With the best external hard drives you can save all your important files for safe keeping, and get access to them quickly when you need them the most. And with the best SSDs, you can take them all around in your pocket. But there are a lot to chose from, and they all have different qualities and features for different users. That's why we've put together this guide.
Below we serve up our pick of the best external hard drives on the market today, including options for both PCs and Macs, and products for rugged travel protection and home-based backups. And where we haven't actually had our hands on them for testing, we've combed the internet for reviews on all the top picks. There are SSDs for the fastest date transfer and best protection, then tradition external hard drives for the biggest amount of storage for a lower price.
If you're looking for a device specifically for gaming, see our guide to the best SSD for PS5, and remember you can also back up files with the best cloud storage. If you're looking for more accessories, you might also want to take a look at our pick of the best power banks and the best internal hard drives.
The best external hard drives and best external SSDs
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With zippy transfer speeds, huge capacity and an affordable price, we rate this device from WD as the best external hard drive for most people today. It's compatible with the latest USB 3.0 devices, as well as being backward compatible with USB 2.0 devices. When connected to a USB 3.0 port, it delivers data transfer rates of up to 6GBps. It's consistently reliable in use, and depending how much you pay, capacity ranges up to a massive 18TB. That can get expensive, but in terms of cost per TB, it still offers excellent value.
This hard drive is preformatted for Windows, yet it's easy enough to reformat for Mac users. And while doesn't have much in the way of clever features, it performs the job at hand brilliantly, and at a very reasonable price. Note, though, that backup software is not included on this drive. So if that's something you need, you may prefer the next option on our list.
Speed can be of the essence if you have gigabytes of big image or video files and don't want to be stuck watching the progress bar crawl along at a glacial pace. That's when an SSD is the smart option over an external hard drive. They're more expensive, but a lot faster. The Samsung T7 Touch is a great value option, with the added bonus of fingerprint security (this is the difference from the standard Samsung T7).
The built-in fingerprint scanner is backed up with AES 265-bit encryption, and once you set that up, nobody except you will be able to access your files. You can also use password protection if you prefer. You can load, edit and save 4K video directly on the T7, something that can be painfully slow with a USB hard disk. You can install applications onto it, and you could even run an entire alternative operating system off it at full speed if you wanted to.
We've been impressed with this range of Samsung SSDs ever since our Samsung T3 review years ago. Like the earlier drives in the range, the T7 is compact, lightweight and robust, with a shock-resistant aluminium housing that means it can withstand drops of up to two metres. The T5 is still widely available, but the T7 is twice as fast, with read/write speeds up to 1,050MB/s and 1,000MB/s. And we've seen some great discounts on the Samsung T7, so get in there if you want to save big on one of the best SSDs around.
Western Digital's My Book external hard drive is pretty similar to its Elements model, which is number one on our list. Both support USB 3.0 and offer high transfer speeds (in this case, up to 5GBps). Both are available in a wide range of capacities up to 18TB, and both offer great overall value.
The main benefit of opting for the My Book is that you get a lot of useful features too. Most important of these are the in-built backup software (WD Auto Backup) and password protection with 256-bit AES hardware encryption.
If you're not bothered about these then you'll probably get more gigabytes for your money with the WD Elements drive. But if security and/or regular backups are important to you then the My Book will probably represent better value overall. (Note, though, that prices vary day by day, so check the links above for the latest deals.)
If you're taking your hard drive outdoors – as you might do on a photography shoot, for instance – you'll want something rugged enough to survive the trip, especially if the weather is looking hostile. If that's the case, we'd recommend the ADATA HD710 Pro.
With three layers of anti-shock technology, it can withstand drops of up to 1.5m in height. Rated to IP68 standards, it provides protection against dust and sand, and is waterproof to the point where it can be submerged at a two-metre depth for up to 60 minutes. It also comes with a waterproof cover and is equipped with shock sensors. So if big vibrations are detected during data transfer, a red LED lights up to warn you and the device automatically activates internal protection mechanisms to safeguard your data.
It's nice and fast too, offering transfer speeds of up to 5GBps, and its capacity goes up to 5TB. And while the camouflage look might not be for everyone, when it comes to ruggedness, you won't find finer.
Don't want to mess about reformatting a hard drive to use with your Mac? This SanDisk drive comes Mac-ready and you can format it to work with any PC, too. Beyond that, you get the choice of eye-watering capacities: up to a whopping 20TB. There's a lovely clean aluminium design, and you get USB-C plus two Thunderbolt 3 ports. In fact, if you're looking for a massive external hard drive for work, this is one of the best external hard drives for Mac that digital creatives can buy.
Be warned, though, if you're looking for a cute, portable little hard drive, the G-Drive Pro is not that. Whether you go for the 4TB or the 18TB version, the big metal case is something of a beast. The fact you can daisy-chain up to six together tells you this is aimed at professionals who create a large amount of digital work.
With the Thunderbolt ports, you can either use the included mains plug or you can just plug into your Mac/PC and power up that way. This allows for a bit of portability, but you'll find it's most at home staying put on your desk.
For a reliable backup solution that you can set up and forget about, the Seagate Backup Plus is just the ticket. It comes with its own backup software and can be set up to safely store data from just about all your devices. So not only will it move files from your computer, but it can also grab data from your phone, cloud storage and social media accounts if you want.
You get a good choice of storage capacity (from 1TB to 5TB) at an attractive price, and it's a good looking product with an attractive slim metal design that's also nice and portable. If you're a Mac user, bear in mind that you'll find it's formatted for PCs by default.
