External Drives For Mac

Plug the external drive into your mac and select the Disk utility app You will see your drive listed on the side panel Select your drive and select Erase and a list of options will pop up Select Format: Mac OS journaled. Mac External Hard Drive Reviews. These days everyone is purchasing external hard drives for their computers, because you never know what’s going to happen.Should you lose your computer, or if something happens to its hard drive, then you have completely lost the data on your computer. Shop for external cd dvd drive for mac at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. All of these external hard drives are formatted for Mac OS X, though they can be reformatted for Windows. The software allows for automatic backup of all of your important files. Plus, all models have a 256 bit AES hardware encryption to protect all of your important information, keeping it more secure. With high storage capacities available and security features, you can store a ton of data also and take it anywhere without worry.

  1. Best External Hard Drive For Macbook Pro
  2. External Hard Drive For Mac
  3. External Drives For Macbook
  4. External Storage For Mac Mini
  5. External Drives For Mac Book Air
  6. External Drives For Mac Mini

BestExternal Hard Drives for MaciMore2019

When it comes to storing data, personal information, and essential documents, you can never be too safe. External hard drives are not only useful for storing data but are an excellent way to transport files from one location to another. When you take into account price, ease of use, and portability, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times.

Best Overall: Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)

If you want a reliable external hard drive that has a decent amount of storage, is super easy to carry around and has a very affordable price tag, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the best option for most people. Formatted for Windows and Mac right out of the box, it's easy to carry all your essential documents from desktop to laptop without missing a beat.

External

The Seagate Dashboard back up system is a fantastic simple tool that can let you schedule backups to ensure you never miss any critical files you need in case something terrible happens to your computer. You can set automatic backups daily, weekly, or monthly, and change the frequency whenever you want.

Seagate also throws in a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create. This can help you wrangle your photo library if you don't already use some photo managing tool, and a two-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan.

Pros:

  • Affordable
  • Great backup software
  • USB 3.0
  • Metal enclosure

Best Overall

Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)

Reliable, portable, and affordable.

Don't worry about lengthy setups or formatting procedures. Plug in the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB which is formatted for Mac right out of the packaging.

Best USB-C hard drive: Samsung T5 Portable SSD (1 TB)

This small compact SSD drive from Samsung comes with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A, meaning it's perfect to use with your MacBook or Mac.

Its fast 540 MB/s read and write speeds are more than enough to transfer any file. And should be able to store all your photo and video files with ease thanks to its straightforward software. Plus, if you're worried about encryption, the Samsung T5 Portable SSD has you covered with an optional password to launch the drive, and AES 256-bit hardware encryption on all your files.

Pros:

  • USB-C
  • SSD
  • Super compact
  • AES 256-bit hardware encryption

Best USB-C

Samsung T5 Portable SSD (1 TB)

Fast and encrypted

With 540 MB/s read and write speeds the Samsung T5 Portable SSD is fast enough for photographers and videographers to transport all their work.

Compatible with Time Machine right out of the box, the 8 TB storage capacity on the Western Digital My Book is perfect for people looking for a lot of stage at a reasonable price. It's USB 3.0 meaning it's easy to take advantage of its storage speed with fast transfer speeds.

While portability is not the Western Digital My Book's strong suit and it needs a separate power source, it does offer 256-AES encryption when you download its easy-to-use security software. It ensures all your important files and documents stay private.

If you're looking for a drive that has lots of space, os you don't have to have multiple as your storage needs grow, look no further.

Pros:

  • Lots of storage
  • 256-AES encryption
  • Time Machine compatible

Best Capacity

Western Digital My Book (8TB)

Lots of storage for those who need it

Western Digital offers 256-AES encryption when you download its security software, meaning you can rest easy knowing your private information and personal data is safe.

Best Thunderbolt 3 Drive: LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt

LaCie hard drives have always been good for people on the go because of the rugged design. The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt can withstand some dust, dirt, and even a tiny bit of water being splashed on it.

It's 7200 RPM Hard drive keeps things running smoothly. And the included USB-C cable — which supports Thunderbolt 3 — makes it perfect for MacBook and Mac users alike!

Cons:

  • Only 130MB/s

Best Thunderbolt 3 Drive

LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt

Rugged design with Thunderbolt 3

The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 3 is a favorite because it can withstand drops, dust, and even the occasional splash of water, making it easy to carry around!

Best for Legacy Hardware : G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)

While Apple has been going the way of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 for a while now, some of us still use older hardware and thus don't need hard drives that have USB-C connections. If you're still rocking USB-A or even a Thunderbolt 2 connection from your Mac, the G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB) is a perfect companion.

Its all-metal design is not only more durable than plastic hard drives, but it also looks stylish! Plus, it's 7200 RPM speed allows the G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 to achieve 195 MB/s read and write speeds. This makes it fast enough to transfer large video files quickly and efficiently.

Cons:

  • Needs to be reformatted for Windows

Best for legacy hardware

G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)

Stylish and fast even on older computers

With 7200 RPM, this hard drive works hard and fast to get your files transferred quickly. Plus, it uses USB 3.0, and it even has a Thunderbolt 2 port.

