The Best External Hard Drives and SSDs for Mac in 2026

A tiny yet highly capable external SSD, the Crucial X10 scored well in our benchmark testing and comes in capacities up to 8TB. It comes formatted in exFAT for near-universal compatibility with computers and mobile devices with a USB-C port. (Note that although its interface supports the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard, when used with a Mac it will revert to USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds— up to 10 Gbps.) The X10’s basic ruggedization features protect it from tumbles and meteorological threats while you’re traveling.

Note that Crucial (a brand subsidiary of memory giant Micron) is no longer making new drives, and in fact, Micron is exiting the retail memory and SSD market altogether. The company will continue to support its existing drives, however, and they're often good deals while they remain in sales channels.

Anyone in need of high-capacity storage: The X10 is a storage device with near-universal appeal. Its native exFAT format makes it compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux machines as well as Android, iOS, and ChromeOS devices. As a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 device, it should work with almost every modern computer with a USB-C connection. Factor in capacities up to 8TB and basic ruggedization, and you can't go too wrong with the X10. In a difficult storage market, it is relatively cost-effective per gigabyte, even at its higher capacities, and it can hold a sizeable game, video, or photo library.

Frequent travelers: The Crucial X10 is a great choice for travel, thanks to its lightweight, compact design. It is reasonably rugged, certified drop-proof up to 7.5 feet, and has an IP65 ingress protection rating, which indicates protection against dust and water. Note, though, that it lacks AES encryption, so you might want to avoid storing sensitive documents on it when you travel.

The Samsung Portable SSD T9 is a high-performance external drive, offered in capacities up to 4TB and with an interface that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, which is blazing fast if you have a Mac with a port that supports this standard. It was fast with our Windows testbed (which has a 2x2 expansion card) and surprisingly quick when tested with an older MacBook Pro with a Thunderbolt 3/USB 3.1 Gen 2 port. AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption, the gold standard in civilian encryption solutions, and an upgraded Samsung Magician software suite sweeten the deal.

Mac-based content creators: Billed as a drive for creators, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 is a smart choice for Mac users who need to access or back up large files. Available in sizes up to 4TB, it’s fast, too, according to our extensive tests.

Windows users: Users with Windows-based computers that support USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 will appreciate this SSD's speed and capacity. Goodies such as hardware-based encryption sweeten the pot.

Built for full compatibility with the latest Thunderbolt 5-equipped Mac and Windows computers, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is screaming-fast when paired with a recent Mac that supports the standard. (Indeed, in July 2026, we tagged it with a PCMag Lab Award for Fastest External SSD.) It is rugged as all get-out, too, receiving an ingress protection rating of IP68—the highest possible score for imperviousness to water and dirt that a product can get—and is built to survive drops of up to 10 feet. We also like its five-year warranty, subscription to a data recovery service, and the inclusion of LaCie Toolkit backup software.

People who own the latest Macs, and need serious speed: Aimed squarely at Mac users and other creative pros who have (or are looking to upgrade to) a Thunderbolt 5-ready computer, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 has blazing read and write speeds—the fastest we've seen on an external SSD—on the Blackmagic benchmark, which tests how an SSD handles video files in different formats. Be forewarned that you do pay for its elite performance.

Photographers, videographers, and audio engineers: LaCie targets the Pro5 at creative professionals such as photographers, videographers, and audio engineers, and describes the SSD—which comes in capacities up to 4TB—as the industry's fastest scratch disk. It enables real-time editing of 8K and 6K RAW footage.

Creative pros on the go: The Pro5's IP68 ingress protection rating ensures maximum protection from dirt, dust, and water, and it’s been shown to survive 10-foot drops unscathed. This all makes it a great fit for professionals who spend more time on set or in the great outdoors than in the studio.

