Best for Mac Creative Work. Samsung Portable SSD X5. Rated to survive 4-foot drops. Certified waterproof and dustproof. Best External Hard Drives of 2018 Featured in This Roundup. Whether you want an external drive that is fast, durable, lightweight, or just comes with a ton of storage, these are the best external hard drives of the year! Take a look and find the best model.
External hard drives are used to backup large amounts of information outside of your Mac’s internal hard drive. Anyone who’s ever lost all of their data after a computer crash can understand how important that is. But there are other reasons to buy an external hard drive for your Mac.
Best External Hard Drive for Mac
Maybe you want to have all of your data available for when you get a new Mac. Or if you work with gigantic files that need more space than what your Mac’s internal hard drive has to offer. No matter what reason propels you to buy an external hard drive, we’ve compiled some of the best external hard drives for Mac the market has to offer to help you make an informed choice.
What is the difference between an internal and external hard drive?
It’s basically what the names suggest. An internal hard drive is the hard drive that comes inside your Mac or store-bought Windows system. While new internal hard drives have a ton of space compared to older ones (now measured in terabytes instead of gigabytes as in years past), it’s a good idea to have a backup of your work.
SOME PEOPLE RELY ON THE CLOUD—AND THAT’S FINE—BUT AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE IS A GREAT OPTION FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KEEP THEIR FILES CLOSER TO HOME WITHOUT RELYING ON A CLOUD SERVICE.
External hard drives work on your computer by connecting to it. You can transfer files off of your internal hard drive and put it on your external one. Likewise, you can view and transfer files from your external hard drive and put them back on your internal hard drive.
In a day and age when space is measured in terabytes, and file sizes are growing larger with advances in an array of technologies, it’s important to ensure you have the space you need to save your precious work and priceless media library; external hard drives were made for that.
How do external hard drives for Mac work?
External hard drives for Mac work pretty much the same as they do for a PC. The best external hard drives for Mac tend to connect to Macs via Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 cables. This allows for the fastest connectivity, generally speaking. Once connected, you can automatically or manually back up your files, depending on your preference.
Many hard drives work for both Mac and Windows operating systems. Some of these require no particular reconfiguration or installation (some are simply plug-and-play), though others require you to reconfigure for Windows usage or vice versa for Mac usage.
DRIVES THAT PLAY WELL WITH BOTH OPERATING SYSTEMS ARE CRUCIAL FOR FAMILIES, OFFICES, AND CLASSROOMS WHERE PEOPLE MIGHT BE ON DIFFERENT OPERATING SYSTEMS AND CONNECTING TO A SINGLE EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE.
The best external hard drive for Mac even feature automatic backups, so you don’t have to worry about doing something wrong manually. Furthermore, the better external hard drives tend to work with Mac’s Time Machine feature, which further simplifies and streamlines things.
How to keep your external hard drive running smoothly
Let’s face it: There’s nothing more terrifying to a computer user than hard drive failure, and that’s why people buy external hard drives—as a backup for “just in case.” But here’s the thing: If you don’t properly maintain your external hard drive, you could inadvertently cause it to fail and lose everything you worked so hard to save.
Here are a few simple steps to keep your external hard drive healthy:
- Make sure the device you’re plugging your hard drive into is connected to a surge protector. Even short power surges can have lasting effects on electronics, so this is like computer basics — and super important.
- Always store your external hard drive in the position it was designed to be in: Some external hard drives can be placed either horizontally or vertically. However, many are just meant to be placed either one way or the other. Turning your hard disk the wrong way puts unnecessary strain on it which could ultimately lead to failure.
- Don’t expose it to static: This is also a computer 101 thing; while modern devices including hard drives seem so much sturdier than their older counterparts (and are in many ways), it’s always best to be safe rather than sorry.
The benefits of buying Mac external hard drive
The number one benefit of buying an external hard drive for Mac is that you will have a backup of your files that are trusted and in your care, a backup you always have access to without having to depend on a cloud, a backup you can access when offline. These alone are colossal benefits to buying an external hard drive for your Mac, but there are other considerations.
ANYONE WHO HAS A LOT OF HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO FILES ON THEIR COMPUTER KNOWS HOW MUCH SPACE THAT EATS UP ON THEIR HARD DRIVE.
For professional video editors as well as hobbyists, who will probably have more HD vids on their Mac than anyone else, it’s crucial to have an external hard drive so you can back up your work without compromising the space on your Mac’s internal hard drive. The same goes for anyone who works with a lot of large files and needs to keep a backup that’s trusted and not in the cloud.
External hard drives are more versatile than you think
Aside from all the above-listed benefits, you can swap out your internal hard drive for your external hard drive. It may sound dodgy but think about it: Chances are, nice, new external hard drives are going to be better than what came with your current computer. Some people put in the nicer, newer external hard drive and use their internal hard drive as their backup plan.
What to consider when buying an external hard drive for Mac?
You probably think the number one thing you need to a new external hard drive is space. However, lack of space isn’t such a problem nowadays when it comes to external hard drives as many options have more space on them than your computer itself has. Instead, the number one factor to consider when buying an external hard drive for Mac is reliability.
Consider this: You buy a new hard drive, it looks fresh and has a lot of space, and you’re happy—for two years. And then it fails. Why did it fail?
Because it wasn’t reliable. So, all that data that you backed up, all of those home movies of your kids, everything is just…gone. Poof.
THAT IS WHY RELIABILITY HAS TO BE YOUR NUMBER ONE CONSIDERATION WHEN IT COMES TO CHOOSING THE EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE OF YOUR DREAMS, BUT IT’S NOT THE ONLY THING TO CONSIDER.
How fast you can transfer data is also something you’re going to want to think about. Do you want a file that is X gigs in size to take Y amount of time while transferring or do you want it to take double Y amount of time while transferring?
- Connectivity also comes into play when it comes to speed, such as how well the drive works with your device and other components.
And then, of course, there is the ever-important aesthetic appeal. Some hard disk designs just look better than others. It shouldn’t be your first consideration, but it’s always something to think about when narrowing down your top choices.
How to choose the best external hard drive for Mac for your needs
When choosing the best external hard drive for your needs, consider what your needs are. For instance, when it comes to capacity, are you someone who has a need for the largest capacity hard drive on the market? People who need such great capacity tend to have large video libraries, for instance.
Also, think about how long you want your hard drive to live for. Inferior models may only last a year or so. Hard drive failure is a very real threat and the more issues a hard drive has, the more likely it is to fail. So, if safety and longevity are your primary concern when it comes to hard drives, put that above everything else.
Portability is also something to consider
After all, since external hard drives are only temporarily attached to your Mac, you can take them around with you to places such as to work or school. If portability is a factor in your decision making, go for a hard drive that is designed to be lightweight and portable without compromising integrity, function, and capacity.
