One of the worst feelings in the world is when something ends up happening to your Mac and you realize that you didn’t have everything backed up. All of your important pictures, videos, and other files could all be gone, as you might need to wipe your Mac and start from scratch. This is just a “worse case” scenario, but you definitely get the idea. We’ve all been there at some point in our “computing careers” and understand the importance of having an external hard drive handy so you can perform regular Time Machine backups. Today, we’re going to take a look at a few of the best external hard drives for Mac that will help ensure that your important files are stored safely.
External hard drives come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are portable SSD’s that only use USB-C, while others are more traditional desktop hard drives with a bit of a “cloud twist”. Luckily, there’s something here that will work for everyone, so here are our picks for the best external hard drives for Mac.
Samsung T7 Touch Portable SSD
Samsung’s T-series of portable SSD’s have been a fan-favorite amongst Mac users for as long as they’ve been available. With the Samsung T7, the company implemented USB 3.2 Gen 2, meaning you can get read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s and write speeds up to 1,000 MB/s. On the top of the casing, there’s an LED square letting you know when the SSD is in use, with a fingerprint scanner for the best security possible. The T7 Touch is available in three different sizes, ranging from 500GB to 2TB, ensuring that you can get as much as you need.
For years, Crucial was the go-to brand if you were looking to upgrade the hard drive in your Mac, back in the days when that was even possible. The company still has a firm footing in the storage market, even if you can no longer swap out the SSD in your desktop Mac or MacBook. The Crucial X8 Portable SSD is a great example of this, as it’s read speeds can reach up to 1050 MB/s. It’s compatible with a wide array of devices, including your PS4 or Xbox One, and the anodized aluminum unibody design is drop proof up to 7.5-feet.
Cloud storage solutions are great, but part of the problem with these solutions is that you have to also rely on the servers for the service that you use. What about building your own in-home cloud storage solution? That’s where the Western Digital My Cloud Home comes in, offering a quick and easy way to create a personalized cloud storage solution. Not only can you use this to keep Time Machine backups for your Mac, but you can also have your iPhone’s photos automatically backed up, all without needing to rely on iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Photos. Plus, Western Digital offers seven different storage sizes to choose from to fit your needs.
If you’re okay with dropping down on the read and write speeds, but just want an excellent and reliable external hard drive for Mac, then look no further than the SanDisk Profession G-Drive Desktop Hard Drive. The base configuration features 4TB of storage, but there are a total of five different storage sizes to choose from, maxing out with an incredible 20TB of storage. It uses USB-C for connecting to your Mac, and if you’re using a MacBook, this can also provide USB Power Delivery. SanDisk also rates this external hard drive as being “Apple Time Machine ready”, and if you find yourself wanting to use this with Windows, it can be reformatted with ease.
Satechi is well-known for making some incredibly sleek accessories for the Apple ecosystem. Perhaps one of the more intriguing storage solutions to hit the market is the company’s Type-C Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure. As you might expect from the design, this is meant to be paired with Apple’s most recent Mac Mini and even the Mac Studio. It connects to your Mac using a USB-C port on the back, and features a total of seven ports on the front, complete with an LED indicator to let you know that it’s powered on, just like your Mac Mini. But what helps this stand apart from the crowd is the fact that there’s an internal slot for you to add an M.2 SATA SSD. Unfortunately, this isn’t compatible with NVMe SSD’s, so you’ll need to make sure you get the right one if you want to expand the storage of your Mac.
If you’re someone who frequently travels and wants to have an option for external storage while on the go, then the LaCie Rugged SSD is perfect for you. This portable SSD comes in five different sizes, ranging from 500GB and going all the way up to 5TB. It uses a Seagate FireCuda NVMe SSD capable of reaching up to 950MB/s read speeds, but that’s not what makes this special. Instead, it’s the IP67 water and dust resistance, along with being able to survive up to a three-meter drop and even sports “two-ton car crush resistance”. And thanks to Seagate’s Self-Encrypting technology, you’ll never have to worry about your most important files being accessed by unwanted parties.
Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.
He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.
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