Best External Hard Drive For MacBook Pro & Air in 2024
We all can agree on the fact that Mac comes with limited storage options compared to other laptop makers. Hence, it is good to have an external hard drive pretty close to keep all the excess files or to back up our Mac. So the question is, what are some of the best external hard drives for MacBook Pro & Air?
There is a wide range of external HDDs and SSDs available in the market. But picking the best one is always a challenging task.
However, to help you out with this question, I have reviewed a couple of options for you. So let’s just quickly get into the topic:
Best External Hard Drive For MacBook Pro & Air in 2024
1. WD 4TB My Passport Ultra for Mac
WD is a brand that you can trust and rely on whenever it comes to hard drives. This one is extremely portable and easily slides into your backup.
Also, it features the latest USB-C technology. So you can directly plug it into your Mac without any issues. Also, it comes with a USB 3.0 adapter which doesn’t limit your accessibility to one device only.
The hard drive is formatted for Time Machine. So you won’t have any trouble connecting the drive. Also, you can download the Windows driver to make it work with Windows machines.
Along with that, it comes with a WD Security function. This helps in keeping your files private and protected with a password.
What’s more? The hard drive is available in different storage options. The lowest being 1TB and the max being the 4TB variant.
2. Seagate Ultra Touch HDD 2TB External Hard Drive
For my next pick, I have the Seagate Ultra Touch HDD. It is also a sleek hard drive that is pretty stylish and fully compatible with USB-C and USB 3.0 devices.
Also, it has great security features in place. This allows you to securely and easily manage photos, videos, movies, and more.
Using it with your Mac won’t be an issue too. As it supports plug and plays features. This allows you to back up your files with a single click, or you can set up a schedule. Plus, there is no need to install any sort of driver on your Mac.
It also comes with an affordable price tag, and it is available in two storage options: 1 TB and 2 TB. Also, check out Best Apple Watch Bands
3. Samsung SSD T7 Portable External Solid State Drive
You better get yourself an external SSD if you want speed and performance. And what could be a better option than the Samsung SSD T7.
Although it comes with an expensive price tag, it delivers fast speed with an easy and reliable data storage solution. Also, check out Best Mouse For MacBook Pro & Air
It allows you to transfer massive files within seconds. As it comes with the PCIe NVMe technology that delivers blazing fast sequential read/write speeds of up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s, respectively.
The SSD is also pretty strong and secure. As it doesn’t have any moving parts, it is shock-resistant. Also, it uses advanced heat control features. So your SSD can run for hours without giving you any trouble.
The external SSD is also pretty slick and comes in different trendy colours. Also, you have three different storage options to choose from 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
4. LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB Solid State Drive
Up next, there is the LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB Solid State Drive. This is one of the best external hard drives for MacBook that you can buy.
It offers you Seagate FireCuda NVMe speeds of up to 1050MB/s for 4K footage. Along with that, it comes with IP67-rated water resistance. Also, it is protected against three-meter drop and two-ton car crush resistance.
Plus, being an SSD, you will get to enjoy reliable performance and faster data transmission speed. Along with that, it comes with Seagate’s secure Self-Encrypting technology, which protects your files from unauthorized access.
Along with that, the SSD is covered by five years of Rescue Data Recovery Services. So in case of any data loss, you just know you can get your data back.
5. Samsung X5 Portable SSD
You can also have a look at the Samsung X5 Portable SSD. This one features the Thunderbolt 3 technology. As a result, you get to enjoy a speed of up to 40Gb/s for data transfer.
Along with that, it also comes with extremely read and write speeds. It has read and writes performance levels of up to 2,800MB/s and 2,300MB/s, respectively.
In addition to that, it features a full metal body which is pretty durable. Plus, it is protected against 2 meters of drop. Also, it has a shock-resistant internal design and features Dynamic Thermal Guard technology to help maintain optimal performance and temperature.
The SSD protects your data with AES 256-bit hardware encryption. This helps in keeping your data extremely secure.
Overall, it is pretty portable in size and has a sleek design. But it comes with an expensive price tag. Also, check out How to Screenshot On Mac? – Easiest Ways
6. Kingston XS2000 2TB High-Performance Portable SSD
If you are looking for something affordable, make sure to check out the Kingston XS2000. It comes with an amazing speed of reading and writing of up to 2,000 MB/s per second.
Along with that, it has 2 TB of capacity, which supports high-resolution images, 8K videos, and large documents.
Also, the SSD drive is pretty portable and easily fits in your pocket. Plus, it comes with Type-C connectivity, which easily gets connected to your Mac.