And, of course, looks are something to consider. If you’re going to be taking your hard drive to school or something, you probably want it to look nice. Again, that shouldn’t be your primary driving decision factor, but it’s a nice plus if it looks good.
Desktop size (3.5 inch) high capacity external hard drives for Mac
Available Capacities | Warranty |
---|---|
Apple AirPort Time Capsule 3TB | WiFi and USB 2.0 |
G-Technology G-DRIVE 4TB | USB 3.0 |
WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo 4TB | Thunderbolt |
Buffalo DriveStation Axis Velocity | USB 3.0 |
CalDigit T4 Thunderbolt 2 Professional | Thunderbolt |
1. Apple AirPort Time Capsule 3TB Review
Model number: ME182LL/A
Features: Overall the best external hard drive for Mac
This hard drive provides you with up to 3TB (terabytes) of space; this means that it’s got more space on it than a lot of computers on the market today. Therefore, it’d be a great option to backup old computers, so you have access to them after you upgrade.
Easy to use
The Apple Time Capsule is fully compatible with OS X’s Time Machine feature so that all you have to do is plug it in and backing up files suddenly becomes super easy.
Improved Wi-Fi
The Wi-Fi on the new Apple AirPort Time Capsule is greatly improved over the older model. The Wi-Fi base station comes with 802.11ac technology, and its higher design improves Wi-Fi signal dispersal.
With 802.11ac and Apple’s beamforming technology, you’re now transmitting at both 2.4GHz and 5Ghz at the same time with targeted signaling. This allows Time Capsule to select the best band for the device you’re connecting to for ultimate strength, speed, and quality of connectivity.
It’s not just for Macs
Not every household is strictly Mac or strictly PC. More and more families are mixing operating systems in their households. And that’s part of the brilliance with the Time Capsule: It can connect to your PC as well as Wi-Fi devices such as your iPad and Apple TV, among others. No longer do your Mac and PC have to have their separate external hard drives. They can now share, which is very cost-effective, as well as convenient.
Gigabit Ethernet
The Time Capsule AirPort Extreme Base Station includes three Gigabit Ethernet ports, enabling fast wired connections to other devices.
- Great improvement in Wi-Fi over the previous model
- Works with OS X Leopard or later
- Easy to setup
- Easy to use
- Wireless access
- 3TB (terabytes) of space ample storage capacity
- Ability to connect to PCs as well as other iOS devices, printers, and hard drives, allowing for maximum connectivity and sharing capability in your home, school or office
- Better dimensions than the previous model; the new taller Time Capsule takes up less of a footprint on your desk while maximizing your Wi-Fi signal, thanks to the new six-antenna array stored at the top.
- This version of Time Capsule isn’t compatible with operating systems older than OS X Leopard. However, this isn’t that big of a deal, because Leopard came out in 2007, so many users will have upgraded their devices in the decade since.
2. G-Technology G-DRIVE 4TB External Hard Drive Review
Model number: 0G03594
Features – Great external drive fro Mac users
4TB storage
The G-Drive USB 3.0 has a 4TB capacity. With that kind of storage, you’re sure to be able to store practically anything you need to.
The G-Drive USB 3.0 has a 4TB capacity. With that kind of storage, you’re sure to be able to store practically anything you need to.
Compatibility
The G-Drive uses USB 3.0 for ultimate compatibility. Furthermore, it’s compatible with Apple’s Time Machine, so backing up files is a breeze.
Versatility
Mac installation is as easy as plug-and-play. However, this hard drive can also be reformatted for Windows usage, making it ideal for families or individuals who have more than one operating system in the household.
Durable and fast
The case is made out of 100% aluminum, ensuring durability over extended usage. Meanwhile, the fast USB 3.0 connection combined with the hard drive spinning at 7200RPM, makes for speedy file saving.
- 3-year limited warranty
- Uses USB 3.0
- 4TB space ensures you have more than enough room to store years of multimedia content
- Aluminum casing adds durability
- Ability to work with both Mac and Windows
- Supports Mac OS 10.7+ and Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 operating systems
- There have been a few reports of users receiving this product either dead on arrival or saying it fails quickly. However, the majority are very pleased. This discrepancy probably indicates that the failing drives are damaged during shipping, or something similar.
- Thanks to the 3-year warranty, you can easily get your product replaced for a perfectly functioning model. This can be an issue no matter which hard drives you choose because factory errors or shipping accidents can damage any computer component, no matter the type or where you buy it from online.
- And, again, it’s important to remember that shipping accidents and the like have no bearing on how the properly functioning model works; this hard drive is very well-liked, after all. This isn’t a con about the product itself, but more of an issue report and how toremedy it.
- This drive doesn’t have a fan, which could potentially make it run hotter than some other models. However, there are cooling options on the market that can easily mitigate this small issue.
3. WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo 4TB External Dual Hard Drive Storage with RAID Review
Model number: WDBUPB0040JSL-NESN
Features: Ideal for video and graphics professionals and hobbyists
Thunderbolt’s bidirectional technology allows for multitasking while doing graphics-intensive projects. While this may not make that much of a difference in the daily lives of those who occasionally touchup personal photos, graphics professionals, and game modders will see a big benefit from Thunderbolt’s multitasking capabilities.
User-selective functionality
One of the most interesting things about the Thunderbolt Duo is its different operational modes that can be user selected. The RAID 0 setting is a great idea for graphics-intensive work while the RAID 1 setting makes storage safer by making an automatic backup copy of your data. The JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) feature allows users to use each drive individually, for the ultimate customized functionality.
Speed
The Thunderbolt tech enables bidirectional data transfer channels that can go up to 10GB/s of bandwidth. According to the manufacturer, with this technology, Thunderbolt can transfer a full-length HD movie in 30 seconds. This kind of speed is what makes this hard drive ideal for professionals and hardcore graphics and video hobbyists.
Easy to service
If you manage to fill up the hard disk, all you have to do is take the old one out of the case and put a new one in. It doesn’t get easier than that.
- Optimized for users who are running the Windows OS on a Mac computer
4TB of space, ideal for large files - Enables the user to daisy-chain up to seven devices or peripherals, providing for extreme productivity as well as convenience
- It’s easy for the user to change the way the hard drive functions to suit their personal needs, which maximizes workflow.
- It’s fast, further recommending its capabilities to professionals and those who take data transfer and storage seriously.
- You can put a new hard drive in the case whenever you fill one up, so you don’t have to worry about needing a lot of technical know-how.
- This hard drive is formatted only for Mac, so if you try to run it on Windows, you may get varying results. However, this hard drive was designed to keep in mind those users who run Windows on a Mac device, so it does make accommodations. For more specific questions about whether your setup will work perfectly with the Thunderbolt Duo, contact the manufacturer for more information.
