External hard drives are almost identical to the hard drives found inside of your MacBook or PC — they store information the same way, but happen to be enclosed in a separate case and connected via cable (or WiFi).

Due to their portability, external drives have long been a favorite among those needing extra room for their files, backups of their important documents, or an easy way to transfer information between machines. However, over the past decade, internal Hard Disk Drives (HDD) became bigger, cheaper, and faster to the point where needing an external drive for Mac was unnecessary for most users — until a new standard of technology was released with the Solid State Drive (SSD).

Why Use An External Hard Drive For Mac?

The most obvious reason to use an external hard drive over and above your existing one is to extend limited storage capacity — something which has ironically become smaller over the years thanks to the SSD technology. MacBooks, in particular, often come with only 128 GB of Apple hard drive storage. You can upgrade them, but Apple makes this both difficult and costly.

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It’s also a good way to transfer files quickly between devices, including between Macs and PCs — although this is generally best reserved for large files.

Finally, external hard drives are great for making backups of your files so that they are physically isolated from your device — this is a good measure of security because your primary drive could become compromised.

The quite obvious tradeoff here is that you have to carry external hard drives around with you, unless they are purely used as occasional backups.

What’s the difference between SSD and HDD Mac hard drives?

In simple terms, SSDs are much faster than traditional HDDs. Also known as flash drives, SSDs store information on microchips and have no moving parts. You might recall hearing about flash drives back when USB stick drives were popular — SSD technology is largely the same, just on a bigger scale. Conversely, HDDs have a mechanical arm and magnetic tape that physically write and read information.

The newer technology means that SSDs are smaller, lighter, and faster — but they come at a greater price. That’s why the latest Macs and MacBooks now have faster drives, but less storage space than they did five years ago. The speed difference between SSD and HDD is so vast, though, that you’ll not want to go back.

Of course, SSD technology made its way to external hard drives too. They quickly became sought-after, especially as an external hard drive for MacBook Pro. That said, the choice depends on what you’re using your drive for.

What to look for in an Apple external hard drive?

With the recent introduction of cloud-based storage, such as Google Drive and Dropbox, external hard drives for Mac have become less popular for the casual user. However, they are still widely used among professionals and content creators who work with large files or need locally stored backups of their Mac hard drive. There are several important things to look for when buying an external hard drive.

HDD vs SSD: If you care about speed, SSD is the only way to go. If you need maximum storage space, HDD is your best bet for the money.

Capacity: Most drives begin at 128 GB of storage (including the MacBook Air hard drive) and work their way up in doubles, up to about 2 TB for SSD and over 4 TB for HDD. For reference, a 4K movie file is about 100 GB, but a short video saved from your phone might only be 30 MB.

Cable standard: Some external hard drives use Apple’s proprietary Thunderbolt cable — a very fast standard but not compatible with Windows PCs and lots of other devices. A safe middle ground is USB 3.0 or the much faster USB-C.

Size and durability: For those of you who need the best portable hard drive for Mac, you might opt for a physically smaller drive that is easy to carry around and slip into laptop bags. The tradeoff is usually a weaker case, more prone to damage if dropped.

With those features in mind, it’s best to do some research before making a decision on the best external hard drive for Mac.

Large and affordable: Western Digital My Passport 4 TB HDD

If storage space is your primary need, look no further than the 4 TB HDD from Western Digital. Although not an SSD, the large capacity and USB 3.0 connection will keep things moving swiftly enough without having to worry about running out of space. This Mac external hard drive is probably best for working with extremely large files that you can transfer without worrying too much about how long it’s going to take.

Pros

• Large capacity

• Affordable

Cons

• Slower HDD format, not SSD

• Comes with dated backup software

Lightning-fast: Samsung T5 1 TB External SSD for Mac

If speed is what you need, then the Samsung T5 is your best bet. The T5’s SSD format is one of the fastest around, but with only 1 TB of space it’s best for users who don’t rely on large files (not good for video producers or visual effects artists). The USB-C cable format means you have a highly compatible drive at the fastest possible transfer speed. It might as well be the best SSD for MacBook Pro, but it comes at a price. Nevertheless, being the smaller SSD format, it could be a strong contender for the best portable hard drive for Mac.

Pros

• Super quick

• Small, light, and portable

Cons

• Expensive

• Limited capacity

Balanced: SeaGate Backup Plus Slim 2 TB External SSD for Mac

The Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2 TB offers a fantastic balance of speed, capacity, and affordability. It’s already formatted for both Mac hard drive and Windows, and comes with simple backup software that excels at scheduled backups. The USB 3.0 format isn’t quite as quick as USB-C, but still rapid enough for a casual user who just needs an external drive for Mac. Additionally, the metal enclosure looks sleek and protects the drive well. If price is important to you, then this could easily be the best external hard drive for MacBook Pro.

Pros

• Balanced offering of size, speed, and price

• Sleek metal case

Cons

• USB 3.0 format only

Best Mac hard drive backup software

By now you have a good idea of what kind of Mac external hard drive you need, but you might not have thought about how to make the most of it. If you’re looking to keep your files backed up and safe, you should consider using an app that’s designed to do it properly. Although most external hard drives for Mac come with their own proprietary backup software, it’s often lacking in features or has a dated design.

Get Backup Pro is your mandatory stop — a quick and stable backup application for your Apple hard drive. It comes with four different backup methods out-of-the-box, including simple copy and pastes, file clones, incremental backups, and versioned. You can schedule your backups as you see fit and even synchronize files between different drives and devices. With encrypted backups at your finger-tips, you don’t have to worry about the security of your files — Get Backup Pro will handle everything.

You might also want to have a solution for damaged or lost files for your new external hard drive — never know what could happen!

