Welcome to our pick of the best external hard drives for Macs. In this guide we'll look at the top external hard drives that offer quick and easy (as well as affordable) ways to expand the storage space of your Mac or MacBook.
Macs, iMacs and especially MacBooks are notoriously difficult when it comes to upgrading the internal hard drives, which means if you're running out of storage space it's best to move some of your files onto a external hard drive, and in this list of the best external hard drives for Macs, we look at external drives that have been especially made for Apple MacBooks and Mac computers. This means they are all compatible with Apple's file system, and many make use of the range of high speed ports that Macs come with, such as Thunderbolt. We've also chosen these hard drives based on their ease of use, affordability and dependability. This last consideration is perhaps the most important, as when you're entrusting your important files to an external hard drive, you need to be confident that it won't break and lose your data.
Whether you want an external drive that is fast, durable, lightweight, or just comes with a ton of storage, these are the best external hard drives of the year! Take a look and find the best model. This 4TB external hard drive from Seagate is compatible with Apple Time Machine Mac users will need to reformat the drive for use, but that’s not a big deal these days. You won’t worry too much about portability, so the larger My Book Desktop External Hard Drive from Western Digital fits the bill.
Western Digital My Passport 4TB. Not the fastest drive With compatibility for both Mac and Windows machines, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is very flexible, and comes with a rugged case that's dust and water resistant, along with a built-in USB 3.0 cable.
Not only is your data kept protected from knocks and drops with the rugged shell, but it's also got 256-bit AES security features and NFC (Near Field Communication) features as well. This is a great external hard drive for your Mac if you are concerned about keeping your data safe and secure.
Seagate Innov8 8TB. You need USB-C ports to take advantage of speed You may have stumbled upon the when perusing the Apple website for. There’s a reason for that: the Porsche Design ships with both USB Type-C to Type-A and USB Type-C to Type-C connectors, making it a worthy candidate regardless of your setup. It’s expensive for an external hard drive, don’t get us wrong, especially if you’re in the market for the top-end 4TB option. On the other hand, this is an HDD that could theoretically output speeds of up to 5Gbps, if it weren’t hindered by the limits of SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) technology. With MacBooks coming with USB Type-C connections, this is an excellent - and stylish - external hard drive that makes the most of this speedy new port.
IStorage diskAshur 2TB. Expensive If you're worried about people getting access to your data if your external hard drive is stolen, than you'll like the iStorage drive here. If someone tries to tamper with your iStorage drive, you can configure it to self-desturct. What's more, the data is encrypted by the 256-bit AES protocol, with multiple forms of protection in place to ensure the bad guys don't get in no matter how persistent.
When you consider all that extra security, the prices won't scare you away either. It's more pricey than the other drives of its capacity, but the extra security it offers will be well worth it for many people. Check out our list of the.
Backing up personal data is an essential requirement for everyone. Hence it’s important to know how to use an external hard drive. Currently, the demand for hard drives is growing faster than ever because of the expanding needs of many businesses.
The first iteration of this technology was introduced by IBM in 1956. It was large, almost around the size of two large household refrigerators, and had a total capacity of 5 MB.
From 1956-2015, there has been a great improvement in modern hard drives. Now, innovative technology has been introduced and hard drives have new interfaces and greater storage, performance, and flexibility. It is essential to have the ideal external hard drive to keep your personal data safe. The type and size of external hard drive varies depending upon your requirement. Also, configuration of every hard drive is different for different operating systems.
These external hard drives are equipped with the latest technologies that protect your hard drives, even if you drop them. Overall, the best external hard drives must be slim, durable and have wireless mobile backup features.
The top 5 largest external hard drives that expand your storage capacity are discussed below. Top 5 Largest External Hard Drives.
1. Seagate Backup Plus Slim for MAC: Company Name: – Seagate Specifications – Using this, you can easily back up content from your social networking sites. Seagate Backup plus Slim for MAC is compatible with USB 2.0. It provides ample space for storing music files. Apart from this, it provides data transfer rates up to 4.8 GB/s via USB 3.0. You can easily back up your photos, music, and videos through the Seagate dashboard.
