Here are the best Mac hard drives and external storage options in 2020. Find out which hard drive can help increase your storage or safely back up your Mac. If you really want a super-fast external hard drive for your Mac, then the Samsung T3 SSD is easily one of the best. As it uses a solid state drive, the read and write speeds of this drive are much. The best Thunderbolt 3 SSD and hard drives for your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, or iMac. By AppleInsider Staff. If you're looking for an external drive for ANY TB3 Mac, make sure you. The Western Digital My Passport is an external hard drive that is interchangeable between Mac and PC. But that's not all. Found in the latest range from Western Digital, this external hard drive can be bought with storage from 1TB to a huge 4 TB. Perfect for those looking to store large amounts of music, videos, photos or work documents. Discover the world of external hard drives for Mac. Compare portable, USB and external hard drive models for office and home and shop online.
Does this sound similar to you?
You thought you had enough disk space when you originally bought your MacBook Pro, but soon you realized that storage is being filled up quicker than you can clear old files.
Or maybe you already had an external drive to help extend your MacBook's storage, but now it's either outdated, too slow, or experiencing issues.
We may be in the age of cloud computing and remotely stored files, but it's always helpful to have a portable hard drive you can count on both for file backups and to work off as needed.
In this buying guide, we'll help you pick the best external drive for your MacBook Pro so you can access all your files without sacrificing speed or performance.
Quick Summary
Here's a brief overview of our recommendations depending on your specific needs and preferences:
- The 10TB G-DRIVE Desktop External Hard Drive will give you enough volume and lightning speed for a traditional drive, and comes pre-formatted for Mac.
- If you need instant cross-platform compatibility, and an array of color choices, you'll be covered with the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB.
- Known for being rough on your electronics? The Silicon Power 1TB Drive is rugged and durable, with water resistance in addition to quick read and write speeds.
- If you prefer a modern speedy solid-state drive, the Glyph Atom RAID 1TB SSD is sure to meet expectations in terms of speed and durability.
Do I Need An External Drive for My Mac?
External drives are a worthwhile investment for more than just power users, but it can be hard to determine if you need one or not. Consider this:
- Do you regularly work with large files such as videos and edited images, or run other creative files such as video games?
- Is your MacBook Pro running slower due to being overburdened with files?
- Have you ever wanted to backup your Mac just in case of any data disaster?
- Are you using a cloud storage or online backup service but fear of security and reliability issues from the provider?
- Are old files being stored on your computer because you occasionally reference them but can't completely delete them?
Answering yes to any of the above scenario questions is a fairly good indicator that an external hard drive would benefit you.
On the other hand, an external hard drive is probably not the best option for for those of you who only have a small volume of unimportant files to save, which might be better served by using a cloud storage program like Dropbox or Google Drive or by offloading their old files onto a large USB flash drive.
Best External Drive for MacBook: What to Look For in 2020?
Storage Capacity
If you're purchasing an external hard drive, it's because you need the space on your MacBook, so it doesn't make sense to cut corners on how much exterior space you purchase. However, it's still important to consider exactly how much space you need. Consider how quickly you create large files (such as photo imports) and if you plan on keeping them in a long or short term to decide your actual need.
Formatting
While many newer drives come formatted to work on both Mac and PC, it's best not to choose one that is single-system compatible as it will limit the drive's versatility (though you could manually format an external drive for both PC and Mac compatibility, it's an extra effort and requires you to be a bit geeky). For added convenience, you should look for drives that come pre-formatted for Mac, which means you don't have to install a special program and do it yourself.
HDD or SSD
There are several kinds of external drives based on the electronics that make them work. An HDD is the traditional spinning disk of data, whereas an SSD is newer technology that has no moving parts and store information inside the electronic components. An HHD, or Hybrid Hard Drive, uses a combination of these methods. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to speed, durability, price, and information safety, so make sure you know which you prefer.
The Best External Drives for MacBook Pro in 2020: Our Picks
Kindly note that the products chosen below are mainly based on our personal preferences and the guidelines as shown above. They are by no means made in the order below.
1. G-Technology 10TB G-DRIVE USB-C Desktop External Hard Drive
This speedy HDD drive offers a huge chunk of storage at an uncommonly high RPM. It will stand up to daily use in editing and media programs and connects to your computer via USB-C so you can take full advantage of its specs.
