If you are looking for a quick and affordable means to enhance the storage space in your MacBook, here is a list of the best external hard drive for Mac. If you follow this guide closely, you find the best products on the market that will never let you down. In this piece, we have considered the external drives that have been manufactured for Mac Computers and Apple MacBooks. This implies that all of them are naturally compatible with the Apple’s file system. Also, most of them utilize the range of high-speed ports which Mac comes with, like Thunderbolt.
Comparison Table
External Hard Drive for Mac FAQ
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1. What Is an External Hard Drive for Mac?
2. What Do the Best External Hard Drives for Mac Do?
3. How Does the Best External Hard Drive for Mac Work?
4. Where Can You Buy the Best External Hard Drives for Mac?
How We Reviewed
When most users go shopping for the best external hard drive for Mac, they sometimes end up buying substandard products at high prices. We checked online for the best products, contacted the manufacturing companies, and even paid close attention to the reviews by the current users. The data we collected was then used to make this comprehensive guide. We believe the products on this list are the best on the market.
What We Reviewed
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- Seagate Backup Plus Hub 4TB External Desktop Hard Drive
- WD 4TB Black My Passport Portable External Hard Drive
- LaCie Rugged 2TB Thunderbolt USB-C Portable Hard Drive
- Toshiba HDTW210XS3AA Canvio Premium 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
- Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt USB 3.0 1 TB Portable Hard Drive
- Samsung T5 Portable SSD
- LaCie 2Big Dock 8TB RAID Thunderbolt 3 7200RPM External Hard Drive
- G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 4TB External Hard Drive
- Toshiba Canvio Advance 3TB Portable External Hard Drive
- LaCie Porsche Design 4TB USB-C Mobile Hard Drive
Seagate Backup Plus Hub 4TB External Desktop Hard Drive
- Store and access content for years with up to 14TB in a USB drive
- 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 two USB 3.0 ports
- Use seamlessly between windows and Mac by installing the provided NTFS driver for Mac
- Complimentary four-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan’s photo and video editing apps (Must be redeemed within 1 year of drive registration. Not available in all countries)
- Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included two-year limited warranty External desktop hard drive offers two front-facing, high-speed USB 3.0 ports for connecting to and recharging other USB devices like phones, cameras, and tablets
Features
This product is the best you will ever come across since it has enough capacity to accommodate all your files. With its super-fast speed of up to 540 MB/s, this hard drive will never let you down. It comes with a top-to-bottom design that fits in the palm of your hand. There is also optional password security alongside AES 256-bit hardware encryption. It comes with USB Type C to A and USB Type C to C cables.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
WD 4TB Black My Passport Portable External Hard Drive
- Auto backup with Included WD Backup Software
- Password Protection with hardware encryption
- Trusted drive built with WD reliability
- USB 3.0 port; USB 2.0 compatible; System Compatibility: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7; Requires reformatting for Mac OS X operating system
- 3 year manufacturer's limited warranty
Features
In case you are looking for a product that will enable you to save and retrieve your files quickly, then this product might be of interest. This item enables auto backup with WD Backup with which it comes. Your files are safe in this external hard drive for mac since there is password protection alongside hardware encryption.
This item comes with a re-imagined design that makes it unique and stands out compared to other models. This is a trusted drive that is built with WD readability. This item is easily compatible with windows 8, windows 10, windows 7; it requires reformatting for Mac OS X Operating system.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
LaCie Rugged 2TB Thunderbolt USB-C Portable Hard Drive
- Auto backup with Included WD Backup Software
- Password Protection with hardware encryption
- Trusted drive built with WD reliability
- USB 3.0 port; USB 2.0 compatible; System Compatibility: Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7; Requires reformatting for Mac OS X operating system
- 3 year manufacturer's limited warranty
Features
This is one of the best external hard drives for mac that delivers the kind of speed that will always keep you impressed. It has Thunderbolt speed of up to 510 MB/s with SSD (hdd UP TO 130mb/s). The product comes backed by a best-in-class three-year warranty that encompasses rescue data recovery services.
This product also comes with USB 3.0 adapter that works well with Mac or PC. The product is bus powered for elaborate mobile workflow. If you are looking for the best hard drive for mac that is a crush, drop, and rain resistant, this product is for you.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
Toshiba HDTW210XS3AA Canvio Premium 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
- Stylish design with premium aluminum finish
- Includes USB Type C adapter to work with next generation computers
- Toshiba Storage Backup Software (downloadable) to easily back up your content and schedule your backup to run automatically
- Toshiba Storage Security Software (downloadable) to help prevent unauthorized access to your data with a password lock feature
- Includes Toshiba 3 year standard limited warranty
Features
This stylish product is deemed the best external hard drive for mac since it comes in a premium aluminum finish that makes it compact, strong, and durable. It comes with USB type-C adapter that is intended to work with the next generation computers. If you are looking for a device that has enough storage capacity for all your files, then this product will never disappoint you.
It has backup software that is easily downloadable and also allows you to plan for automatic backups. If you need to protect your files from unauthorized access, there is downloadable Toshiba storage security software for you.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt USB 3.0 1 TB Portable Hard Drive
- Perfect for creative professionals and multimedia enthusiasts
- Time Machine compatibility
- Includes high performance USB 3.0 port
- Interface speeds up to 10 Gbps
- Thunderbolt 2 interface with cable included
Features
This product comes with a Thunderbolt interface. The interface speed of this product goes up to 10 Gbps. If you are someone that loves to do things really fast, then you are going to need this product. It comes with a high-performance USB 3.0 port to issue the users with an unmatched functionality. If you get this product from the genuine dealers, it comes with a Thunderbolt cable.
