01, 2020 with your new mac devices, you are not able to run cds or dvds. Make sure your external hard drive is attached and mounted to.
Hard drive formats are largely linked to the operating system that youre going to be using the hard drive with. The canvio is one of the lightest external drives on our list at just 0. Arthur cole he also has a more than 10year experience in program development for macos, windows, ios, android. Best mac external hard drive in 2020 mac external hard. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc users. Apr 28, 2020 the latest generation of the western digital my passport ultra range of external hard drives is here, coming in sizes from 1tb to 4tb, and theyre among the best external hard drives out there. Many creative professionals using imac computers to do their work tend to like the gtechnology series of external hard drives. Buying an external hard drive for your mac is not all that different from buying one for your windows pc, except for one very important complication. Please keep in mind that reformatting will result in the loss of all the data on the hard drive so make sure you back up your data elsewhere before starting. It can be hard to tick all of those boxes, but if you know what functionality you need, our handpicked list of the best options should help. Its no bulkier or slower than other similar hard drives, but its a clear cut winner because of its storage capacity.
When you take into account price, ease of use, and portability, the seagate backup plus slim is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times. For this purpose, you need to rely on external cddvd drives. Jul 20, 2017 the canvio is one of the lightest external drives on our list at just 0. In this range, youll find quality external drives that hold 500gb to 1tb of storage for mac computers.
Product title toshiba canvio advance 2tb portable external hard drive usb 3. Weve focused on some good, affordable choices from reliable manufacturers. Theyre useful for storing files you dont need to keep permanently on your computer, for transferring files between computers, and for keeping backups of your macs internal storage. Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your mac. The best external hard drives for mac recoverit wondershare. Kindly note that the products chosen below are mainly based on our personal preferences and the guidelines as shown above. Its 7200 rpm hard drive keeps things running smoothly. Before purchasing an external drive for your mac, there are things you should consider such as compatibility, speed, storage, transfer speed, portability and price.
Most external hard drives connect to a mac either through the usb port, or through the macs thunderbolt port, and thus will likely come with the appropriate cable. Buffalo ministation thunderbolt external hard drive. Most but not all mac computers and will have at least one usb port that supports external memory. Best mac external hard drive we spent over 30 hours researching and testing 20 different external hard drives and found that hdd capacity, warranty, and backup speed were most important.
Seagate portable 1tb external hard drive hdd usb 3. Find out which hard drive can help increase your storage or safely back up your mac. Unlike most portable external hard drives, which generally cap out at about 4tb, the seagate can hold up to 5tb at any given time. Any external drive you buy has a drive from one of those three companies. Please see below on how to reformat your external hard drive on mac and windows. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc users in. Its fast 540 mbs read and write speeds are more than enough to transfer any file. A great external hard drive for mac and windows, this hub can charge mobile devices and transfer files from usb cameras and usb thumb drives via its 2 usb 3. If you have got the latest macbook or imac released after 2012 and 2016, you need to buy the best external cddvd drives. Discover the world of external hard drives for mac.
Aug 03, 2019 seagate backup plus 5tb external hard drive portable hdd black usb 3. Traditional hard disks are the most common options of external drives for mac, but you can also use them as laptop internal hard drives. Seagate backup plus slim 1tb external hard drive portable hdd black usb 3. This is a common connection type for many external hard drives. You want one thats fast, easy to use, and wont break the bank. This reduced power draw helps preserve the battery life of the mac you plug the drive into. Superspeed usb 10 gbps is the official name for the usb 3. Moreover, you need an external drive to import movies and music to itunes. For those who work remotely or abroad, they also ensure you can keep key files on hand without. Desktop external hard drives usually run at 7200 rpm to offer all the speed they can. One of the best gaming external hard drives for mac silicon power armor a60. With this mind, you need to get yourself an external hard drive for mac. May 30, 2017 your mac will work with any external drive be it mechanical, optical, or a ssd. Usb is very compatible with mac machines, especially those with older versions.
External hard drives come in a few different formats, though its very easy to reformat a hard drive if you happen to buy the wrong kind. The western digital external hard drive scored high marks in every category and is our top pick. From the popular slim drives to the ridiculous capacity and mobility of the portable drives, you can always rely on the backup plus family. External hard drives are a great way to store or back up extra files, especially photos and videos. To find your best external hard drive for mac, youll want to decide how quickly you want to save and retrieve data. All backup plus drives are compatible with time machine and come with cool features, including seagate dashboard and windowsmac compatibility. The western digital external hard drive scored high marks in. Mar 07, 2020 external hard drives are not only useful for storing data but are an excellent way to transport files from one location to another. Best external drives for mac and pc interchangeable 2020. The best external hard drives are fast, dependable and easy to use. As such, many people find themselves needing the extra. The 10tb gdrive desktop external hard drive will give you enough volume and lightning speed for a traditional drive, and comes preformatted for mac if you need instant crossplatform compatibility, and an array of color choices, youll be covered. You can get an apple external hard drive in any size ranging from about 60gb to 20tb, depending on your needs. Heres what you need to know, along with our toprated applefriendly drives.
