In this guide to the best external hard drives for Macs, we look at the top devices for plugging in and expanding the storage space of your Mac or MacBook.
While there's a lot to love about Macs, iMacs and MacBooks, they are also tricky to manually upgrade, which means if you run out of space, it isn't too easy to open them up and pop in a bigger hard drive. While you can look into taking your Mac to an Apple Store (or an Apple-approved vendor) to perform the upgrade, this can end up being pretty costly.
So, one of the more affordable (and easiest) ways to expand the storage space of your Mac or MacBook is to use an external hard drive, and this list of the best external hard drives for Macs will help you choose the best drive for your needs.
External Hard Drives for Macs. Time Machine is a convenient program to help ensure that every file is saved, and buying the right Mac hard drive can help Mac users make the most of the program. Shipping Restrictions Newegg does not process or deliver orders on weekends or holidays. Delivery will be next business day.
An external hard drive is essentially a hard drive that comes enclosed in a case. It plugs into a Mac via a cable.
The other major plus is the portability of an external hard drive means you can take it with you and plug it into another device for instant file swapping – handy if you swap between PCs and Macs regularly.
When looking to buy the best external hard drive for Macs for your needs, you should consider how much capacity you need. External hard drives come in all shapes and sizes, and you don't want to pay too much for space you'll never need, but neither do you want to cheap out and run out of space all too quickly.
Speed is also important. SSDs are faster than traditional hard drives, and you should consider what cables they use as well. USB 3.0 is fast, but Thunderbolt is faster. If you want to store lots of large files on your external hard drive, then consider going for the fastest drive you can afford.
In this guide to the best external laptops for Macs we take that into consideration - as well as ease of use, affordability and dependability. This last consideration is perhaps the most important, as when you're entrusting your important files to an external hard drive, you need to be confident that it won't break and lose your data.
1. Western Digital My Passport 4TB external hard drive
Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 3.0
This is the latest generation of the Western Digital My Passport external hard drives comes in capacities from 1TB to 4TB, and features cloud storage and 256-AES encryption, along with WD's own backup software. While transfer speeds aren't the quickest, due to its USB 3.0 connection, it offers a good balance between speed, capacity and price.
2. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt external hard drive
Capacity: 1TB, 2TB | Interface: Thunderbolt, USB 3.0
If you want to make use of your Mac's Thunderbolt port, then this is a great option, as it provides twice the speeds of standard USB 3.0 drives. It still uses a traditional hard drive, rather than an SSD, and while this means speeds aren't quite as fast as possible, it at least keeps the price down, while offering large capacities. There's also a USB 3.0 port for connecting to computers that don't have a Thunderbolt port.
3. G-Technology G-Drive USB 3.0 4TB external hard drive
Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, FireWire
This is one of the fastest high capacity hard drives you can plug into your Mac, with a huge 4TB of storage space that zips along its USB 3.0, eSATA or FireWire connection. The all-aluminium enclosure gives the drive a premium look and feel, while also protecting your data from knocks and drops, and keeping the drive cool when used.
4. Samsung T3 SSD
Capacity: 1TB | Interface: USB 3.1
If you really want a super-fast external hard drive for your Mac, then the Samsung T3 SSD is easily one of the best. As it uses a solid state drive, the read and write speeds of this drive are much faster than external hard drives that use traditional hard drives. It does mean the price is higher, but if transfer speed is the most important consideration when looking for the best external hard drive for your Mac, then this is the drive to go for.
5. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive
Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0
With compatibility for both Mac and Windows machines, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is very flexible, and comes with a rugged case that's dust and water resistant, along with a built-in USB 3.0 cable. Not only is your data kept protected from knocks and drops with the rugged shell, but it's also got 256-bit AES security features and NFC (Near Field Communication) features as well. This is a great external hard drive for your Mac if you are concerned about keeping your data safe and secure.
6. Western Digital My Passport Ultra external hard drive
Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 3.0
The latest generation of the Western Digital My Passport Ultra range of external hard drives has landed, coming in sizes from 1TB to 4TB. It features cloud storage and 256-AES encryption, along with WD's own software suite.
It is a good performer when it comes to data transfer speeds but doesn't come near the top of the leaderboard. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't reach the top speeds of solid state external drives, but for external hard drives based on traditional HDDs, this is the drive to consider.
7. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive 4TB
USB-C star
Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB-C
You may have stumbled upon the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive when perusing the Apple website for USB-C accessories. There’s a reason for that: the Porsche Design ships with both USB Type-C to Type-A and USB Type-C to Type-C connectors, making it a worthy candidate regardless of your setup.
