The best external hard drives of 2026
Five external drives for backups, extra space and travel, and when a cheap hard drive beats a fast SSD.
For backups, the WD My Passport is the best mix of price, size and capacity. If it stays on a desk, the Seagate Expansion Desktop gives the most terabytes for the money. If you want speed, get the Samsung T7 portable SSD. For a backup the whole house can use, look at a home NAS.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Picks are based on specs, maker documentation and published testing, noted where used.
Everything we recommend
What you need to know
Anyone backing up a laptop, freeing up space or carrying files between computers.
If several people need the same files, a NAS shares them over Wi-Fi. For off-site copies, add cloud backup.
Price per terabyte, tested speed and ports, from PCWorld, PC Gamer and Macworld.
Hard drives are cheapest for backups. SSDs are faster and tougher for travel and editing.
The picks
WD My Passport
PCWorld's and PC Gamer's top portable hard drive. It runs on USB power, comes with backup software and costs little per terabyte. The 4TB version is the best value.
It uses a Micro-B port with a USB-C adapter, not native USB-C, and it is hard-drive slow.
Seagate Expansion Desktop
The cheapest way to get a lot of space for photos, video or a full computer backup. A 3.5-inch drive also copies large files faster than small portable drives.
Needs a wall outlet and is not meant to travel.
Samsung T7
Roughly eight times faster than a portable hard drive, credit-card sized and tough enough for a bag. It works with Macs, PCs, iPads, phones and consoles.
Costs several times more per terabyte than a hard drive.
PNY RP60
PCWorld's top 20Gbps drive, faster than the Crucial X10 Pro in some tests, with a dust- and water-resistant shell.
You only get full speed from a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, which most Macs and many laptops lack.
LaCie Rugged USB-C
A shock-resistant hard drive with a rubber bumper and native USB-C, popular with photographers who back up on location.
Heavier and pricier than a My Passport of the same size.
Hard drive or SSD?
A hard drive is the cheapest place to keep backups and files you rarely open. A portable SSD is the better buy if you move files every day, edit from the drive or carry it around, because it has no moving parts and is far faster.
Set your backup to run automatically with Time Machine on a Mac or File History on Windows. A drive in a drawer protects only what was on it the last time you plugged it in.
Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of anything important, on two kinds of storage, with one copy somewhere else, such as cloud backup. One external drive on the desk next to the computer is not a backup if both are stolen or flooded.
- For backups: a hard drive, ideally 2x the size of the computer you back up
- For editing or travel: an SSD
- For consoles: either works; an SSD loads games faster
The best external drive for each use
- Laptop backup: WD My Passport, set up with Time Machine on a Mac or File History on Windows.
- Desktop or whole-family backup: Seagate Expansion Desktop.
- Photo and video editing: Samsung T7, or the PNY RP60 if your computer has a 20Gbps USB port.
- PS5 or Xbox storage: a 2TB or larger drive with USB 3.0 or faster, such as the WD My Passport or Samsung T7.
- Mac: Samsung T7. Reformat it as APFS for Time Machine, or exFAT to share with a PC.
- Travel and fieldwork: LaCie Rugged USB-C.
- Sharing across the house: a home NAS instead of a single drive.
How we picked
We compared published lab tests, owner reports and maker specs, and ranked on:
- Price per terabyte
- Speed from published tests
- Ports: native USB-C vs adapter
- Durability and warranty
More on our process is in how we research.
Others we considered
- Crucial X10 Pro: A fast 10Gbps SSD; buy it if it is cheaper than the T7 Shield.
- WD My Book: Another big desktop drive; very close to the Seagate Expansion.
- Samsung T9: Faster than the T7 on a 20Gbps port, but most laptops cannot use the extra speed.
Questions
Are external hard drives reliable?
Yes for backups, but every drive fails eventually. Keep a second copy of anything you cannot replace.
Can I use an external drive with my router?
Some routers have a USB port for file sharing, but they are slow. A NAS is a better way to share files on your network.
What size should I buy?
2TB for most laptops, 4TB or more for a full backup of a desktop or a photo library.
Do external hard drives work with both Mac and PC?
Yes, if the drive is formatted as exFAT, which both read and write. Many drives ship formatted for Windows (NTFS), which a Mac can only read until you reformat it.
Can I play PS5 games from an external drive?
You can store PS5 games on a USB drive and play PS4 games from it, but PS5 games must be moved back to the internal SSD or an M.2 drive to play.
How long do external hard drives last?
Most last three to five years of regular use. Portable SSDs have no moving parts and handle drops better, but every drive can fail, so keep a second copy.
- PCWorld, "Best external drives 2026," Oct 2026
- PC Gamer, "Best external hard drives in 2026"
- Macworld, "Best external hard drives for Mac 2026"
Prices and offers change often; confirm at your address before you order. How we research
Jean founded ShopHighSpeed after trying to find one straight answer about business internet in his own town. He has been a Comcast and Verizon Fios customer, and ranks providers on what they actually deliver, not on what they advertise.