- Copying an entire drive (such as backing up an old hard drive) can take a while. However, this can be a problem with any hard drive you buy. Because the more data you transfer, the longer it will take, and backing up another hard drive is one of the most intensive tasks you can ask an external hard drive to do. Even the best external hard drives for Mac would take a while doing this.
4. Buffalo DriveStation Axis Velocity USB 3.0 4 TB High Speed 7200 RPM External Hard Drive Review
Model number: HD-LX4.0TU3
Features: Extreme compatibility
The DriveStation Axis Velocity is a USB 3.0 storage device; however, it features USB 2.0 backward compatibility. On top of that, it works for both Mac and Windows. All of this combined make for one of the best external hard drives for Mac when it comes to versatility—perfect for multi-operating system households, as well as some older systems.
Backing up files is easy
With the Buffalo backup utility, you can schedule backups for ultimate safety. Moreover, it works with Time Machine, and you can schedule backups that way too. It’s really up to you.
Speed
The hard drive spins at 7200RPM; combined with the USB 3.0 feature, the result is extremely fast file transfers for excellent productivity.
Visual and functional appeal
The design is sleek and modern, making it blend perfectly into your work station. Meanwhile, the chassis is designed so that you can lay it horizontally or vertically to fit your style and work area. This is perfect for those where space is a concern.
- 2-year warranty with free 24/7 US tech support
- Fast at 7200RPM
- Supports both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0
- Works for Mac and Windows
- Visually appealing design
- Ability to position horizontally or vertically for when space is a concern
- Scheduled backups make things safer
- The 256-bit AES hardware encryption is optional; however, many external hard drives don’t even feature this, so the fact that it is an option at all is a bonus.
- Some customers find the installation is a bit more complicated than some of its competitors. However, this has no bearing on how well the device functions while it’s operating, so that should be the first consideration.
5. CalDigit T4 Thunderbolt 2 Professional External Hard Drive Review
Model number: T4R-12000-US-150
Features: Four-bay storage offers extreme storage capacity up to 24TB
One of the top features of the T4 is the fact that it has four storage bays. Each one can hold a 4TB hard drive, making for 16TB of storage. Storage capacity doesn’t get much bigger than this, making this a great option for video and 3D rendering professionals who have a lot of important work to store and need the most space. The four-bay design also gives users the benefit of having two RAID units in one.
Fast
The T4 dual Thunderbolt 2 ports allow for transfers up to 1300MB/s, making for extremely fast data transfers. Anyone who routinely works with large files will consider this a blessing.
RAID 5
RAID 5 support increases productivity and reduces the risk of data loss. If one drive fails, the other drives will continue to operate, keeping your data safe and minimizing the risk of future loss.
RAID 0 and RAID 1 support
The T4’s RAID 0 support allows users to optimize their multitasking while working with big files while RAID 1 provides security during data transfer. It’s the perfect mix of multitasking and safety.
- 5-year warranty
- Four 4TB storage bays make for 16TB storage capacity
- Supports RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 5 for a great mix of performance, multitasking and data safety
- High-speed Thunderbolt ports allow transfers up to 1300 MB/s
- Replacing the drives has been a spot of trouble for some users due to lack of compatibility or the RAID 5 feature ceasing function. To solve this, contact CalDigit’s customer service for solutions. Once this issue is resolved, the device will perform as advertised. And it’s important to point out that this problem doesn’t happen to everybody because not everybody has a need to swap out the drives. (After all, each one is 4TB.)
Available Capacities | Warranty |
---|---|
Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim 2TB | USB 3.0 |
LaCie 1TB Rugged Thunderbolt | Thunderbolt / USB 3.0 |
G-Technology GDrive EV ATC | USB 3.0 |
WD My Passport Studio 2TB | FireWire 800 / USB 2.0 |
Seagate Seven 500GB | USB 3.0 |
6. Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim 2TB Portable External Hard Drive Review
Model number: STEH2000100
Features – Ultra Slim and reliable portable external HDD for Mac
Seagate Dashboard Software
A unique feature with Seagate’s Ultra Slim is its included Seagate Dashboard Software. With this software, the user can create customized backup plans. This is great for those who require versatility in their backup storage options.
Lyve app
The Lyve app allows for additional backup features, furthering the Seagate’s versatility. With Lyve, you can easily share and manage your multimedia, and back it all up to various outlets like Facebook, Google Drive, DropBox and more.
Free OneDrive Storage available
If you register your new Backup Ultra Slim, you can receive two years of free 200MB cloud storage from One-Drive. This is great for someone who doesn’t currently have cloud access or requires more cloud access.
Fast plug-and-play
The support of both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 allows rapid file transfers as soon as you plug it in.
Aesthetic appeal
The Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim comes in platinum and gold. The body is ultra slim (as the name suggests) and the surface is textured in a very modern, attractive way. For those who care about the aesthetics on their devices, the Seagate Ultra Slim’s appearance is something to consider when trying to narrow down between it and another option you like.
- Portability: Small enough to easily fit into your backpack or purse.
- Attractive design
- USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 support
- The option to receive two years of 200MB of One-Drive for free upon registration of device is an incredible bonus to an already nice package.
- The Seagate Dashboard Software and Lyve app are great additional features that come with the storage device.
- Requires reformatting for Mac usage; however, it comes with a handy guide. Most users will find the reformatting easy to accomplish, so this is only a minor thing.
- There have been instances of failure after a relatively short time of usage; however, the manufacturer is easily contacted and can resolve the issue. It’s important to remember that this isn’t a common problem and that hard drive failures have been known to happen with almost every seemingly normal hard drive on the market.
- While that may sound scary, it’s also part of why manufacturers tend to be very accommodating about replacements and repairs when it comes to hard drives, and why so many come with warranties that guarantee protection under a variety of potential circumstances.
7. LaCie 1TB Rugged Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive Review
Model number: LAC9000488
Features – Rugged external hard drive for Mac
Safe for all-terrain use
The Rugged Thunderbolt is shock resistant, capable of surviving a five-foot fall, and can be used on any terrain thanks to its water-resistance. This kind of durability would make this a great hard drive for a film professional who has to do editing out in the field.
Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 interfaces
The Rugged Thunderbolt’s USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt interfaces provide for excellent transfer speeds, with the ability to reach 387MB/s.
High compatibility
The Rugged Thunderbolt’s support of both USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt interfaces make it easily connectable to both Macs and PCs, while the backward compatible USB 3.0 furthers the Rugged Thunderbolt’s versatility in that regard.
Safety features
You can download LaCie’s Private-Public software which allows you to password protect your files and keep them secure. Meanwhile, automatic backups are an excellent failsafe.
- Ability to resist damage in a variety of settings, making it all-terrain suitable and great for professionals and hobbyists on the go.
