Between photo libraries, video projects, Time Machine backups, and ever-growing app footprints, Mac storage fills up fast, and Apple’s built-in storage upgrades are famously pricey. An external drive is the practical answer, whether you need a nightly backup target, more room for media, or a fast scratch disk for editing. Updated for 2026, here are five external drives that pair especially well with Macs, from rugged field drives to fast portable SSDs.
Samsung T9 Portable SSD
Samsung’s T-series portable SSDs have long been a default recommendation, and the T9 continues the tradition. It is pocket-sized, has no moving parts to worry about, and connects over USB-C at speeds that make large file transfers and photo library work feel effortless on modern Macs. A rubberised exterior adds drop resistance, and Samsung’s reputation for SSD reliability makes it an easy drive to trust with important data.
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD
The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is built for life outside the studio: an IP-rated, drop-resistant body with a carabiner loop that clips to a bag strap. It is a favourite among photographers and travellers who offload cards in the field, and it works seamlessly with both USB-C Macs and iPads. For anyone whose storage needs to survive real-world knocks, it is a proven choice.
LaCie Rugged SSD
LaCie’s orange-bumpered Rugged drives are practically an icon of creative workflows on the Mac, and the SSD versions carry that legacy forward with fast flash storage in a crush- and water-resistant shell. LaCie, a Seagate brand, has courted Mac creatives for decades, and the Rugged line remains a staple in camera bags and edit suites where reliability under abuse matters more than svelte design.
WD My Passport for Mac
If you need lots of space for backups on a budget, spinning hard drives still deliver the most terabytes per dollar, and the WD My Passport for Mac comes formatted for macOS and ready for Time Machine out of the box. It is slower than an SSD, but for set-and-forget nightly backups or archiving old projects, its combination of capacity, price, and Western Digital’s long track record is hard to argue with.
Crucial X10 Pro
Crucial’s X10 Pro is a compact, fast portable SSD from Micron, one of the world’s major memory manufacturers. It offers quick USB-C transfers in a slim, fingerprint-friendly design, and it has earned a reputation as a strong value pick among high-performance portable drives. For editors and photographers who want speed without the premium-brand markup, it deserves a close look.
How to choose
Start with your use case: choose an SSD for speed and durability if you edit or travel, or a high-capacity hard drive if you mainly need affordable backup space. Check that the drive’s connector matches your Mac’s ports, and remember any drive can be reformatted to APFS in Disk Utility in seconds. If you are building out a full creative kit, our guides to the best laptops for video editing and beginner-friendly cameras for amateur photographers pair naturally with this list.
Do external drives need to be specially formatted for Mac?
Any drive can be reformatted for macOS using Disk Utility, usually to APFS for SSDs or Mac OS Extended for hard drives used with Time Machine. Some drives, like the WD My Passport for Mac, come pre-formatted.
Should I buy an SSD or a hard drive for my Mac?
SSDs are faster, silent, and shock-resistant, ideal for editing and daily use. Hard drives offer far more capacity per dollar, which suits backups and archives.
Can I use one external drive for both Time Machine and file storage?
Yes, by partitioning the drive or adding an APFS volume, though many people prefer a dedicated backup drive so Time Machine space never competes with project files.
How long do external drives last?
SSDs typically handle many years of normal use, while hard drives are more sensitive to drops and wear. Whatever you choose, keep at least two copies of anything important.