The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD proves that external storage drives don't need to be ugly black slabs, and it's attractive dimpled design with orange highlighting is sure to catch the eye. But let's be honest, that's not why you should opt for it. No, it has plenty of other things going for it.
For one thing, it's got a solid, rugged outer shell that will protect your files, and because it's an SSD you don't need to worry about moving parts coming loose and damaging the drive. It's also got IP55 dust and water resistance, giving it an extra layer of protection when you take it out on your travels. It's even got a built-in loop so you can attach it to a carabiner or lanyard, helping ensure it doesn't get lost.
In our review, we found it was a little slower than advertised, which was disappointing. But if absolute speed is not the priority for you and you want something that will protect your files when you're out and about, it's a strong option.
As you'd expect from the name, the Samsung T5 is an older model than the Samsung T7 Touch, and as such its transfer speeds are only around half as fast. It also lacks the fingerprint scanner. It may be worth looking at, though, if you can get one for a significantly cheaper price. (Check the pricing widgets above for the latest deals.)
That's because you're still getting the same high build quality and reliability, the same AES 256-bit encryption, and the same password protection as the T7 Touch. Plus, it's even smaller and lighter (at 5.7 x 1 x 7.4 cm and 51g). So if you need an external SSD to take on the move and every bit of luggage space is valuable to you, this device may be worth considering.
In general, SSDs can take more punishment than hard drives because they lack the moving parts that are usually the weak spots in HDDs. But the Adata SD700 goes further. It's water-resistant for up to 30 minutes, and it's also IP68 rated, which means that it can withstand dust, dirt and sand.
That makes it perfect if you enjoy working on the beach or are prone to dropping things that really shouldn't be dropped. The starting capacity isn't enormous, and the write speeds aren't as fast as the Samsung SSDs on our list. But overall, this is a great option if you need rugged protection for your external storage device.
If you regularly work with 4K or 8K video or massive 3D scenes, you're likely to need a bit more storage than most of the best external hard drives can provide. In fact, you might need something like the WD My Book Duo, which delivers storage options up to a staggering 36TB. While that might seem like overkill for any individual, there's a good reason why you might choose this over smaller external drives.
Instead of using all the storage normally, you can choose to set up the My Book Duo's drives as a RAID 1 backup, which means your data gets duplicated across two drives. This means that if one of them fails, everything's still safe on the other drive. It makes this the ideal choice if you don't want to leave anything to chance regarding your files.
This drive also provides two additional USB ports on the rear, plus 256-bit AES hardware encryption and automatic backup software (WD SmartWare Pro). It's also worth noting that the enclosure used is fully serviceable and that WD ships the drive already pre-formatted for Windows users (NTFS). So you will need to reformat it to work with your Mac.
How to choose the best external hard drives and best external SSDs.
When choosing the best external hard drive for you, you need to choose an option that has enough storage space for all your data, ideally with room to spare. A 500GB drive will probably do the job if you want to clear project files off your main computer, but if you regularly work with video then you'll probably need more than that. We'd recommend working out roughly how much storage space you need, then doubling it to be on the safe side.
You'll need also to be sure you can actually connect the drive to your PC or Mac. The early generation of rectangular USB-A ports has largely been superseded by the newer, smaller reversible USB-C ports, which now dominate modern laptops. Make sure you know which slots your device has, and that the external hard drive or SSD supports one of them.
External storage should also be fast and responsive, ideally as fast as moving things about on your normal computer. The external hard drives on this list are all pretty nippy, but if you want something even faster, a solid-state drive (SSD) offers the ultimate in speed, even though these devices are also more expensive.
Hard drive vs SSD: which is best for you?
When you're buying an external drive, you have a choice between two types of device: a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). Hard drives have been around for a very long time and are built around a spinning platter. SSDs are a comparatively recent development. They store data using flash memory, which means they have no moving parts. It also means that SSDs are lighter, faster, more rugged and use less power. However, the downside is that they inevitably cost more.
If you want to store huge amounts of data while keeping prices low, a HDD is the way to go. They offer big capacity for accessible prices. The drawback here is that they're relatively slow and their moving parts make them more susceptible to damage, since they can become unreliable if they get knocked or dropped. This means you shouldn't use an HDD as your only back up, especially if you carry it around with you.
SSDs are faster and more reliable since they don't have delicate moving parts. They come at a higher price, but if speed is your top priority, and especially if you move a lot of large files or want to run programs off the drive, then they're often worth paying extra for.
Alternatively, you can always use a smaller SSD for files that you need to access or move around often, and then store the data that you use less often on a higher capacity HDD.
Can I make my own external hard drive or SSD?
Yes, if you don't mind getting a little hands-on, you certainly can. It's possible to save money by buying an internal hard drive or SSD and a suitable enclosure and then putting it all together yourself. For the best performance, go for an NVMe SSD and enclosure, but bear in mind that to get top speeds out of it you'll need to plug it into a USB 3.1 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt port. For less speed at a better price, seek out a SATA SSD and a compatible enclosure. It's also easy to find hard disks and enclosures for maximum storage at the lowest prices.
Note that you won't benefit from any useful automated backup software that you might get with a ready-made external drive, so if that matters to you, you'll either need to source your own app or settle for one of the drives above.
It's also worth knowing that if an external drive fails on you, it's possible that the fault's in the enclosure rather than the drive. So if your external drive dies, you might consider finding a cheap enclosure and swapping the drive into that to see if it comes back to life. It's worked for us before!
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