- Works for both Mac and PC
- Automatic backup
- Upgradable warranty for further device protection
- Doesn’t support Thunderbolt 2. However, this isn’t a problem for most users, who find Thunderbolt 1 more than capable of meeting their needs.
- Some people have found that the device works better with USB connections; this isn’t that much of a con since USB 3.0 is a great way to connect your device to the hard drive, but some users may find it a mild annoyance.
8. G-Technology GDrive EV ATC USB Portable Hard Drive Review
Features – External Mac hard drive with its own rugged enclosure
Extremely durable
The GDrive EV is probably one of the most durable portable hard drives on the market today. It’s shock resistant, capable of surviving being dropped from over six-and-a-half feet in the air. It’s also water, pressure and dust resistant while having the ability to float on water, thanks to its hard-plastic construction. All in all, this is the ultimate all-terrain portable hard drive option, and professionals on the go will certainly want to take note of that.
Works with both Mac and PC
This is ideal for Mac users as well as PC users, though PC users will have to reformat the device. However, the instructions are pretty simple, and most people find it an easy switch to make.
Fast
The hard drive spins at 7200RPM making it on par with some of the non-portable options out there, which is great for a product of this type. Backing up photos is simple.
Plug-and-play
Thanks to the USB 3.0 and 2.0 support, you can simply plug it in, and the device sets up super easy. You can begin backing up your files within minutes.
- One of the most durable portable hard drives on the market today
- Works with both Mac and PC
- USB 3.0 and 2.0 compatible
- High-speed transfers
- It only has 1TB of storage capacity, however, when it comes to portable hard drives, that’s not that bad at all. In fact, some competitors store less.
- Though it works with both Mac and PC, you will have to reformat it to work with PC. However, it’s important to add that reformatting is a piece of cake, so this is only a minor annoyance.
9. WD My Passport Studio 2TB Mac Portable External Hard Drive with FireWire Review
Features – Durable external hard drive for Mac
The all-metal construction of this hard drive ensures its durability. You won’t have to worry about the case, denting or wearing down easily.
Secure
The My Passport Studio has excellent security features. With hardware encryption and password protection, you’ll rest assured that your privacy is intact and your files are safe. These features do not usually come standard on external hard drives either portable or standard, so this is something to take note of, for those who find security to be paramount in their decision making.
Dual Firewire 800 ports
The two Firewire 800 ports allow for extreme speed during file transfers and backups. However, you can also use USB just file.
Speed
The Firewire connection allows for even faster speed than the USB 2.0 connection, so you can quickly transfer the files you need and move on in your work without waiting around for a slow transfer to complete.
- 2TB storage puts it at twice the storage capacity of some of its competitors
- You can use Firewire or USB to connect to your device
- Password protection
- Hardware encryption
- Fast
- Durable
- While it could work for a Windows based system, it would have to be reformatted. This isn’t that big of an issue. Most users who already own this device for their Mac but want to switch it to their PC would be happy to reformat it over buying an additional hard drive.
10. Seagate Seven 500GB Portable External Hard Drive Review
Model number: STDZ500400
Features: Sleek design and strong construction
It’s billed as the thinnest 500GB portable external hard drive on the market, and that may have you wondering if it’s tough enough. Don’t let its sleek looks and slender frame fool you; it’s made from steel and can stand up to the rigors of daily usage.
DON’T BELIEVE HOW SLEEK IT IS? FUN FACT: ITS NAME WAS INSPIRED BY THE FACT THAT IT’S 7MM THICK. YOU CAN’T GET A MUCH SLEEKER DESIGN THAN THAT—ESPECIALLY IN THE WORLD OF HARD DRIVES.
USB 3.0 support
The Seagate Seven’s USB 3.0 interface allows for both speedy transfers as well as plug-and-play capability, so you get a very hassle free option with this hard drive.
Automatic backup
Automatic backup software for both your computer and your mobile device keeps your files safe and current.
Preloaded with Seagate Dashboard
Seagate Dashboard makes backing up your files easier, and the fact that it’s preloaded further ups its hassle-free factor.
- 3-year limited warranty
- Plug-and-play
- USB 3.0 with the ability to use USB 2.0 as well
- Sleek, attractive design
- Bills itself as thinnest option of its type on the market
- Preloaded software for hassle-free use
- Only stores up to 500GB. However, this is more than adequate for most users. The only ones who might be affected by the 500GB capacity are professionals who do a lot of film editing and 3D modeling. Typical users backing up their multimedia library will have more than enough space this drive.
The technology of external hard drives and connection ports is constantly changing which is why we’ve taken a closer look at the best external hard drive for Mac of 2019.
The great thing for Mac users is that external HDDs have never been cheaper and storage sizes have never been bigger. Ten years ago, you would have paid several hundred dollars for a chunky hard drive with just a few Gigabytes (GB) of storage space on.
Now you can get 5 Terabytes (TB) of portable storage (5000 GB) for little more than $100 – that’s enough to backup several Macs in one go in a portable external hard drive that can fit in your pocket.
Getting an external hard drive can be useful for a variety of reasons. The most common reason is if you’re running out of disk space and need somewhere to put all those photos and 4K videos from your digital camera or home movies from your video camera.
However, an external storage device is also useful if you want to setup a home surveillance system on your Mac, experience Virtual Reality games and apps or if you want to digitize all your documents and paperwork.
If you’re in a hurry, check out the comparison table below for quick overview of our top picks. You’ll find more detailed reviews below and you can use the quick navigation links on the right to jump to the section you want.
The Best External Hard Drives For Mac Compared
WD My Passport | Seagate Backup Plus | Transcend Storejet M3 | WD MyBook Desktop | WD MyBook Desktop Duo | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Capacity | 1-4TB | 1-4TB | 1-2TB | 1-8TB | 4-16TB |
Size | Portable | Portable | Portable | Desktop | Desktop |
USB 2.0 | |||||
USB 3.0/Thunderbolt | |||||
RAID | |||||
Warranty (years) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Password Protection/Encryption | |||||
Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now | Buy Now |
Here then is our selection of the best external hard drives for Mac in 2019 in order of ranking.
1. WD My Passport For Mac
The Western Digital 1TB My Passport For Mac is the perfect 1TB portable external hard drive for Mac users. It’s ready formatted for use on Mac, Time Machine ready and small enough to fit in your coat pocket. With a 3 year warranty and big enough to backup all Mac hard drives, if you need a simple, fast and reliable backup solution for your Mac, you can’t go wrong with the WD 1TB My Passport.
The WD My Passport for Mac supports USB 3.0/Thunderbolt connections but it will also work with USB 2.0 connections. We recommend paying that little extra for the 4TB which is the biggest version available in the My Passport Range which ranges from 1TB-4TB.
If you’re going to carry it around a lot, we also recommend getting a proper carry case for it too.
