Related: Get it all done with the best laptops. We prioritized hard drives with good performance metrics (like decent read/write speeds and protective cases), as well as positive consumer reviews that show the drives perform as promised in real-life settings. Performance: We included a mix of HDD and SSD options to suit shoppers with different performance needs (and budgets). You’ll find budget-friendly options in the list to store a few documents and photos up to large-capacity drives to store terabytes of 4K videos. To cater to a range of shoppers, we included hard drives with a range of capacity options. Space Requirements: Capacity needs will vary depending on what you plan to store. Of course, any brand can have a product that is a dud, so we considered consumer reviews as well as the product specifications to narrow down our top picks. Reputable brands also tend to have better support, in case something goes wrong with the hard drive.

Since reliability is so important for an external hard drive, it pays off to invest in a product from a reliable brand - even if it is a little bit more expensive.

Reputable Brands: Brands earn consumer trust and a good reputation by creating reliable products. We narrowed down our top picks from over 30 external hard drives, paying mind to a few important factors. That’s why our first criteria was reliability you need to be able to count on your external hard drive to keep your information safe. In many cases, the data on your computer can be more important than the computer itself. Best for Gaming: WD BLACK D30 Game Drive SSD How We Picked the Best External Hard Drives Methodology

Best Overall: WD Elements Desktop Hard Drive - Best Cheap: Seagate Portable External Hard Drive HDD - Best SSD: WD My Passport SSD External Portable Drive - Best Portable: Samsung T5 Portable SSD - Best for Photos: SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD Read on for the best external hard drive for keeping your data safe. There’s a suitable external hard drive out there for any use, from backing up a few important files to storing terabytes of video footage. They come in a variety of types and with differing storage capacities, so your ideal hard drive will depend on your needs and budget. The best external hard drives are also useful for increasing digital storage space.Ī good external hard drive is reliable, affordable, and convenient to use. Since they are external to your computer, they’ll keep important data safe and recoverable, even if your PC breaks down. An external hard drive is a small, often portable hard drive that is used to back up digital files, photos, and important documents. Frequent computer backups are essential for good digital hygiene, and with the best external hard drive, keeping important documents safe is easy.

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