Pros:
- If you have set up Apple Time Machine, this drive will be ready for easy file backup so you won't be waiting for your files to read or write. Also, it comes with a great amount of storage space.
Cons:
- The disk is pre-formatted for Mac, you won't be able to use your files on a secondary computer such as a Windows PC unless you reformat it to NTFS file system.
2. Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB
Available in four different sizes, this hard drive from trusted brand Seagate comes in several colors. Approximately the size of your phone, it packs a punch for its size and is very portable.
Pros:
- It can be used on both Mac and PC without reformatting. Also, it offers fast connection via USB and weighs about 5 ounces.
Cons:
- Largest TB size option is not compatible with Mac.
3. Silicon Power 1TB Rugged Armor A60
An extremely versatile and sturdy drive, this model is compatible with more than just your MacBook. It's water resistant, with read and write speeds at the standard 120 mbps.
Pros:
- It can be used with several gaming consoles and Apple Time Machine in addition to your Mac.
- It's also durable and available with the modern USB-C which is especially useful if you're using the newest MacBook Pro.
Cons:
- It appears somewhat unprofessional, also the drive is a bit on the heavy side as it weighs around 8 ounces.
4. Glyph Atom RAID 1TB External Solid State Drive
Available with USB and USB-C connections and pre-formatted for Mac, this SSD from well-known brand Glyph provides extremely fast speeds that will support your casual and power use. It looks clean and functions beautifully.
Pros:
- It comes pre-formatted for Mac with easy reformats for PC or cross-platform compatibility, significantly faster than comparable drives from Samsung and other brands, available in several colors and two connection types.
Cons:
- It's the heaviest drive on our list at 11 ounces, and a bit on the pricey side as well.
Useful Tips & Resources
Picking a hard drive can be difficult, especially if you aren't sure whether you need one. Create bootable usb with mac. One way to help decide is to try a cloud storage platform such as Google Drive or Dropbox before you decide to buy an external drive. Both platforms are free to start with and they offer terabyte storage options for paying customers and using one may help you decide if you need more constant access to your files or simply a place to store them.
If you know you want an external drive but aren't sure what storage type you need (HDD or SSD), perhaps this guide from PCWorld will help you decide which best fits your requirements.
Also, It's worth noting that some external drives available on the market are formatted for PC only, but you can reformat it to Mac OS Extended, or for cross-platform compatibility (with NTFS) if you need to use your external drive for your MacBook Pro and a PC as well. This tutorial is definitely worth checking out:
Final Words
Regardless of your final choice of external drive, having one will definitely improve your workflow and computer performance. You'll be able to use your files more effectively and improve your MacBook's performance. Which external drive have you used in the past or are considering purchasing? Let us know.
Last Updated on September 4, 2020 by
Nowadays, the size of data is increasing day by day. People have lots of movies, games, songs, photographs and more data to store. These are the types of data that we never want to lose and want to carry anywhere we go.
Sometimes, the data is private so you don't want to store it in the cloud storage. External portable hard disks have become a part of our life to handle those huge amounts of data we come across daily. The external storage technology has increased to a tremendous amount by enabling us to store, transfer and manage GBs and TBs of data easily.
There are many brands that manufacture external hard disks for a good value for money, but from the customer point of view, an external hard disk has to be reliable and durable. Therefore, the requirements for a portable hard drive with 2TB storage or more arises. 2TB External Hard Disk is the best way to keep your favorite data with you.
So, we have done the research and going to provide you the list of top 10 cheapest 2tb external hard drives that are reliable and are a must-buy.
10 Best 2TB External Hard Drives
We have also written a 2TB external hard drive buying guide at the end of the article. There, we discuss some of the important factors of hard drives, you should consider before buying the hard drives.
Jump to What to Look for in an External Hard Drive before Buying
1. Seagate Backup Plus Slim
The Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB Portable External Hard Drive is an ultra slim and high-efficiency hard disk drive. The compatibility features are great with both USB 2.0 and the USB 3.0 connectivity, and it works well with a wide variety of operating systems like Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android.