Here then are the best external hard drives for mac of 2020 in order of ranking. Wd my passport for mac best overall the western digital 2tb my passport for mac is the perfect 2tb portable external hard drive for mac users. Seagate backup plus is an ideal mac external hard drive that is highly recommended by most websites. Wd 1tb elements portable external hard drive usb 3. If you want to make use of your macs thunderbolt port, then this is the best external hard drive for macs. Top 5 best external hard drives for mac updated in 2020. Since many mac users are professional creatives, they have a real need for external hard drive storage. Apr 07, 2020 the best external hard drives for 2020. If you want a reliable external hard drive that has a decent amount of storage, is super easy to. Dec 26, 2019 seagate backup plus fast top capacity usb 3. When it comes to the best external hard drives, there are three things that come to mind speed, reliability, and portability. The lacie rugged thunderbolt can withstand some dust, dirt, and even a tiny bit of water being splashed on it. Lacie hard drives have always been good for people on the go because of the rugged design. Whats more, springing for extra space doesnt cost much.
The lacie porsche design is one of the best external hard drives for macs on sale today, and comes with both usb typec to typea and usb typec to typec connectors, making it a versatile way to expand the storage space of your mac, regardless of what ports it has. Most external hard drives connect to a mac either through the usb port, or through the mac s thunderbolt port, and thus will likely come with the appropriate cable. Jan 31, 2020 the best external drives for macbook pro in 2020. The 8 best external hard drives and ssds for mac and pc. Choose the best external hard drive for your mac or. External hard drives typically come in osagnostic formats, so you can plug them into any computer and start using them right away. With your new mac devices, you are not able to run cds or dvds.
Consider how youll be saving and transferring files, such as photos, videos, files from tablets, files from pc laptops, or photos from toprated cell phones. There are three metrics for drives and you are only aware of two of themand the third is by far the most important. In some rare occasions, you may find an external drive that comes in a windowsonly format, but you can use your macs disk utility software to reformat the drive to a compatible format. In the case of an external hard drive, the drive itself is stored inside an enclosure that includes the proper ports for connecting it to your mac. Here are the best external hard drives you can get from. The best external hard drives for 2020 digital trends. Wd 5tb elements portable external hard drive, usb 3. This external hard drive for mac is well known for its slim. Mar 21, 2020 the best external hard drives will come in handy for plenty of people working in the creative industries, who often have to store lots of large files, and will soon fill up the hard drive that comes with their mac or pc. External hard drives are generally the same as internal drives, in that they are a physical drive that stores data on spinning metal plates. Mar 25, 2020 an external hard drive is a great way to store huge amounts of data and images far more than can be saved to most laptops or tablets.
Seagates new backup plus fast portable drive is the quickest and most capacious compact external hard. Desktopbound and portable platterbased storage has never been cheaper. Its easy to pick the right hard drive capacity these days. So stay on the move and safely take along your documents. Seagate backup plus 5tb external hard drive portable hdd black usb 3. The list of best external hard drives for mac to buy in 2020. Find out which hard drive can help increase your storage or safely. Gtechnology portable external hard drive 2tb from the sleek design to the preformatting, this terabytesized drive is perfect for mac users who need a little extra space and offers the transfer rate up to 140mbs for accessing all your files. Drive speed is measured in revolutions per minute rpm, based on how fast the drive can spin. However, because its performance is not so good, it is more of the best buy external hard drive mac based on looks than on efficiency. Western digital my passport 4tb external hard drive. Apr 15, 2020 if you want to make use of your mac s thunderbolt port, then this is the best external hard drive for macs. Your mac will work with any external drive be it mechanical, optical, or a ssd. The best external hard drives for mac in 2020 pcmag.
Mar 12, 2015 its easy to pick the right hard drive capacity these days. The best external hard drives will come in handy for plenty of people working in the creative industries, who often have to store lots of large files, and will soon fill up the hard drive that comes with their mac or pc. The best external hard drives for mac in 2019 forbes. External drives can be a great solution to that problem, as well as a good backup source to keep your most precious data protected. Best external hard drives for macs in 2020 techradar. Heres a brief overview of our recommendations depending on your specific needs and preferences. External hard drives are significant when your mac has a minimal storage, since offers more storage. Seagates new backup plus fast portable drive is the quickest and most capacious compact external hard drive to date. Arthur cole is a freelance content creator with a deep expertise in progra. Compare portable, usb and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online. The silicon power armor a60 is a rugged and portable external hard drive that comes with 3 tb storage capacity, militarygrade shockproof body, cable carry design, usb 3. Theres a huge range of external hard drives on offer, so weve put together this list of the best external hard drives to help you find the. The list of best external hard drives for mac to buy in.