A 2-year access to OneDrive allows you to utilize 200 GB of Cloud storage with purchase to share your stuff with ease. Thus, Seagate backup plus hard drive provides you a way to save your entire digital footprint. It delivers high quality speed and reliability. Reviews: – USB 3.0 interface, Time Machine compatible, formatted for Mac and is easily portable which makes it a preferred choice among users. Price: – Media site that recommends it: PCMag 2. Western Digital My Passport for MAC: Company Name: – Western Digital Company Specifications: – Choosing this versatile and fast storage device is the surest way to secure your personal data without burning a hole in your pocket. This is the most affordable desktop solution that is compatible with Windows and MAC.
'?WD My Passport' is available in single and dual drives with high speed performance, Cloud backup with Drop box and many other essential features. A seventh generation of '?My Passport' line of external hard drive was released by WD with a maximum capacity of 3TB. It is similar to My Passport Ultra in terms of design and dimensions.
The '?My Passport' for MAC provides data transfer and power supply via USB 3.0. Along with these features, it offers standard 256-bit AES encryption and compatibility with Apple Time machine. WD is famous for providing inexpensive portable storage.
Reviews: – Multiple data management options, fast transfer rates, universal connectivity and WD quality inside and outside make it a promising purchase. Media site that recommends it: TechRadar 3. Synology Disk Station DS214+ Company: – Synology Specifications: – The Synology Disk Station DS214+ is specially designed for small to medium businesses. Being energy efficient and relatively quiet, this device is used widely to share files across Windows, Mac and other platforms. It is a 2-bay NAS server that has a maximum capacity of 10TB.
The DS214+ is a tool-less, hot-swappable drive with excellent mobile device access. Synology Disk Station comes with a two year warranty.
The major advantage of this hard drive is that you can expand your storage capacity using the USB3 ports that are on the rear of the DS214+ as well as a single eSATA port. By Downloading Synology's Cloud Station Software, you can also use your DS214+ as a Dropbox sync device. Reviews: – Versatile, award winning management interface and vigorous line of complementary mobile apps make this device a dream come true for every geek and nerd. Media site that recommends it: GeekDaily 4. Transcend 1TB Military-Grade Shock Resistance Company Name: Transcend Specifications: – Listed as one of the most popular shock resistant portable drives for those who travel regularly.
Transcend 1TB Military-Grade Shock Resistance is specially designed to meet the US Military drop test standards. This is available with an advanced 3-stage shock protection system and durable anti shock rubber outer case. The outer shell of this hard drive is made of slip resistant silicon material. It is equipped with a USB 3.0 interface that provides incredible ultra high speeds to make your file sharing easier.
It is not that difficult to use this drive. You can simply connect this drive to a USB 3.0 port. This enables you to drag and drop desired files to and from the device. For added value, this device supports Windows, Mac OS X and Linux Systems, thus making it the one of the most valuable, versatile and largest external hard drives. Reviews: – Military Grade Shock resistance, Compact, Durable and One Touch Auto-Backup Button. Media site that recommends it: – TechRadar 5.
Samsung 16TB SSD Company Name: – SAMSUNG Specifications:- In comparison to large external hard drives developed by Seagate and Western Digital, the Samsung 2.5 inch is the world's largest hard drive with 16 TB capacity. This is especially designed for enterprise purposes. It would easily fit in your laptop and its price is expected to be between $5000 and $7000, initially.
In 2013 and 2014 this device was boosted up from 24 layers to 36 layers, but now Samsung has managed to cram 48 layers of 3-bits per cell. It provides enough space to hold a lifetime of photos.
It is equipped with Samsung's new 32 GB NAND flash memory technology. With the total capacity of 768 terabytes, Samsung demonstrates why 48 of the drives are packed into a single server. Reviews: – Performance rated at 2,000,000 IOPS, designed for enterprise customers and way more than enough storage space.
Media site that recommends it: CNET Whenever it comes to purchasing a hard disk, people always opt for the largest external hard drives. Greater space in the hard disk drive allows room for more entertainment options. Therefore, when making a decision about your next hard disk, be sure to consider our list of the largest external hard drives so you don’t waste your money! If you lost data on your external hard drive unfortunately, don't worry! You still have the chance to get lost data back. To, you can have a try the following tool - Recoverit.