The SanDisk Desk Drive is an external solid-state drive for use with a Mac or Windows desktop or laptop workstation and is a fine substitute for a spinning external hard drive. Available in capacities up to 8TB (with a 16TB model to come), it comes formatted in Mac-friendly exFAT and includes a download for Acronis True Image backup software. It aced our PCMark 10 Overall general-storage benchmark and did well in the 3DMark Storage gaming-centric test.

Users in fixed locations: The SanDisk Desk Drive provides abundant storage when paired with a Mac or Windows machine at a fixed location, whether a desktop or a laptop workstation. It is far faster than similar hard-drive-based solutions. Its bulk and reliance on an AC adapter make it less than ideal for portable use.

Gamers, photographers, and movie buffs: With current capacities of up to 8TB, the Desk Drive can store a library of more than 50 AAA games, a video collection, or a photo archive. It provides the sort of peak capacity previously only seen with platter drives on the desktop, but it is significantly faster.

The Corsair EX400U is a compact external SSD that scored well on both our Mac-based benchmarks running Thunderbolt 4 and our Windows tests over a USB4 connection. The highly portable EX400U also offers a neat feature: Its MagSafe connector can attach to a compatible Apple iPhone, letting you transfer or even directly record video over its USB-C connection.

Smartphone videographers: If you shoot enough video that your phone's storage fills up quickly, the compact EX400U can solve that problem. It can be magnetically attached to your phone, letting you transfer or even save video as it is shot while connected in that way.

Dual-OS (Mac and Windows) users: The EX400U plays well with both macOS and Windows. In testing, it showed high transfer speeds when paired with a Mac running Thunderbolt 4 and with our Windows testbed, which supports USB4.

As a spinning hard drive, the Seagate One Touch provides relatively inexpensive (if slow) storage at a time when it is desperately needed. We reviewed the 8TB version; it comes in capacities up to 24TB. The One Touch comes preformatted in exFAT, ensuring compatibility with macOS, Windows, and Linux computers, and can be reformatted as needed. The drive is bus-powered, meaning that it draws its power from its host computer over the same USB cable used to transfer data, no wall wart or power outlet needed. Note that the One Touch requires a computer that provides at least 15W of power delivery; that excludes the MacBook Neo, for one.

Photographers and videographers: With media files taking up scads of space and storage prices through the roof, the One Touch can serve as a relatively affordable video or photo library. While creative pros will want to use a faster solution (internal or external SSD) during the editing process, the One Touch can serve as a massive repository for completed projects and backups. Even better, because it draws power directly from its host computer and needs no power adapter, the drive is not tied to the studio like most desktop hard drives; you can use it anywhere your laptop goes.

Bargain hunters: The global memory shortage has pushed the price of a typical 8TB solid-state drive north of $800, but unless you must have fast storage to run AAA games, edit videos, or perform other high-impact tasks, you don't need to shell out that sort of cash. The One Touch can be had for about a third of the price of an SSD of equivalent capacity and can be used for archiving, backups, hosting a media library, and most general storage tasks.

The LaCie 2big RAID external hard drive, aimed squarely at videographers, photographers, and other content creators, earns kudos for design excellence. The handsome gray and black case houses two spinning-platter drives—4TB each in the 8TB version we tested. You can configure the 2big so your computer sees it as two separate 4TB drives, a single 8TB drive with faster performance, or a 4TB drive automatically mirrored or backed up to a second. You can also hot-swap drives, easily sliding an old one out and a new one in without tools and without turning the LaCie unit off.

The 2big RAID array promises reliability and delivers the performance benefit you'd expect from 7,200rpm platters, magnified by the default RAID 0 setting. The optional RAID 1 setting is available if you want data redundancy. (A JBOD mode is also available if you don't want to use RAID.)

Mac creators: The LaCie 2big RAID desktop array offers cavernous capacity to creative types and others who need to work with massive amounts of data. When we reviewed it, it was available in capacities up to 16TB, but the company has since added even higher volumes, up to a monstrous 40TB.

Windows users: The LaCie 2big RAID ships formatted in exFAT for Mac and Windows compatibility. It provides voluminous capacity and can be configured in multiple ways.

The SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD is a cost-effective, semi-rugged external hard drive with capacities of up to 5TB. As a spinning (5,400rpm) platter drive, its speed can't compare with a solid-state drive's, but it fills a niche for travelers or mobile workers who need lots of capacity for their dollar. With a rubber bumper and internal shock mounts, the ArmorATD is rated to survive up to 1,000 pounds of pressure or a drop from 3.3 feet. Its ingress protection (IP) rating of IP54 promises some security against sand and rain. It comes formatted in Mac-friendly HFS+, one of two formats (along with APFS) compatible with the macOS Time Machine backup system.

Mac users: SanDisk’s G-Drive line has traditionally been geared toward Mac users, and that remains the case now that G-Drive is a premium SanDisk Professional offering. The ArmorATD comes formatted in the Mac-only HFS+ file system, and reformatting it for Windows use can be onerous if you don’t own a Mac.

Travelers: The ArmorATD is best for traveling Mac users who want a drive that can withstand a tumble or a rainstorm and has a higher capacity for the price than an SSD. It provides basic protection from dust, sand, and water, so it’s a good choice for people—whether workers or campers—who spend time in the outdoors but don’t go on extreme wilderness treks.

The WD My Passport USB-C is available with the highest capacity (6TB) of any pocketable spinning hard drive on the market today. Despite its name, it connects via a USB Micro-B port—its included cable is a Micro-B-to-USB-Type-A, and it also comes with an A-to-C dongle for connecting to a computer's USB-C port. It comes formatted in exFAT for compatibility with both macOS and Windows. Its speeds on our benchmarks were actually a little faster than the similar 6TB WD My Passport Ultra with its native USB-C port—though still far below those of portable SSDs—and it's priced a little lower.

Occasional travelers: The WD My Passport, Works with USB-C is good for occasional travel; its AES 256-bit encryption should keep your data safe if the drive is lost or stolen. It is shock- and vibration-resistant, and drop-resistant up to 6.5 feet. But without an ingress protection rating, you may not want to take it on a wilderness trip.

Bargain hunters: The My Passport is one of the first 6TB portable spinning hard drives, and especially at its highest capacity, it comes in at a very low cost per gigabyte, so you can get a lot of storage, cheap. The 6TB WD My Passport USB-C lists at a minuscule 3.2 cents per gig.

Business users: It brings the highest capacity available in a portable hard drive, making it a decent repository for media files. Acronis True Image backup software and 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption further sweeten the deal. This drive is a winner for businesses that seek high capacity and value in a platter hard drive and appreciate built-in software and security features.

LaCie's two-drive Rugged RAID Shuttle provides 8TB of capacity and fast performance (in striped mode) or 4TB of capacity with all data mirrored on the second disk. It's ideal for anyone who works in the field and produces mountains of data. Its crush-resistant gray brushed-aluminum case houses two physical drives, with a choice of RAID settings prioritizing performance or on-the-fly backup. The unit meets the IP54 dust and water resistance spec and is rated to survive a four-foot drop. It fits easily in a gear bag or a padded overnight express envelope to let pros send files to the office or studio when data connections are slow or nonexistent.

Mac-based creative professionals: Designed with creative professionals such as filmmakers, photographers, and musicians in mind, the LaCie Rugged RAID Shuttle is aimed at anyone who works in the field and produces large amounts of data they can't afford to lose. Out of the box, the LaCie Rugged RAID Shuttle is formatted in exFAT, ensuring compatibility with both Mac and Windows systems. It delivers an unmatched balance of performance, capacity, and data protection.

Travelers: Few RAID arrays are grab-and-go, but the LaCie Rugged RAID Shuttle is a welcome exception. This two-drive unit offers the choice of high capacity and fast performance (in striped mode), or of half the capacity with all data mirrored on the second disk. It's ideal for anyone who works in the field and produces oodles of data. Its IP54 ingress protection rating ensures some resistance to water, sand, and dust.