2. Seagate Backup Plus For Mac
The Seagate Backup Plus for Mac is the closest rival to the WD My Passport for Mac. The Seagate Backup Plus For Mac ranges from 1TB to 4GB and like the WD My Passport, it’s ready formatted for use on Macs and Time Machine ready for instant backups as soon as you plug it into your Mac. It also has USB 3.0/Thunderbolt connectors and includes a USB 2.0 adapter cable for older Macs.
The Seagate Backup Plus for Mac also comes with Seagate Dashboard backup software but we found it a bit bloated and hard to customize backups with. There’s really no need to use it if you’re using Time Machine for your backups. Although Seagate don’t make it very clear in the product description, the Backup Plus For Mac has a 2 year warranty which is 1 less than Western Digital. Best bang for your buck mac.
Be aware however that although Seagate has traditionally had a good reputation in the external hard drive industry, more recently there are far more reports of hard drive problems and customer service issues with Seagate external hard drives. There are also many satisfied customers too but to be on the safe side, you might as well go with WD drives as they’re exactly the same price and in our experience, rock solid. There’s also a shockproof carry case for it and Seagate are offering 2 months free Adobe Creative Cloud subscription included.
3. Transcend StoreJet M3
The main selling point of the Transcend StoreJet M3 is that it’s incredibly tough. In fact, it claims to be military drop tested with an advanced 3 stage shock protection system and a durable anti-shock rubber outer case.
The Transcend StoreJet M3 also comes with its own software that can be used for one-touch backups. Just press the button on the Transcend and the software will automatically backup. However, you’re much better just using Time Machine which will automatically detect and use it for backups.
It also comes with an extra USB cable to connect to a second USB port in case your Mac can’t provide enough power for it from one connection although most Mac users shouldn’t need this.
If shock protection is important to you, the Transcend StoreJet M3 is a good choice but note that it only comes in a 1TB and 2TB version – there’s nothing bigger. To enhance protection, you can choose from a range of carry cases too.
4. WD My Book Desktop
If you don’t need a portable external drive and are happy to simply have something bigger on your desktop, then look no further than the WD My Book Desktop. We’ve used WD My Book Desktops for over 10 years and never had a problem and would not hesitate to recommend it still.
Unlike the portable version, the WD My Book Desktop has its own power supply which you connect to the mains so it doesn’t draw any power from your Mac. It has a USB 3.0 connection port but also works with USB 2.0 ports. The WD My Book Desktop also comes with its own WD Backup Software which is straightforward but you really don’t need it if you use Time Machine or another backup software. For security, the WD MyBook Desktop also features 256bit AES hardware encryption that password protects your data.
The WD My Book Desktop is available in 1TB going up to 8TB.
5. WD My Book Duo Desktop RAID
If you want the biggest and best external hard available on the market in 2019 at consumer prices, then go for the WD My Book Duo Desktop RAID. The Duo consists of two drives in one enclosure which can be combined as RAID drives to double capacity and speed. The 16TB drive for example is actually two 8TB WD Red HDDs packed together in one casing. By combining both drives in one, it offers super fast transfer speeds of around 324 Mbps.
The WD My Book Duo Desktop is the cheapest and most reliable external hard drive for Mac which allows you to choose RAID disks. RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is just a way of combining two hard drives into one super hard drive. You can choose between using both drives as RAID 0 (very fast) or RAID 1 (more secure) or divide them both using JBOD. By default, it is configured in RAID 0 but you can easily change it to RAID 1.
If you want to take out or replace on the drives you can also push down on the top of the enclosure and the lid will pop up allowing you to remove the drives. However, note that you can only use the same drives with the same enclosure. If the enclosure fails for any reason, you can’t just pop out the hard drives and pop them in a new one to save them as each hard drive has a unique encryption key for each enclosure. However, we still haven’t heard of a case of enclosure failure yet.
WD SmartWare will automate backups for you and even integrates with DropBox for cloud backups too but you can use Time Machine or any other Mac backup software. Note that this particular WD hard drive does not come ready formatted for Mac but you can easily format it for Mac in a few minutes using Disk Utility in OS X or by following these instructions.
Best External Hard Drives For Mac
Although it’s a bit on the pricey side, considering you’re getting two Western Digital 8TB hard drives in one enclosure, it’s actually a very good deal. If 16TB is too big, you can also buy it in 4, 6, 8 and 12 TB. It’s also surprisingly quiet for such a large hard drive and there’s no noisy fan as it’s cooled from the bottom vents with warm air flowing out of the top vents.
Best Thunderbolt External Drives For Mac
Thunderbolt 3 drives are still pretty expensive in 2019 and we’d advise sticking to USB 3.0 for now since it offers by far the best value for money and can support transfer speeds of up to 5 Gbps which is more than fast enough for most needs. However, if you want a Thunderbolt 1 (10 Gbps) or a Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gbps) external drive for Mac and are willing to pay that bit extra, here are the two best Thunderbolt external drives for Mac.
1. WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo
The WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo is designed specifically for Thunderbolt 1 connections delivering transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps. Like the WD My Book Duo, it’s actually two drives combined and has two Thunderbolt connections so that you can access both drives at once if you need to (although note that it only comes with one Thunderbolt cable).
The WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo is quiet and is ready formatted for use on Mac. It’s also RAID 0 ready although it can be configured for RAID 1 too. However, note that if just one drive is configured as RAID 0 and the other as RAID 1, you will lose any data on the RAID 0 drive if anything goes wrong so we strongly recommend using RAID 1 on both which treats them both separately even if it does deliver slower performance.
The WD My Book Thunderbolt duo to available in 4TB, 6TB and 8TB versions. If you want a reasonably priced Thunderbolt external drive for Mac that quiet and reliable, don’t look any further than the WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo.
2. OWC ThunderBay 4 Raid
The OWC ThunderBay Raid is pretty much the fastest and biggest external hard drive for Mac you can get with a maximum of a massive 40TB of storage. It’s also one of the only external hard drives to support Thunderbolt 2 which gives incredible top speeds of 1.3Gbps although in reality, you’ll probably get sustained speeds nearing to 827Mbps which is about as fast as it gets for an external mechanical hard drive at the moment. The OWC ThunderBay also supports RAID 0, 1, 4, 5 and 1+0 meaning you can use each drive separately or combine them for fastest speeds.
The OWC ThunderBay Raid is however one of the most expensive external hard drives you can get for Mac with the largest 40TB of storage costing well over a few thousand dollars. The OWC ThunderBay is mainly aimed at video editors, enterprises and small businesses that need massive storage and ultra fast rock solid performance.
The Thunderbolt 2 connection is enough for video editors to edit and stream 2K or 4K footage from although note that it doesn’t support Thunderbolt 3. Like all OWC external drives, the OWC ThunderBay 4 RAID comes with a 5 year warranty which is the longest you’ll find for a quality external hard drive on Mac.