Moreover, the drive also comes with an IP55 rating that withstands water and dust. What’s more? The drive is also available in three different storage options, including 500GB, 1TB, and 5TB.
7. SanDisk Professional 2TB G-DRIVE SSD
For my next pick, I have the SanDisk Professional 2TB G-DRIVE SSD. The best part of this one is that it is extremely durable. As it comes with IP67 water/dust resistance, up to 3M1 drop, and 2000lb crush resistance.
Along with that, it offers you a breakneck speed of up to 1050MB/s read and 1000MB/s write. However, there are other drivers which are faster than this.
But it offers you sustained performance with a cooling aluminum core. Also, it is pretty portable in size. As a result, carrying it around won’t be an issue for you. Also, check out Best Thunderbolt 4 Dock For MacBook Pro & Air
Along with that, it comes with downloadable software for password-enabled 256-bit AES hardware encryption. So you can keep your important files password protected. Also, the drive is available in different storage options. Such as 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB.
8. Seagate Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD
If you want a large space, then Seagate Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive HDD can be an ideal solution. This one offers you an ideal storage solution for your home and office. Also, with 8TB of space, you can store all your files with ease.
The hard drive works with both Mac and Windows devices. And it allows you to back up your files with a simple, quick drag-and-drop feature.
Also, there is no need for you to install any software on your Mac to make this drive work. Just plug it in, and you are all set to use the drive.
However, being a hard drive, it doesn’t really offer you a fast transfer speed. Instead, it only has a limit of 160 MB/s. Also, it lacks a Type-C port.
9. WD 4TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive
Up next, there is the WD 4TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive. This one is a complete backup solution for your Mac.
It comes with WD Backup software and time machine compatibility. So you can enjoy automatic backups as per your schedule.
Along with that, it offers you a great storage capacity of 4TB. Also, there are a bunch of other storage options. So you can pick a drive as per your needs.
In addition to that, it comes with 256-bit AES hardware encryption with WD Security software. So you can keep your files safe and secure.
Also, it features compact storage, which doesn’t occupy much space. Also, it is extremely reliable.
10. Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive
Lastly, there is the Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable External Hard Drive. It features a sleek design that easily gets along with you.
Also, it is pretty straightforward to use, and there is no need to install any sort of software on your Mac. The hard drive has USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility. So you can use it with a wide range of devices. However, there is no Type-C port.
Moreover, in terms of pricing, it is pretty affordable. As it doesn’t really offer you many features except adding extra storage to your Mac. The drive is available in different storage options, including 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB.
What to Consider When Buying an External Hard Drive For Mac?
There are so many options available in the market. So, the question is how to select the external hard drive for mac that fulfills your requirements? Here are a few factors that need to consider while buying an external HDD for MacBook Pro or Air.
1. Storage
The amount of storage you need should the considered first before you buy an external hard drive. As you are already aware that MacBook doesn’t come with a huge storage capacity. So, if you want to save files, you would be required a hard drive with sufficient storage capacity.
For some people, 1 TB capacity is enough for them to save the files. However, if you want to save more files for a long period of time, it is advised to get a hard drive with a 2TB capacity.
It is recommended to get a hard drive that has twice the amount of capacity that you currently need. For example, if you have to save 500GB of files, better get a hard drive with 1 TB capacity.
Apart from that, you can consider a hard drive with a huge storage capacity like 4TB. It is not recommended for day-to-day work. Also, it is quite expensive. It totally depends on your daily usage and the number of files you want to keep.
2. Drive Speed
After storage capacity, drive speed should be another factor that you have to consider. No one wants to buy an external hard drive for mac that takes too much time to copy files. Instead of that, everyone wants the drive that does the transfer process quickly and faster.
So, first of all, you must avoid USB 2.0-powered hard drives as they are outdated and not fast enough. Instead of that, you must go with an external hard drive that has USB 3.0, USB 3.1, or USB 3.2 Gen 1. They offer you a good transfer speed than USB 2.0-powered drives.
3. Compatibility
Another factor that you need to consider is to check the compatibility of an external hard drive with your MacBook. Some hard drives are compatible with Windows OS only. So, before buying make sure to check if it is compatible with macOS too.
Final Words:
So those were some of the best hard drives for MacBook Pro & Air in 2024. I have mentioned both HDD and SSD with different storage options. So go through them and pick something that fulfills all your storage requirements. In case if you wish to ask something else, then make sure to let me know through the comments below.