This best external hard drive for Mac is compatible with a time machine. This is the ideal product for multimedia enthusiasts and creative professionals looking for the best experience with the external hard drive. With this product, you will easily add extra storage to your PC Computer or Mac.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
Samsung T5 Portable SSD
- Superfast read write speeds: SSD with V-NAND offers ultra-fast data transfer speeds of up to 540MB s (up to 4.9x faster than external HDDs); Ideal for transferring large-sized data including 4K videos, high-resolution photos, games and more
- Compact and portable design: Top to bottom shock resistant metal design fits in the palm of your hand and easily slides in your pocket or purse to take work and entertainment on the go
- Secure encryption: Optional password protection and AES 256-bit hardware encryption keeps your personal and private data more secure
- Seamless connectivity: Includes USB type C to C and USB type C to A cables to connect to PCs, Macs, smartphones and other devices
- Warranty and compatibility: 3-year limited warranty; Requires Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks), Android 4.4 (KitKat), or higher; Older versions of the Windows, Mac and Android operating systems may not be supported
Features
This is one of the few external hard drives for mac that lets you do things like a pro. It has a high read-write speed that goes up to 540 MB/s which means you will save and retrieve files faster compared to when using ordinary external hard drives. The item comes in a top-to-bottom metal model that can easily fit in the palm of your hand. The compact design of this product make it fun to use since you do not need a lot of space to move around with it. There is the optional password protection for your file and AES 256-bit hardware encryption. This product comes with a three-year warranty from the manufacturer.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
LaCie 2Big Dock 8TB RAID Thunderbolt 3 7200RPM External Hard Drive
- Ideal for laptop-focused workflows, 2big Dock Thunderbolt 3 is a desktop RAID solution offering 8TB of space and powerful speeds of up to 440MB/s
- Features SD and CF card slots for direct file ingestion, a USB 3.0 hub for charging devices and offloading footage, dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for daisy chaining, a USB 3.1 port for computers, and display port for high-res monitors
- Easily configure RAID 0/1 using the step-by-step wizard to optimize the system for performance or redundancy
- Equipped with hot-swappable IronWolf Pro enterprise-class drives for ultimate reliability and performance
- Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included five-year limited warranty protection plan including Rescue Data Recovery Services
Features
This is one of the most coveted best external hard drives for mac since it works perfectly well and is compatible with most devices. This product comes with dual Thunderbolt 3 ports so that the users can achieve the best functionality. With this product, you can power your laptop while daisy chaining up to five extra LaCie drives or even other storage solutions. This product works very fast and will never let you down if you are a professional working on a tight schedule. The USB port with which this product comes has universal compatibility with USB 3.0 and USB-C computers through an included adapter cable.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 4TB External Hard Drive
- High speed USB 3.0 for universal, high-speed data transfer
- Solid, stylish all-aluminum case for durability
- With capacities up to 10TB for multimedia intensive files (Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.)
- Time Machine-ready for easy file back-up
- Plug-and-play on Mac; easily reformatted on Windows
Features
If you are looking for a fast external hard drive for mac, then this product might be of interest. To achieve the durability desired by the users, it is solid and attractively designed with an aluminum case. This product plugs and plays on mac and can be easily reformatted for Windows. It also comes with a 3-year warranty from the manufacturer.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
Toshiba Canvio Advance 3TB Portable External Hard Drive
- Compact design with four vibrant color options to fit your lifestyle
- Up to 3TB of storage capacity to store your growing files and content; System requirements formatted NTFS for Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7; Requires reformatting for\ Mac OS v10.12 /OS X v10.11 / v10.10; Available USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 Port
- Toshiba storage backup software (downloadable) to easily back up your content and schedule your backup to run automatically
- Toshiba storage security software (downloadable) to help prevent unauthorized access to your data with a password lock feature
- Includes Toshiba 2 year standard limited warranty
Features
One great thing about this product is its compact design with up to four vibrant color options to fit the lifestyle of various users. There is downloadable software that can be used to back up files, and it can be set to commence automatically. There is also downloadable security software to protect files from unauthorized access.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
LaCie Porsche Design 4TB USB-C Mobile Hard Drive
- Delivers speeds of up to 5 GB/s
- Features reversible USB C connectivity as well as compatibility with USB 3.0 ports
- Massive capacity in a compact size
- Sturdy, all aluminum enclosure while still lightweight and ultra portable
- Includes 2 month complimentary membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan; Must redeem by January 31, 2020
Features
This product has a speed of up to 5 GB/s, which makes it reliable. It comes with reversible USB-C connectivity and is also compatible with USB 3.0 ports. The strong aluminum enclosure makes this product the best external hard drive for mac on the market.
PROS
CONS
Where to Buy
Amazon
The Verdict
In this guide, we have covered the products we believe are the best on the market. It is important to make sure you get the items from genuine sellers and manufactures to avoid spending money on substandard items. Though we have covered most aspects of the items on this list, it is still crucial to conduct further research to reveal more information about the one you intend to buy.
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Last update on 2021-08-04 at 12:30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API