Overall, the OWC ThunderBay Raid is easily the biggest and most reliable external storage drive for Mac available so if you need some serious storage space, it’s the ultimate external hard drive for Mac.
Best SSD External Drive For Mac
As explained earlier, SSD drives offer the poorest value for money in terms of dollars per TB. There are very few SSD external drives for Mac that we can strongly recommend but in our opinion, the best consumer priced SSD external hard drive for Mac you can currently get in 2019 is the Samsung T3 Portable SSD.
1. Samsung T3 Portable SSD
The Samsung T3 Portable SSD is an SSD external hard drive for Mac with read-write speeds of up to 450 Mbps which is at least twice as fast as most mechanical drives. It’s incredibly small being not much bigger than a credit card and weighs just 1.8 ounces. It works on Mac, PC and Android devices but note that it’s not ready formatted for OS X. The Samsung T3 is shock resistant and there’s less chance of it burning-out that a mechanical hard drive because there are no moving parts. In fact, Samsung claims it can withstand 1500G of G-force equivalent to being dropped from 6.5 feet.
It’s also one of the few external drives for Mac that supports USB 3.1 connections. It has a USB-C port which means you can use a Thunderbolt 3 cable with it although it can’t deliver anything close to Thunderbolt 3 transfer speeds. Note that the T3 comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable in the box.
If you’re looking for incredibly fast transfer speeds, the latest in SSD technology, portability and durability, the Samsung is the one SSD external drive for Mac we would recommend if we had to pick one.
Tips On Macs & External Hard Drive Compatibility
As many users have learned from bitter experience, it’s not all about price and size when it comes to external hard drives on Mac.
Here are some important things to consider before buying an external hard drive.
Reliability
Reliability is probably the most important consideration when purchasing an external hard drive for your Mac. The worse thing that can happen to an external storage device is disk failure. When this happens, you’ve usually lost everything stored on it which can be a total disaster if you’ve got precious family photos or important documents on there.
Most manufacturers will guarantee at least two years of reliability and the best manufacturers like Western Digital (WD) offer three years and OWC five years although in reality, all should far outlast this.
Generally, the longer the warranty, the more expensive the hard drive.
However, any such guarantees are little compensation in terms of your precious data in the case of failure. You will have lost all of your files anyway but at least you’ll get a free replacement from the manufacturer.
Although manufacturers sometimes quote an Annualized Failure Rate of less than 1% (AFR is a percentage of its hard drives that fail annually) any figures on reliability aren’t worth basing your decision on in our opinion because everyone uses hard drives in different ways.
For example, those that leave their external hard drives switched on all the time or use it constantly for video editing are going to experience more frequent failures than those that only switch them on occasionally for backups.
There are some important measures you can take however to reduce the chance of external hard drive failure on your Mac.
Buy A Decent Brand
This is probably the most important piece of advice when buying an external hard drive.
There is definitely a difference between established brands and lesser known newcomers to the market. In 2019, the general consumer external hard drive market is dominated by two big players, Western Digital and Seagate, which have both been in the business over 20 years.
At MacHow2 we use Western Digital (WD) external hard drives on a regular basis and would not hesitate to recommend them such as the rock solid WD My Passport range of external hard drives. Note that Hitachi drives are now owned by Western Digital so if you buy a Hitachi external hard drive, you’re effectively getting a Western Digital product.
Seagate on the other hand used to be equally reliable although we’ve noticed more and more complaints about hard drive failures and customer service issues with them in recent years so our confidence in Seagate has reduced somewhat.
However, Mac users should definitely avoid brands such as LaCie, Fujitsu and Toshiba which in our experience, can be very flaky and significantly more prone to mechanical failure.
Of course, you’ll always find plenty of satisfied customers of these products too but in our experience and research, you’ll also find many more disgruntled ones too.
In these reviews, we’ve only focused on reputable established brands in market that we know are reliable choices for Mac users.
Limit Backups & Use
Do not use your external hard drive more than is absolutely necessary.
If you have it switched on all day, and particularly if you keep accessing it all day, it’s going to burn out far more quickly than if you just switch it on once daily or weekly to make backups.
Quite simply, the more you use an external hard drive, the quicker it will eventually fail.
Those that edit video directly from an external drive can therefore expect their hard drive fail quicker and should definitely invest in higher end quality hard drives featured here such as the WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo or OWC ThunderBay.
Always Use A Second Backup Solution
The chances of two external hard drives failing at the same moment are extremely slim so if your backups are really important, using two drives is the best thing you can do for backups.
Best Rated External Hard Drive For Macbook Pro
If you don’t want to purchase a second drive, alternatively you can make sure you’re using a cloud backup solution in tandem with your external hard drive.
The WD My Book Duo for example also features backup software integration with DropBox.
For Mac and iOS users however, the easiest solution is to use Apple’s iCloud alongside your external hard drive. You get 5GB of free online storage with iCloud with plans starting at just $0.99 per month for 50GB.
Prevent Power Surges
One thing that can instantly destroy your hard drive is a power surge in your home or office electricity supply. However, you can easily protect against this with a cheap Surge Protector Power Strip which is well worth the investment (for your Mac too).
However, a common occurrence with cheaper brand external hard drives is that the inverter inside fails which basically allows too much power to short-circuit and destroy the hard drive. In these cases, a surge protector won’t help you which emphasizes the benefit of buying from a reputable brand.
Never Move A Drive When Its Switched On
Try never to move an external hard drive when it is switched on.
In non SSD drives, there is a danger that the read/write heads can move and make contact with the hard drive in which case, it will break immediately.
These are some simple measures you can take to help protect yourself from the worst and preserve the life of your Mac external drive. If you want to learn more about why hard drives fail, you can find an interesting look at hard drive reliability here.
Capacity: The Bigger The Better
External hard drives now offer massive amounts of storage space and the starting point in most external hard drives is now generally at least 1 Terabyte or more. 1 TB equals 1000GB and is roughly equivalent to 488,000 photos and 220 full length movies so a 5TB hard drive could be enough for a lifetime of photos or music for most people (see the table below).
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to storage but our advice is simply to buy the biggest you can afford.
Cloud storage solutions such as iCloud and OneDrive are certainly reducing the need for physical storage but the bigger your external storage device is, the more it can grow with you. As photos and videos increase in size (most high-end digital cameras and even iPhones can film in 4K for example which eats massive amounts of hard drive space) the bigger the better.
Review Best External Hard Drive For Mac
Nowadays, 1TB of hard drive can cost less than $100 while one of the biggest consumer priced external hard drives, the WD My Book Duo 16TB, costs around $499. For those looking for serious storage space for enterprise backups or 4K editing, the OWC ThunderBay goes up to 40TB but will set you back over a few thousand dollars.
