Best of all, the drive is relatively inexpensive, offering far more capacity than any more portable drive for far less cash; one review noted that the 8TB version offered a $.03 per GB value. You’ll need to power the My Book Desktop external hard drive with its own wall-based power supply, but that’s worth the trade-off for this voluminous vault containing your precious digital data. APrime 1TB USB-C to Micro-B External Portable Hard Disk Drive Build in WD Blue Inside for New MacBook 12” Retina, MacBook Pro with Touch Bar 2017/2018, iMac Pro 2018 (1TB). An external hard drive you can buy without breaking the bank, Buffalo's MiniStation Extreme NFC could be your match made in heaven. With compatibility for both Mac and Windows machines, the. If you want a portable, reliable hard drive at a low price with minimal design frills, consider Western Digital’s #1 best-selling My Passport Ultra drives, which have a 4.5/5-Star Amazon user.
Best Macbook External Hard Drive
2. Top Portable HDD for MacBook Air/Pro/iMac
LaCie Rugged Mini ($99.99/1TB) - Review: 4.5
Since many users recommend LaCie as the best external DVD drive for Mac, we put the 1TB version on the top of the best external hard drive for Mac list. Claimed as being even rain-resistant, and pressure-resistant, it can be easily carried wherever you go. 700MB video file can be transferred with USB 3.0, which is quite satisfying in speed. With secure password protection software built-in, it's also the best portable hard drive for MacBook Air/Pro/iMac to backup Mac, restore Mac data in terms of security.
It says the best external drive for Mac with Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 connector can transfer data in a speed of up to 240 MB/s. LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt is a good choice for users requiring more data security and mobility thanks to its hardware RAID 0/1 flexibility and two-meter drop resistance. However, some users complain that the best Mac external hard drive is not as fast as they believer. Know More Top Fast File Transfer for Mac.
Western Digital ($59/1TB) - Review: 4.5
It's the best external hard drive to backup Mac compared with other items from WD. Speed is improved a lot in this model. Optional AES hardware encryption is offered by the best hard disk drive for Mac, you are free to block and unblock the drive and restore data for Mac. Four colors are available, black, blue, white and berry. The best Mac portable hard drive for is suitable for both Mac and PC. Also see iPhone flash drive app.
Seagate Backup Plus Slim ($59.99/1TB)- Review: 4.4
The extra 200GB of free OneDrive cloud storage make the best HDD for Mac more appealing, which requires a register of your drive on its official site though. With Lyve App, data backup on the best portable hard drive for MacBook is being reached within the app anywhere and anytime. It has up to 4TB version priced at $119.99, 4TB fast $199.99, with data transfer speed up to 220MB/S.
This Transcend 1 TB StoreJet can transfer large file with speed of up to 100MB/s according to users report. the 256-bit AES file and folder encryption sounds good. 2TB version only costs $ 102.99, which is really cheap on the list of best external hard drive for Mac. The so claimed military-grade shock resistance, however, is not expected as it ought to be. It's durability needs to be improved.
Toshiba Canvio Connect II ( $54.99/1TB) - Review: 4.5
Data encryption, auto backup and Cloud-enabled backup are all allowed by the top HDD for MacBook. It is available in various capability, 1TB, 2TB, 3TB and 500MB. Stable and fast data transfer speed of the updated Toshiba Canvio Connect version is highly praised by users. It's a great choice for best portable hard drive for Mac hunters.
If you are looking for the best portable firewire external hard drive for Mac, this one is probably what you want. The G-Technology G-DRIVE 500GB top portable firewire hard drive for Mac is good for Mac data backup/recovery and video editing. Time Machine-ready, bus-powered operation and Firewire port are appreciated features. Note that this best-rated hard disk drive requires computer with OS X 10.5 or later and USB 3.0 or FireWire 800 port.
Author: Abby Poole | Updated on Dec 6, 2018
Buying the best external hard drive for your needs is one of the most important things you could do to ensure that your precious data is secure. External hard drives remain the most affordable way to truly secure your virtual belongings, offering you high storage capacities to save pretty much all of your data.
By saving your data to an external hard drive, rather than to the cloud, you are in complete control over how your data is secured, and who has access to it. There's no annoying subscriptions to pay for either.
External hard drives are also great ways to easily upgrade the storage capacities of your devices. The best external drives will be portable, with large capacities and robust designs that keeps your data safe when they are being moved around.
The question remains, however: how do you know which external HDD fits your needs – will it be the modest, yet compact ADATA SD700 or the whopping 20TB WD My Book Duo? Here we'll discuss the top external hard drives that are both powerful and premium. Let’s begin, shall we?
Want to avoid local storage altogether? Find out how to make the switch to Google Drive
1. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC
Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0
Today's best Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC 2TB deals
NFC security
Not the fastest drive
An external hard drive you can buy without breaking the bank, Buffalo's MiniStation Extreme NFC could be your match made in heaven.
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.
Essentially it allows you to unlock the drive to get to your files quickly and easily by tapping the supplied NFC card onto the drive's body. Pretty neat!
2. Western Digital My Passport 4TB
Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 3.0
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Large capacity
WD backup software is basic
The latest generation of the Western Digital My Passport range of external hard drives has landed, coming in sizes from 1TB to 4TB. It features cloud storage and 256-AES encryption, along with WD's own backup software.