Disk Drill is another application for Mac which can help you recover or restore compromised files. You won’t realize you need it until you one day unexpectedly lose your cherished photos, documents, or files that you took for granted.

To restore files easier, it’s best to take preventative measures. Simply open the app, select which drives you want to protect, then rest assured knowing that you’re covered on a rainy day. Disk Drill also comes with other handy features, such as a disk cleanup and partition tool. Its simple user interface makes managing your disks a breeze, but under the surface this sophisticated application can pay for itself many times over.

Luckily for you, both Get Backup Pro and Disk Drill are available for a free seven-day trial on Setapp to protect your new Apple external hard drive. Setapp is a subscription service for Mac that comes with over 150 indispensable apps to enrich your digital life. Aside from securing your new external hard drive, you can find apps that optimize your system, make you more productive, and help you find new ways of interacting with your devices. What will you download next?

BestUSB-C Hard Drives for MaciMore2020

It's 2019, and if you're not backing up all your data in multiple places, you're not being as safe and secure as you possibly can. Backing up your data is probably the most critical thing you can do, and even if you used cloud storage to back up data, you should always have a safe 'hard' copy on a hard drive. Of course, the current MacBook Pro lineup only has Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, but that's OK, because USB-C is fast, future-proof, and will likely replace standard USB, HDMI, DisplayPort, power, and more. Here are a few options to get you started on your search.

Fan favorite

G-Technology G-Drive 1TB

Staff Favorite

The G-Drive by G-Technology is a great USB-C hard drive for most people. It has 1TB of storage and features a quick drive speed of 7200RPM, with transfer rates of up to 136MB/s, thanks to USB 3.1. It comes Mac ready and USB-C ready.

Best for speed

Samsung T5 SSD 500GB, 1TB, 2TB

Samsung's T5 SSD is a solid-state drive that provides way faster transfer rates than physical hard drives. Solid-state drives don't have moving parts, so if you happen to drop this one, there's less to break! SSDs are more expensive, but with this one, you get write speeds of up 540MB/s, which is over three times faster than many hard drives. If you like to store TV shows and movies on your hard drive, consider a solid-state drive!

Rugged pick

Glyph Blackbox Plus 1TB

The Glyph Blackbox Plus is a rugged, portable hard drive that can keep up with you wherever you go. It's surrounded in rubber to protect from drops and has enough capacity for all your backups and then some. You get write speeds of up to 140MB/s from just 5400RPM, as well as a 3-year warranty in case anything goes wrong. It also features fan-free heat dissipation, so it's nice and quiet.

Best for video

Samsung 5X Portable SSD

With read and write speeds of up to 2,800MB/s and 2,300MB/s, respectively, this portable drive is perfect for videographers. It's designed for rendering and compiling high res photos and videos with up to 40Gb/s data transfer. It also looks like the Ferrari of external hard drives.

Upgrade option

SanDisk Extreme 900 SSD 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB

SanDisk's Extreme 900 SSD is a powerhouse solid-state drive that offers up to nine times the transfer speeds of external hard drives. It's made of durable aluminum and rubber, and the solid-state core is shock-proof. So, this is far less likely to die on you should you drop it (compared to hard drives).

Best value

G-Technology G-DRIVE Mobile SSD Durable Portable External Storage

With a low price per terabyte, G-Technology's G-Drive SSD is one of the more versatile solid-state drives on the market, and it comes from a brand that Apple recommends. You'll get transfer rates of up to 560MBps and USB-C connectivity. Plus, it has IP67 water/dust resistance, it's drop-tested to ten feet, and it has 1000 pound crush-resistance.

Long-lasting

LaCie Rugged 2TB

The LaCie Rugged of yesteryear got me through my entire post-secondary education, and now that there's a USB-C option, it'll help get you (and maybe even your children!) through school or work with reliability and that fast connection. The body is rubberized to help it stand up to daily wear and tear, and 2TB should be more than enough for all of your files, documents, Final Cut projects, and much more. There's a 2-year warranty on these, which includes data recovery services.

Durable and reliable

CalDigit Tuff 2TB

CalDigit's Tuff hard drives are rugged, colorful 2TB drives that offer USB-C connectivity, and there's even a USB-C to USB-A cable for backward compatibility. With an IP57 rating, these drives are water-resistant in three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. They're dust-resistant, so you can take yours with you anywhere, knowing that your data is safe from the elements.

Compact pick

SanDisk Extreme SSD

You may know SanDisk for its SD cards, but its hard drives are excellent as well. This solid-state drive is smaller than the average smartphone and has a hole in it so that you can clip it to a bag. It's shock-resistant and ruggedly designed, so it's perfect for life on the move.

Budget pick

WD 2TB My Passport for Mac Portable External Hard Drive

Western Digital makes some of the best hard drives around, and this well-priced USB-A and USB-C compatible hard drive fits right in with all its other excellent drives. It's made for Mac and is Time Machine ready.

Waterproof-ish

G-Tech All-Terrain Drive

For the extreme outdoorsmen and women, this rugged hard drive does more than protect your external hard drive from scratches and breaks. It's watertight, so you can drop it into a pool of water up to one-foot for 30 seconds without anything seeping in. The tethered Thunderbolt cable means you don't have to bring any extra cables, too.

Our personal favorite

External hard drives are must-have peripherals for anyone with a computer. They give you additional storage space, which can fill up fast on laptops, and are essential to backing up your data safely and securely. Every one of the drives on this list is easy to set up and start using right away. All you have to do is plug one into your Mac.

The G-Drive is our staff's favorite portable hard drive because it's affordable and reliable. It's Mac-ready but can also be reformatted for Windows computers. If 1TB isn't enough, there is also a 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB version available. A three-year limited warranty backs the G-DriveThe G-Drive is supported by a three-year limited warranty.

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