Desktop vs Portable
There are two types of external hard drives for Mac: 3.5 inch desktop drives that have their own mains power source and 2.5 inch portable external drives that take their power from your Mac.
Portable drives will easily fit in your jacket pocket. At the moment, desktop drives go up to a maximum of 40TB and Portable go to 4TB. Some of the biggest desktop external drives such as the WD My Book Duo and OWC ThunderBay are actually a combination of 2 drives in one enclosure which can be used as RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) drives which basically means you can combine them both for double the speed, storage and performance.
In these reviews, half of our picks are portable and the other half are desktop including the MyBook Desktop Duo that can be used in a RAID setup.
SSD vs Mechanical Drives
Almost all external hard drives nowadays are still mechanical drives which means they have moving parts inside. Solid State Drives have no moving parts, are therefore less likely to break and they’re incredibly fast but they’re still rare and very expensive for very little storage space.
There’s no doubt that SSD drives will eventually replace mechanical drives in the external hard drive market but the economies of scale still aren’t there yet.
All new Macs since 2012 (except iMacs, Mac Minis and non-retina MacBook Pros) have internal SSD hard drives fitted as standard and anyone that’s used older Macs with mechanical internal hard drives will tell you how much faster and more efficient they are.
Mechanical external hard drives feature moving parts which can deteriorate and break more easily. SSD drives are also silent and run cooler compared to mechanical drives which whir and buzz due to the drive spinning which also creates more heat.
A Solid State Drive (SSD)
As the technology improves, prices come down and capacity of SSD increases, it’s likely that eventually all external hard drives will be SSD drives. But at the moment, mechanical drives still rule the external drive market and offer the biggest capacities for the best prices.
If you really must have an external SSD drive for Mac however, then we have reviewed the best SSD external hard drive for Mac in this article which is the Samsung T3 Portable.
External Hard Drive Speeds: RPM
The speed of backups or data transfer from your Mac to your hard drive depends on two things – the connection type (see below) and the hard drive’s physical speed denoted in Revolutions per Minute (RPM).
Most external hard drives are 5400RPM but there are some faster high-end drives that are 7200RPM. A 7200RPM drive will be faster than a 5400RPM drive because the drive revolves faster and therefore can be read by the drive head quicker.
If you’re connecting a 7200RPM hard drive via a super fast Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 connection, then you’ll enjoy the hard drive’s maximum transfer speed.
However, if you’re connecting via a USB 2.0 or Firewire port, then your connection cable won’t even be able to deliver the maximum speed of the hard drive so you might as well save some money and get a 5400RPM with greater capacity than a fast drive with less capacity.
The reality is that whichever hard drive you get, you’ll probably get around 100-200 Mbps transfer speed from most mechanical drives and about double this from an SSD drive.
This is well below the capabilities of most modern connection ports and cables but as we’ll explain shortly, external hard drive technology still hasn’t fully caught up with them.
Our advice is don’t worry too much about hard drive speed on external drives.
Most external hard drives have a USB 3.0 connection which will deliver incredibly fast transfer speeds. Most consumer priced external drives are 5400RPM anyway so it’s not something you can easily be choosy about.
7200RPM external drives tend to be more expensive, noisier and most manufacturers are concentrating on trying to deliver more speed by designing hard drives that can take full advantage of connection types, than hard drive speeds as we’ll see below.
Connection Types
The business of external hard drive connections can be extremely confusing as technology changes and Apple seemingly keeps changing ports on every new generation of Mac.
All new Macs since 2012 have ditched Firewire in favor of Thunderbolt connections offering staggering maximum data transfer speeds of up to 40 Gigabits per second (Gbps) (port connection speeds are measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) or Gigabits per second (Gbps) – 1000 Mbps equals 1 Gbps).
However, the problem is that most external hard drives don’t even support the latest generation of Thunderbolt yet (Thunderbolt 3) apart from high end drives such as the OWC ThunderBay which supports the slightly slower Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gbps) and the WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo which only supports the even slower Thunderbolt 1 (10 Gbps).
However, it is USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) that currently dominates the external hard drive market which has superseded the USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) ports that almost everyone has used at some point.
All Macs from 2012 have at least one USB 3.0 port and two Thunderbolt 1 or 2 ports although the good news is that most external drives with USB 3.0 are also backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports found on all older Macs.
To complicate things however, USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) was released a few years ago which is even faster but faces the same problem as Thunderbolt – there are still very few manufacturers that support USB 3.1.
Firewire meanwhile has pretty much been abandoned by most external hard drive manufacturers although there are a few that still support it.
As you can see, it seems that port connection standards, usually driven by Intel and Apple, are changing faster than external hard drive manufacturers can keep up with but to clarify things, here we’ll take a closer look at the sometimes bewildering world of external hard drive port connections on Mac.
USB 2.0 & USB 3.0
Almost all external hard drives for Mac now use a USB 3.0 port. If your Mac is from 2012 onwards then it will have at least one USB 3.0 port. You can check this by doing the following:
- Go to the Apple logo in the top left of your Mac and select “About this Mac”
- Click on “System Report” on the Overview tab
- Select USB down the left hand margin
There you will see if you have a USB 3.0 port. Macs before 2012 only have USB 2.0 but the good news is that all USB 3.0 external hard drives are backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports.
The only difference is you will get a maximum data transfer speed of 480Mbps compared to 5 Gbps with USB 3.0 (see the port connection speed comparison table below for an overview of speed differences between connection ports).
USB 3.1
USB 3.1 was released a few years ago and offers more than double the speed of USB 3.0 at 10Gbps (roughly the same as Thunderbolt 1). The problem is that most external hard drive manufacturers simply do not support it.
There are some models such as the Samsung T3 Portable SSD which is both an SSD drive and 3.1 compatible but only goes up to 1TB and is quite expensive. Our advice is, don’t look for a USB 3.1 drive at this stage – the adoption by manufacturers and economies of scale simply still aren’t there.
Thunderbolt 1, 2 & 3 / USB-C
Since 2012, new Macs have Thunderbolt connections. The latest MacBook Pros from late 2016 onwards have Thunderbolt 3 connections which offers speeds of up to 40 Gbps per second.
This is incredibly fast and easily allows you to edit video from your Mac as if it were on your Mac’s internal hard drive or even connect an external monitor to.
Thunderbolt has been developed by Intel and Apple but uses the same connection port and cable type as USB-C which was developed separately by the USB Implementers Forum and which will eventually replace USB 3.1. USB-C devices however can only handle a top speed of 10 Gbps.
Thunderbolt replaces older Firewire connections and is now standard in all new Macs. If you’ve got a pre 2016 Mac with a Thunderbolt 2 port, you’ll need a conversion cable from Apple to connect it to Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C ports.
