Best External Hard Drives
The Best External Hard Drives for Reliable Backups
4 picks compared
8 min read
Unbiased Advice & Insights is reader-supported. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. It never changes our picks.
?How we pickedWe compare published specifications, safety certifications and thousands of verified owner reviews, and we do not physically test every unit. Read the full process in our review methodology.
Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD
★★★★★ 4.8 / 5 Best overall
The T7 Shield is our overall pick because it blends fast USB speeds with a rubberized, water and dust resistant shell that shrugs off travel. It is pocket-size, dependable, and quick enough for editing photos or moving large files directly off the drive.
Type Portable SSDInterface USB 3.2 Gen 2Rated speed Up to around 1,050 MB/s
- Fast real-world transfer speeds
- Rugged, water and dust resistant shell
- Compact and pocketable
- Costs more per gigabyte than a hard drive
- Top speed needs a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port
WD My Passport
★★★★★ 4.5 / 5 Best budget capacity
When you want lots of space without spending much, the My Passport is a longtime favorite. It is a mechanical drive, so it is slower than an SSD, but it delivers plenty of storage for backups and media at a friendly price, with included backup software.
Type Portable hard driveInterface USB 3.0Capacities Up to 5TB
- Excellent storage for the money
- Compact for a mechanical drive
- Includes backup software
- Much slower than an SSD
- Moving parts are less shock resistant
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD
★★★★★ 4.6 / 5 Best for travel
The SanDisk Extreme is a great companion for creators on the move, with a rugged body, a handy carabiner loop, and strong water and dust resistance. Speeds are quick enough for offloading camera footage in the field.
Type Portable SSDInterface USB 3.2 Gen 2Extras Carabiner loop
- Durable and weather resistant
- Carabiner loop for easy carry
- Fast enough for field editing
- Pricier than mechanical drives
- Can warm up during long transfers
Seagate Expansion Desktop
★★★★★ 4.5 / 5 Best for max storage
For archiving huge libraries at home, the Expansion Desktop offers the most storage for your dollar. It is a plug-and-play desktop drive with its own power adapter, ideal for full-system backups and video collections that portable drives cannot hold.
Type Desktop hard driveInterface USB 3.0Capacities Up to 18TB and beyond
- Enormous capacity per dollar
- Simple plug-and-play setup
- Great for full-system backups
- Needs an external power adapter
- Not portable and slower than SSDs
Published July 16, 2026 · Availability last checked July 2026 · Reviewed by the UAI editorial team · How we research and score
SSD versus hard drive
Solid state drives have no moving parts, so they are faster, quieter, and far more shock resistant, which makes them ideal for anything you carry around. Mechanical hard drives remain the value king when you simply need many terabytes for backups and media.
Watch the interface and cable
A fast SSD only reaches its rated speed on a matching port, so check that your computer offers USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt and use the cable in the box. Plugging a fast drive into an older USB 2.0 port will bottleneck it badly.
Plan for redundancy
No single drive is a true backup, because any device can fail. Follow the idea of keeping multiple copies, ideally one off-site or in the cloud, so a lost or dead drive never means lost memories or work.
Model numbers and safety
Each pick lists its model above. Product availability and recalls change, so confirm the exact model and its current recall status on cpsc.gov before buying.
More guides
See our full buying guides hub and our research and scoring methodology. Every pick is judged on the same weighted criteria: owner satisfaction, performance, ease of use, reliability and value.
Questions people ask
Should I buy an SSD or a hard drive?
Choose an SSD for speed, durability, and portability, and choose a mechanical hard drive when you want the most storage for the lowest price and speed is not critical.
How much storage do I need for backups?
A common rule is to buy at least twice the capacity of the data you want to protect, which leaves room for the backup to grow over time and for multiple versions.
Do external drives work with both Windows and Mac?
Yes, though drives often ship formatted for Windows. You can reformat in minutes for Mac, or use a cross-platform format like exFAT if you need to move between both systems.
The bottom lineSo which one?
The Samsung T7 Shield is the best all-round external drive, the WD My Passport wins on cheap capacity, the SanDisk Extreme is the top travel pick, and the Seagate Expansion Desktop is the choice for the largest archives.