It’s expensive for an external hard drive, don’t get us wrong, especially if you’re in the market for the top-end 4TB option. On the other hand, this is an HDD that could theoretically output speeds of up to 5Gbps, if it weren’t hindered by the limits of SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) technology. With MacBooks coming with USB Type-C connections, this is an excellent - and stylish - external hard drive that makes the most of this speedy new port.
8. iStorage diskAshur 2TB external hard drive
A brilliant external hard drive for extra security
Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0
If you're worried about people getting access to your data if your external hard drive is stolen, than you'll like the iStorage drive here. If someone tries to tamper with your iStorage drive, you can configure it to self-desturct. What's more, the data is encrypted by the 256-bit AES protocol, with multiple forms of protection in place to ensure the bad guys don't get in no matter how persistent. When you consider all that extra security, the prices won't scare you away either. It's more pricey than the other drives of its capacity, but the extra security it offers will be well worth it for many people.
- Check out our list of the best external hard drives in 2019
Macs have a reputation for being hard to upgrade or repair, but that isn’t always true. The hard drive (or SSD) is one component that you often can replace yourself, especially in older Macs. Let’s look at how to find out if you can replace yours.
Finding Your Mac’s Model
Before doing anything you need to be sure exactly what model Mac you have. Just calling it a MacBook Pro isn’t enough; for example, I’ve got MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015). To find out what you have, click the Apple logo in the top left corner of the menu bar and select the “About This Mac” option.
On the Overview tab you’ll see your Mac’s exact model.
This will help you figure out if you can upgrade the hard drive in your Mac, and help you find the right parts.
What Macs Hard Drives Can You Upgrade?
If your Mac is more than a few years old, you can almost certainly upgrade the hard drive. Unfortunately, if you’ve got a newer model, you’re probably out of luck. The modern Macs you’re able to upgrade are:
- MacBook Core 2 Duo
- MacBook Unibody
- MacBook Pro 13″ (2009-2012)
- MacBook Pro 13″ with Retina Display (Late 2012-Early 2015)
- MacBook Pro 15″ (2008-2012)
- MacBook Pro 15″ with Retina Display (Mid 2012-Mid 2015)
- MacBook Pro 17″ (All Models)
- MacBook Air 11″ (All Models)
- MacBook Air 13″ (All Models)
- Mac Mini (All Models)
- iMac (All Models)
- iMac Pro (All Models)
- Mac Pro (All Models)
This means that the Mac models you can’t upgrade the hard drive in are:
- Retina MacBook (All Models)
- MacBook Pro 13” (2016-2017)
- MacBook Pro 13” with Touch Bar (All Models)
- MacBook Pro 15” with Touch Bar (All Models)
This may change if a third-party manufacturer manages to create a compatible hard drive, but for the time being you’ll need to go to an Apple Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider if you need your hard drive replaced.
How to Upgrade Your Hard Drive
While it is possible to replace the hard drive on any Mac not listed above, how difficult it is varies wildly with the model. The Mac Pro is designed to have its hard drive replaced easily, while an iMac requires you to remove the entire screen. If you’re not sure you have the technical chops to do it right, you should consider asking a more qualified friend to help, or even going to the professionals.
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Rather than walk you through every possible hard drive replacement, if you’ve decided to go it alone, I’m going to hand you off to our friends at iFixit. They have guides for every Mac model and sell all the parts you need. While you can find hard drive replacement kits through online retailers just by searching, we recommend iFixit because they only stock parts from reputable suppliers so you know you’re not going to get ripped off. The one caveat to that is if your Mac is old enough to use standard 2.5” or 3.5” HDDs, you can buy them anywhere.
Head to iFixit and find your Mac model. Here’s the page for my MacBook Pro. You can see the guide to replacing the SSD is right there.
In the guide, you’ll find all the instructions, as well as links to buy the parts you need.
There’s also a list of the tools required. Macs use custom screws, so you won’t be able to get anything done with the rusty old Philips head sitting in your shed. If you think you’re going to regularly take apart your gadgets, you’re probably better off getting a full tech tool kit.
Once you’ve upgraded the hard drive, you’ll need to install macOS. We’ve got a full guide on how to do it from scratch. You’ll probably also want to put your old hard drive in a case like this one so that you can use it as an external hard drive. That way you can easily migrate all your old files.
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