Best multifunction laser printer for mac. If you’re backing up large amounts of data, a Thunderbolt compatible external hard drive is definitely worth the investment because it makes backups much quicker.
Or if you’re planning on regularly transferring or backing-up 4K video, a Thunderbolt connection makes creating backups and editing in real-time from an external hard drive much quicker.
However, there’s one big problem with Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C. At the moment, there are no external drives that actually support Thunderbolt 3. The closest we’ve found is the OWC ThunderBay which supports Thunderbolt 2 capable of speeds of up to 20Gbps.
Beware that there are some manufacturers that claim to be “Thunderbolt 3” compatible but this is misleading as it merely means it can plug into a Thunderbolt 3 port – it does not deliver Thunderbolt 3 transfer speeds.
Always check the small print what the maximum transfer speed is – if it’s not at least 40 Gbps then it’s not Thunderbolt 3 compatible.
At the moment in 2019, we therefore advise against making Thunderbolt a priority when choosing an external hard drive for Mac for several reasons which can be summarized as:
- External hard drives still haven’t caught up with the speed of Thunderbolt connections. A Thunderbolt port can transfer at a staggering 40Gbps but even the fastest hard drives can’t get anywhere near this.
- There are three types of Thunderbolt – version 1, 2 and 3 each faster than the last. The problem is that those Thunderbolt drives that do exist still use Thunderbolt 1 or 2 which is the slowest standard so you’re not even getting the best that Thunderbolt on the latest generation of Macs can offer.
- Those Thunderbolt drives that currently exist are mainly only Thunderbolt 1 compatible (10Gbps) and expensive for very little capacity compared with USB 3.0 drives which transfer at a very respectable 5Gbps. For example, LaCie offer a 4GB Thunderbolt 1 external hard drive but we would never recommend LaCie drives anyway to Mac users. If you must have a Thunderbolt drive, the best thunderbolt external drive for Mac is the WD My Book Thunderbolt Duo or if you want something really big, the OWC ThunderBay.
Firewire
Macs before 2012 also have Firewire (400 and 800) ports but this standard is gradually being phased out and we don’t recommend getting a Firewire external hard drive.
The majority of manufacturers that still produce Firewire drives are not established brands either and therefore reliability may also be an issue.
However, if a Firewire port is important for you, we can recommend the well-respected and reliable OWC range of Firewire drives for Mac which support both Firewire and USB 3.0. OWC have been in the business over 25 years.
Apple has replaced Firewire ports on all Macs made after 2012 with Thunderbolt ports which we’ll look at next. Note that if the external hard drive has a Firewire connection but you only have a Thunderbolt connection port on your Mac, you can use a Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter cable to connect it to your Mac although transfer speeds will be at Firewire speed, not Thunderbolt speed.
The conclusion from all this is that in 2019, the fastest, most widely used and economical external hard drive connection that Mac users should focus on is USB 3.0.
All of the best external drives for Mac featured here use at least a USB 3.0 connection but we’ve also featured a few which support Thunderbolt as well.
To summarize the speed difference between the different connections check the comparison table below which is done in order of speed. Speeds are measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) and faster devices such as USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt in Gigabits per second (Gbps).
Note that these are maximum speeds and real world speeds may be 10-20% less depending on the type of data being transferred and other factors. As mentioned earlier, there are no external drives that can achieve these speeds yet and the best you can expect is around 100-200 Mbps transfer speed from most mechanical drives and about double that from an SSD drive.
External Hard Drives For Mac
Connection Type | Speed |
Firewire 400 | 400 Mbps |
USB 2.0 | 480 Mbps |
Firewire 800 | 800 Mbps |
USB 3.0 | 5 Gbps |
USB 3.1 | 10 Gbps |
USB-C | 10 Gbps |
Thunderbolt 1 | 10 Gbps |
Thunderbolt 2 | 20 Gbps |
Thunderbolt 3 | 40 Gbps |
The world of connection ports is changing rapidly and there’s an ongoing debate over which will eventually win out between USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt / USB-C.
At the moment though, it’s USB 3.0 that’s out in front. For more on using USB 3.0 on Mac, check out Apple’s USB 3.0 FAQ.
Apple Airport Time Capsule
Apple offers its own tailor-made external hard drive, the Apple Airport Time Capsule.
Time Capsule works over your WiFi connection so the smart thing is, backups are performed wirelessly. However, backing up via WiFi is also much slower than using an external hard drive connected with either a USB 3.0 cable or Thunderbolt connection.
Apple’s Time Capsule is also considerably more expensive than most other external hard drives with similar capacity so unless wireless backups are important to you, there are better options available.
Format Types
You can format an external hard drive so that it works on both Mac and PC or Mac only. The best models featured here are ready formatted for use on Mac (except the WD My Book Duo and OWC ThunderBay).
However, you can easily format any external hard drive on your Mac to work with both Mac and PC or Mac only. If you want to use the drive with both a Mac and PC it must be formatted in exFat or FAT32 format.
The problem is that FAT32 is limited to 4GB so since all the hard drives featured here at 1TB or more, you have to use exFat.
As we say, you won’t need to do this as all of the drives here are ready formatted for Mac and Time Machine ready but you can find easy to follow instructions here.
Mac Backup Software
This could be an article in itself but we have absolutely no problem using Apple’s Time Machine software for backing up Macs and strongly recommend using it.
Time Machine is free in macOS, it’s quick and it’s easy to use. If anything happens to your hard drive, everything on your Mac including setup and configuration is saved in Time Machine. Just plug Time Machine in case of data loss, operating system problems or plug it into a new Mac if your hard drive failed, and you can instantly roll back to the last working version of your Mac with all your files and folder.
Best External Hard Drives For Mac Backup
There are other more manual solutions however, the best being CarbonCopy Cloner or SuperDuper for Mac.
Most external hard drive manufacturers also include their own backup and management software but they can be unintuitive, inflexible and you really don’t need them. Seagate’s Dashboard software for example is quite bloated and doesn’t make it easy to customize backups.
Best External Hard Drives For Mac
Conclusion
Best External Hard Drives For Mac And Pc
We hope this article has helped clarify the ever-changing and often confusing world of external hard drives on Mac.
There’s never been a better time for Mac users to extend storage capacity with an external hard drive. External hard drives have never been smaller or cheaper although the range of reliable manufacturers has dwindled significantly.
Today, Western Digital are one of the few left that offer genuine reliability and quality which is why 3 out of our top 5 external hard drives for Mac in 2019 are Western Digital drives. At the top end of the market, OWC external hard drives are an excellent choice as they specialize in Mac but cost a lot more.
If you’ve got any comments, experiences, issues or suggestions regarding any of the hard drives featured here, let us know in the comments below.