The CalDigit Tuff does the best it can to live up to its name, giving you a hard drive that isn't as delicate as most. Its official IP rating is IP57, meaning it can be submerged in 3-feet of water for 30 mins and come out the other side functional. That's not all; this Thunderbolt 3 compatible drive can also withstand falling from about 4-feet high. We still don't suggest that you purposely abuse the CalDigit Tuff. Still, it's always good to have peace of mind when you're carrying your hard drive around.

Cons:

  • Only come in 2TB

Best rugged drive

CalDigit Tuff

Can withstand drops and water

Official rated IP57, the CalDigit Tuff can survive an accidental dip into the water and has a great price tag.

But I cannot try with older versions of Wine, because I cannot get DCOM98 anymore.So, how to get this program working? (Note that pspicead.exe does NOT exist even in a correct windows installation.)Looking for solutions on the web, it is said to set Wine for Windows98 and override ole32.dll, oleaut32.dll and rpcrt4.dll to native (others says built-in). Pspice. When launching simulation from Schematics, it says 'unable to find pspicead.exe' even if pspice.exe starts. You also have to install DCOM98, but the script on PlayOnLinux does not work and even Winetricks does not support it anymore, because it seems to be already implemented in recent versions of Wine. Schematics runs well, BUT simulation does not work at all.

If you're used to dealing with giant file sizes and need a hard drive that can handle transfer data fast, the Samsung X5 is one of the fastest SSD's you'll find. Its read and write speeds are 2,800MB/s and 2,300MB/s respectively, and the entire body is made of metal, making it much harder than plastic drives. Plus, The internal frame on the inside is shock resistant for drops from 2 meters.

Best External Hard Drive For Macbook Pro

This SSD comes with Thunderbolt 3 technology included. This you can take advantage of the fast speeds on your Mac or MacBook Pro, and it doesn't need any formatting, so it's plug and play!

Pros:

  • 2,800MB/s read speed
  • Shock resistant
  • Thunderbolt 3

Best fast drive

Samsung X5

Incredibly fast SSD

If you need blazing fast speeds for giant files, the Samsung X5 is a monster external SSD that can handle any workload.

Bottom line

The Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times. It is formatted for both Mac and Windows right out of the box, and its easy-to-use software can automatically do backups for you as often or as little as you want.

Seagate also throws in a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create. This program can help you wrangle your photo library if you don't already use some photo managing tool. A two-month membership to Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan means it's perfect for budding photographers as well.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Luke Filipowicz is an iMore staff writer who has been carrying around his Seagate Backup Plus Slim since his college days.

Lory Gil is the Managing Editor of iMore and an avid believer in having as many backups of your important files and documents as possible.

Rene Ritchie is the foremost authority on all things Apple and has insider knowledge about the goings-on at the biggest tech company in the world. When it comes to accessories for Mac, Rene has used them all.

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

📱 🤓 🙌🏼

These back cover cases will work with Apple's Smart Cover

Are you looking for an iPad Pro 10.5 case that works effortlessly with Apple’s Smart cover? Never fear, we have you covered with these awesome back cover cases!

Lot of Mac OS X users reported this issue in Apple support communities. External hard drive showing up in Disk utility not in Devices. This problem also happened after OS X Yosemite update.
Solution 1:-
Go to Settings -> Finder Preferences . Under the General tab, select External drive in “Show these items on the desktop”.


Solution 2 :-
Go to Disk utility and select the external drive from the left sidebar. Choose verify disc. It will find and correct minor errors.

External Hard Drive For Mac

Solution 3:-

External Drives For Macbook


If you are connecting your external hard drive with Mac using USB Hub, check the USB hub first.
Solution 4:-
  1. Open Disk Utility. If your external USB drive drive faded/greyed out and unmountable?
  2. Connect another external drive or Pen drive to computer. This drive also not recognized drive?
  3. Do the proper eject from the Finder window list.
  4. Restart your computer and connect the external drive.

Solution 5:-

  1. From the Finder menu, select “Go to Finder”.
  2. Type the external drive path what appears under Disk Utility. Ex: /Volumes/sleekdisk

External Storage For Mac Mini

Solution 6:-
Drive not showing up in Finder but visible in Disk Utility?
Go to Finder window and view below the favourite list. If the drive greyed Out? Select the drive. It might visible.
Solution 7 :-

  1. Shut down your Mac computer .
  2. Unplug the power cord.
  3. Unplug all USB connections.
  4. Wait 30 seconds or 5 minutes then plug it back in.
  5. Then turn on your MacBook Pro or iMac.
  6. Plug the external drive only to the USB port. Open Finder and check your drive.

External Drives For Mac Book Air

Solution 8:-
Install and run run Onyx (maintenance freeware) or
run Kext_Utility.app.v2.6.1 and restart your Mac machine.
Solution 9:-
Some times this issue might happened because of the unsupported drive format.
Install Fuse for OS X, NTFS-3G for Mac OS X and Fuse wait.
Restart your computer and check the issue.
If the above methods not working?

  • Install fresh OSX Yosemite.
  • Connect your segate external drive or WD passport to Windows computer. Delete the partition and connect back to MacBook Pro.

External Drives For Mac Mini

If you knew any other solutions, inform us via comment.