Best of all, it is a very good performer when it comes to data transfer speeds, beating many of its competitor. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't reach the top speeds of solid state external drives, but for external hard drives based on traditional HDDs, this is the drive to get.
3. Adata SD700 External SSD
Capacity: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | Interface: USB 3.0
Great performance
No USB Type-C
The Adata SD700 will suit those looking for a rugged storage device that can provide ample capacity without costing too much. It performs superbly well and remains the only SSD we’ve seen that is IP68 rated.
Thanks to the solid state drive that resides in this external hard drive, it's a lot faster than external drives that use traditional spinning hard drives - so you're getting great transfer speeds as well as rugged protection.
It also comes in capacities up to 1TB, so you don't have to worry about missing out on storage space just because it uses an SSD - this drive really does hit all the right notes.
4. WD My Book Duo 16TB
Capacity: 16TB | Interface: USB 3.0 x 2
Huge amounts of space
Expensive
If you're looking for the absolute largest capacity external hard drive, then the WD My Book Duo 16TB is the one to get, offering a huge 16TB of storage space over two hard drives.
If you don't mind sacrificing some of the ample storage space you can set the drives up in a RAID array, so you have file backups of your files should one of the drives die.
This USB 3.0 drive has many of the features of a fully-fledged NAS device (including a high price), and if you have a router with a USB 3.0 port you could use this as a network attached storage device in its own right.
The device, which comes with two-year warranty, has 256-bit AES hardware encryption, and automatic backup software (WD SmartWare Pro).
Worth noting that the enclosure used is fully serviceable and that WD ships the drive already pre-formatted for Windows users (NTFS).
5. Seagate Innov8 8TB
Combines capacity and portability
Capacity: 8TB | Interface: USB 3.0 and USB Type-C
High capacity
Expensive
The Seagate 8TB Innov8 range is worth a mention. It is a normal-size 3.5-inch desktop hard disk drive but doesn't need an external power supply to run.
Instead, it needs to be powered via a USB Type-C connector without which it won't work. It does pave the way for customers to move staggering amount of data around without being tethered.
What sets the Innov8 apart from the competition is the design. All metal with fins to keep the drive cool and a minimalist approach to the drive's construction.
If absolute performance coupled with ease of use is what you are yearning for, then for a small business user or someone working in the creative industry, the Innov8 is a no-brainer.
Others will probably settle for far cheaper but less elegant options like the WD My Book mentioned previously.
Read our full review: Seagate Innov8 8TB external hard disk drive
6. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive 5TB
Best performance
Capacity: 5TB | Interface: USB 3.0
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Very fast data transfer speeds
You pay more for the Mac-formatted version
If you want to combine speed and capacity, then the Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive 5TB is definitely worth considering. It comes in a range of sizes up to 8TB and it beats the competition when it comes to read and write speeds as well.
On top of this storage and speed, you get a decent amount of peace of mind thanks to Seagate's lower than average failure rates, especially in bigger capacity hard drives.
You also get backup software, and the drive is compatible with both Windows and Macs, though it's formatted for Windows out of the box unless you go for a Mac-specific hard drive - though these are more expensive.
7. Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro
Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0 and Wi-Fi
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Wireless AC
Good battery life
Expensive due to Wi-Fi features
Though our feelings were lukewarm on the My Passport Wireless of yesteryear, the 2016 “Pro” variant of the HDD restores faith in the Western Digital name. The design, for instance, has been overhauled and no longer resembles the My Passport Ultra nor My Passport for Mac. Instead, there’s now a more premium feel to the My Passport Wireless Pro. It resembles an external DVD drive, but considering the onboard SD card slot (and a dedicated SD transfer button), don’t worry about getting it confused with anything else. For photographers, this is the Wireless Pro’s killer app.
For everyone else, there’s a massive 6,400mAh battery built into the device. This lets the drive be used completely free of wires over 2.4GHz or 5GHz channels. When it’s wired up, however, don’t expect cutting edge connection tech, as the My Passport Wireless Pro uses only USB Type-B to Type-A. Completely absent is the latest and greatest USB-C connection.
Where the My Passport Wireless Pro compromises on affordability, it’s able to benefit in just about every other area. Of course, not everyone needs a wireless hard drive or SD card support, but for those who do, it’s almost essential.
Read the full review:
8. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive 4TB
Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB-C
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Fast USB-C connection
Expensive
You may have stumbled upon the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive 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.
Comprising five 800GB platters in a 15mm form factor, the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile is an excellent challenger to the Seagate M3, though it’s notably bigger in both weight and dimensions.
Sure, it packs an extra convenience factor in the form of USB-C, but it should be noted that the Porsche Design Mobile is still limited to USB 3.0 speeds. Plus, even an aluminum finish can’t prevent it from clashing with your Rose Gold . Nevertheless, LaCie’s offering is the best USB-C external HDD money can buy, at least for the time being.
Read our full review:
9. iStorage diskAshur 2TB
Best for security
Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0
Physical security
Expensive
Typically, iStorage hard disks cater best to governments and multinational organizations around the world, for good reason too – they offer tight security like no other drives around.
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.
Sure, it's still expensive, four times the price of an equivalent 2TB drive, and unlikely to be the most nimble performer. But, you're paying for a product that's virtually uncrackable. Bear in mind, though, you'll get no help from the manufacturer if things go awry and you lose your password.
Read our full review: iStorage diskAshur DT
Gabe Carey and Matt Hanson also contributed to this article