Large volume files are dealt with quite smoothly with exceptional data transfer speed. This hard drive did not display any heating issues or vibrations. You can easily backup your Facebook, Flicker, and other content with a useful Seagate Mobile Backup Application. The USB cable is of average quality and getting a spare wire should take care of that.
This 2TB Portable External Hard Drive would make an apt choice if you are on the lookout for a hard disk drive with at least 2TB inbuilt storage. With all its advanced features at affordable pricing, it should be a perfect choice to buy.
Pros:
- Super Slim form factor
- Very Good Overall Read & Write Performance
- Free Two Year 200GB OneDrive Subscription
- Useful bundled software
Best free drawing app mac. Cons:
- Poor write performance
- Windows software was sluggish, at times
- Only Available In 1/2TB Capacities
2. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC
An external hard drive you can buy at affordable pricing, Buffalo's MiniStation Extreme NFC could be your match made in heaven. With compatibility for both Windows OS and Mac OS, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is very flexible. This hard drive comes with a rugged case that's dust and water resistant, along with a built-in USB 3.0 cable.
Moreover, not only is your data kept protected from knocks and drops with the rugged shell, but it also allows 256-bit AES security features and NFC (Near Field Communication) features as well. Essentially it enables you to unlock the drive to get to your files quickly by tapping the supplied NFC card onto the drive's body.
Pros:
- Built-in USB cable
- Hardware encryption
- Mac and PC format utility
- Ruggedized and water resistant
Cons:
- NFC card is easy to lose
- Doesn't unlock via smartphones
3. WD My Passport Ultra 2TB
The WD My Passport Ultra 2TB Portable External Hard Drive is a fantastic product with the right mix of specs and features. The hard disk is slim and lightweight that makes it easy to handle and transport. It exceeds all your expectations when it comes to data transfer speeds but doesn't come near the top of the leaderboard.
This hard drive offers a useful 256-AES encryption feature that lets you secure it with a password. It is compatible well with both Windows and Mac OS and its backup feature is extremely smart that only allows the files which have been newly added or altered. The one small flaw it has is that the encryption feature does not compatible with Linux OS. The WD My Passport Ultra 2TB Portable External Hard Drive is a stunning product from a trustworthy brand. It should make a great choice for you.
Pros:
- Excellent large-block transfer rates
- Included WD software for local and cloud backups adds value
Cons:
- No option to exclude/include extensions.
4. Samsung T5 SSD
The Samsung T5 Portable SDD is a bit pricey, but the speed and security it comes with are worth it for those looking for durable performance. It comes in light weight (2 ounces) and small as the palm of your hand. The all-metal, shock-resistant enclosure is rugged and portable, making it safe to just stash in a bag on the go.
Moreover, it has a super fast transfer speed up to 540 MB/s that is about five times as fast as a standard HDD, making it much faster to move giant files like 4K videos and high-resolution photos. The T5 compatible with USB 3.1 Type-C and Type-A ports, and works with Windows, Mac, and Android devices.
Pros:
- Streamlined, metal enclosure
- Excellent performance
- Easy-to-use software
- Full hardware-based encryption
Cons:
- No backup software
5. Toshiba Canvio Basics
The Toshiba Canvio Basic 2TB External Hard Disk Drive is another quality device in our list. The solid build quality and sleek, compact design from Toshiba makes it a sturdy device. It is compatible with Windows OS and Mac OS. The Canvio drive can handle large volume file transfer quite smoothly.
The data transmission speed it works exceeds your expectations. You can easily connect it with Smart TV through TV USB port. Toshiba is popular name in the hard disk industry and this hard disk is unbeatable in terms of value for money and portability. Is mac or windows better for music production. This 2TB wired external hard disk drive is a great product to meet your extensive storage needs.
Pros:
- 1TB platter technology
- Pocket sized
Cons:
External Hard Drive For Imac
- The provided USB 3.0 cable is a bit short for PC use.
- Not the fastest external drive
6. Transcend StoreJet 25H3P
Best External Hard Drive 2020 For Mac
Transcend StoreJet 25H3P 2.5-inch 2 TB Portable External Hard Drive is what stands out the most and it gives it a sturdy and rugged look. It has superlative data transfer with 3.0 USB port. The durability of the external hard disk is also enhanced by Military-grade shock resistance with a high-tech three-stage shock protection system.
