First, though, you need to know which external hard drives are the best – and that’s where we can help. We conduct in-depth research and scour the market for the best external hard drives for your home and office computer, so that you can save time and money. Also: The best VPN services For other ideas, check out our expert picks for the best computers, the best all-in-one computers, and the best gaming PCs. For our pick, the Seagate Backup Plus wins the best external hard drive overall. The device is ultra portable for easy carry, and it offers a straightforward design that works with both Windows and Mac. The USB 3.0 drive gives easy access to your files, and you also have the ability to set up automatic backups, whether it is daily, weekly, monthly, or on-demand. As a bonus, with your purchase, you’ll receive a two-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan, plus a two-year warranty. Read the review: Seagate Backup Plus Review As the name suggests, the LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt is the best rugged external hard drive for its tough design – but it’s fast, too. The incorporated Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C offers lightning-fast speeds of up to 130MB/s, giving you high-speed file transfers. Of course, the best part about this external hard drive is its durability. The tough, rugged design is built for life on the road, so it can outlast normal wear and tear. This unit is drop-, dust-, and water-resistant, so you can maintain peace of mind during every adventure. Also: The 5 best rugged laptops There is no shortage of capacities for the WD My Book Duo. Its storage ranges from 4TB all the way to 36TB, offering the largest capacity of all the best external hard drives. However, you have to pay for all that storage with a higher price tag. It uses USB connectivity and offers a hard disk form factor of 3.5 inches, which is larger than other models. As a desktop unit, we also recommend this unit for gaming. Also: The 6 best gaming laptops If you don’t have a lot to spend, the WD My Passport is a dialed-down version of the external hard drive. It is compatible with desktops and gaming consoles, making it a versatile pick. However, you will have to deal with a lower hard disk form factor of 3.5 inches. It stores a maximum of 5TB, making it suitable if you have fewer files. We recommend the WD Black P10 Game Drive as the best external hard drive for gaming. You get up to 5TB of storage, which can hold up to 125 games, plus USB 3.0 connectivity, albeit with a lower hard disk form factor of 2.5 inches. It uses USB Type-A compatibility, coupled with a Micro-B cable and SuperSpeed interface. You will also find that it’s compatible with certain Xbox and PlayStation systems. Include a “Which is the right [topic keyword] for you?” section formatted in a listicle item shortcode. In this section, break down a buying tree for readers based on their use cases. Make a two-column chart (see live example here or see below) to visually lay out the use cases.
Type: A traditional hard drive may move slower and limit the ability to access your system remotely.Storage space: The best external storage devices are available with different capacities for storage, ranging from 1TB to 36TB.Ports: Most external hard drives allow for USB connections, but some offer USB-C connections for your more modern devices.Price: We always keep price at the forefront, so you can find an external hard drive that matches your budget.Write speeds: How fast does the portable drive process your files?
