Enhance your Mac experience with an external hard drive for extra storage and backups. Choose from portable SSDs for speed and portability or desktop HDDs for maximum capacity at a lower cost. See our Mac Buying Guide for more advice.
Key Considerations:
- Storage Needs: 1TB is a good starting point, but consider higher capacities for 4K video or large media libraries.
- Portability: Compact, bus-powered portable drives are ideal for laptops, while desktop drives offer higher capacities.
- Ruggedness: Opt for a rugged drive with shock protection if you travel frequently.
- Connectivity: USB-C/Thunderbolt offers faster speeds than USB-A, especially for large file transfers. Explore USB-C Hubs and Adapters.
- Extra Features: Some drives offer built-in hubs, card readers, or backup software. Check out our Ultimate Mac Gift Guide.
Top Recommendations:
- Seagate Ultra Touch HDD: Competitive price, 2TB-5TB storage, password protection, and encryption.
- LaCie Mobile Drive: Excellent value, sleek design, and LaCie's Toolkit app for easy backups.
- SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD: Rugged and portable, with capacities up to 6TB.
Additional Tips:
- Consider a desktop drive for capacities beyond 4TB.
- Look for drives with 7,200rpm speeds for better performance.
- NAS drives offer wireless file sharing and media server capabilities.