This 2TB HDD also offers a Transcend Elite Data Management Software that let you arrange and systematize your data better. This external hard disk is compatible with USB 3.0, 2.0 and supports most of the commonly used operating systems. The Transcend StoreJet external hard drive is a must-buy if durability is your biggest concern.
Pros:
- Fast transfer rates
- Three stage shock protection system
- One Touch auto backup button
- Power saving sleep mode
Cons:
- Only available in purple
- Drive does not ship with Mac software
7. Sony PSZ-HB2T/BC 2TB Pro External Hard Disk Drive
Sony PSZ-HB2T/BC 2TB Pro External Hard Disk Drive external hard disk is a perfect choice for lovers for brand Sony. The build quality is excellent, and the drive is sure to last for a long while. The attractive slim and compact design from Sony gives it an elegant look. The hard disk proves to be a steady performer with fast data transfer speed.
The hard disk offers some additional utility features such as an automatic cloud backup with preloaded Back-Up Manager software. This includes password protection security and free backup software. The drive uses AES 256-bit algorithm data encryption and password protection technologies which give complete security to your data. The Sony PSZ-HB2T/BC 2TB Pro External Hard Disk Drive is a quality product from a top brand.
Pros:
- Great performance
- AES 256-bit encryption
- additional utility features
Cons:
- More expensive per-GB
8. Lenovo F309
The Lenovo F309 2TB External Hard Disk Drive is an amazing product from a trusted brand, and its reasonable pricing makes it a true value for money gadget. The hard disk feels pretty sturdy with the solid build quality it has. The sleek and compact shape it has, give it some good portability and easy handling.
The USB 3.0 connection offers easy and quick data transmission. Its performance and speed are comparable to products from more expensive brands. No compatibility issues so you can use it with different operating systems, desktops and notebooks. It has electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection of up to 8 KV that guards it against shock.
Pros:
- Good performance
- sleek and compact shape
- ESD protection
- No compatibility issues
Cons:
- No backup software
9. ADATA HV620 2TB USB 3.0 Stylish and Sleek External Hard Drive
The Adata HV620 External Drive 2TB will suit those looking for a rugged storage device that can provide ample capacity without costing too much. Its performance is superb well and remains the only SSD we've seen that is IP68 rated. The solid-state drive that resides in this drive, it's faster than external drives that use traditional spinning hard drives.
Moreover, This external drive offers great transfer speeds as well as rugged protection. Also, you don't have to worry about missing out on storage space just because it uses an SSD – this external drive really does hit all the right notes.
Pros:
- Scratch-Prevention Design
- Sleek and Glossy
- LED Indicator Shows Transfer Status
- SuperSpeed USB 3.0
Cons:
- No free backup software
10. WD Elements 2TB Portable
The WD Elements 2TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Disk is a perfect storage solution from Western Digital. The amazing portability on offer has to be its USP. The drive is extremely lightweight, slim and compact in design and it is an easy fit into your pocket. Its plastic body makes the product extremely durable.
The drive compatible with both USB 3.0 and 2.0 connections and offers amazing transfer speed. The USB cord is of good quality, but its short length might disappoint many users. This portable drive also includes a free trial of WD SmartWare Pro automatic backup software. It can be a great choice if you are looking for a reliable 2TB external hard disk.
Pros:
- Low price.
- Huge capacity.
- No external source needed for power.
Cons:
- No free backup software
What to Look for in an External Hard Drive before Buying
Capacity: The capacity is the most important thing, you need really depends on your lifestyle. If you're a photographer or videographer, for instance, you'll require something with a large capacity that can store all of your media files. In that case, you should go for 4TB and above. If, however, you're a student who just needs to back up some term documents and smartphone photos, 1TB or 2TB should be plenty.
Transfer speed: Backing up your files takes time, depends on the size of data. If you have a lot of data to backup, you could be looking at a couple of hours at the least. If speed is your concern, buy an external hard drive with transfers speeds of at least 120MB/s for writing and 130MB/s for reading.
Portability: There are a lot of pretty hefty hard drives out there, but if you're often on the go, portability is key. Some devices are as compact in design as a deck of cards, which make them easy to put into your bag or pocket for convenient backing up.
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