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The best external hard drives and solid-state drives are a tried and tested means of keeping your data safe. With more and more of our lives and work needing to be digitally stored, having data backup and protection is more important than ever. We’ve put together this guide to help find the right hard drive for you.
Currently, our top pick for most users is the Sandisk Extreme Pro USB4 SSD, but we have many more options for different use cases. Looking for more computing accessories? See our picks of the best power banks.
Quick list
This is our tech reviews editor's favourite SSD (I asked him), and he loves it primarily for its compact size and portability, with an IP65 rating making it able to withstand the outdoors. It's also pretty zippy too, with fast data transfer speeds.
Aimed at pros who create a large amount of digital work in creative software, this is one of the best external hard drives with huge amounts of storage available. You can also daisy-chain up to six other units to it, and it has Thunderbolt ports too.
The WD My Passport is a pretty old SSD (released around 8 years ago); however, it's still class even now with impressive read and write speeds for file transfers, plus it has a teeny tiny compact design with possibly one of the world's shortest USB cables.
Best external hard drives and SSDs
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Best SSD overall
30-second review: The Sandisk Extreme Pro USB4 SSD is a great option for most creatives, and that's why we've put it at the top of this list. Especially if you're working outdoors a lot of the time, this SSD has an IP65 water and dust resistance rating, so you don't have to worry about anything harming your hard drive.
Price: It's certainly not the cheapest SSD on the market, but we still think the Extreme Pro USB4 has a reasonable price tag. It sits at
Features: The key selling point is that this drive supports USB4 for quick transfers, meaning that you can transfer data quickly between computers, store files, or create backups in no time, thanks to this useful little block.
Best HDD overall
30-second review: Our reviews editor tried out the 12TB version of this mighty HDD back in 2022, but is currently testing a newer version of this model with a whopping 26TB of storage capacity available. In short, if you have A LOT of files, then this is the one-drive solution you've been looking for.
Price: At the time of reviewing the 2022 version, prices for the Professional G-Drive range from £206.99/$209.99 for the smallest 4TB version or up to £707.99/$649.99 for the 22TB one. Right now, it seems like prices have dropped a little since launch, and you can pick one of these HDDs up for around £180 in the UK.
Features: The key selling point is the large capacity, but we also think this HDD has a pretty sleek design in comparison with others on the market and manages to retain a modern essence. As for performance, SanDisk promises transfer speeds of up to 280 MB/s for the biggest models, though we found that it actually overperformed in our CrystalDiskMark benchmark test.
Best budget external hard drive
30-second review: This mighty mini WD passport does a fine job of transferring files quickly and safely, and it has an ultra-lightweight form factor, making it great for travel and for times when you need to pack light. However, the caveat of this is that the USB cable provided is about as short as the laws of physics allow.
Price: This SSD has also come down in price recently, and you can bag one for around £78 for the minimum capacity, which used to average at around £100 a few years ago. The price will, of course, depend on the storage size that you're after, but it's a super budget-friendly SSD for most.
Features: Despite being released back in 2017, this SSD still sets the benchmark for being among the best out there. It comes equipped with WD Security software, which you can access through the WD Discovery app, allowing users to set up password protection, hardware encryption and a way to back up files and sensitive data. The WD Passport is easy to get started with right out of the box and is suitable for both PC and Mac.
Best external hard drive for gaming
30-second review: The Seagate Game Drive comes in licensed versions for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and is a capable little SSD that will suit anyone who wants fast data transfer and decent storage capacity. It works especially seamlessly with consoles, and its USB 3.2 interface scored well in our speed tests.
Price: This SSD undercuts a lot of competition thanks to its competitive pricing at just $90/£110 for the 2TB option from Seagate's official online store.
Features: Marketed primarily at gamers, the Seagate Game Drive is well equipped to handle USB 3.2 speeds, with both Type-A and Type-C ports. It's useful not only to gamers but just about anyone who wants faster storage than your average USB flash drive.
Best external hard drive for travel
30-second review: Remember USB flash drives? You probably don't use those devices much anymore, but the Seagate Ultra Compact SSD (STMX1000400) may just get you back on the train, given that it can store up to 2TB of data. It's also highly durable and well-built with an integrated plug, further cementing it as perfect for travel.
Price: This SSD
Features:
Best external hard drive for photographers & videographers
30-second review:
Price:
Features:
Also Tested
Also Recommended
ADATA HD710 Pro rugged external hard drive
Want a device that'll withstand hostile conditions? The ADATA HD710 Pro offers three layers of anti-shock technology and can take drops of up to 1.5m. Rated to IP68 standards, it protects against dust and sand and is waterproof. It's fast too, with speeds of up to 5GBps. While the camouflage look might not suit everyone, when it comes to ruggedness, you won't find finer.
HDD or SSD: HDD
Capacity: 1TB-5TB
WD My Book Duo
If you work with 4K/8K video or 3D scenes, you may like the WD My Book Duo, with storage options of up to 36TB! The drive works by duplicating your data across two drives, so if one fails, everything's still safe. There are two additional USB ports, plus 256-bit AES hardware encryption and automatic backup software.
HDD or SSD: HDD
Capacity: 4TB-36TB
The best external hard drives: frequently asked questions
Is SSD better than HDD?
SSDs are better than HDDs in many respects – though not all. SSDs (solid-state drives) are smaller, faster and more advanced than HDDs (hard disk drives), which rely on old spinning disks. However, this means that HDDs are generally cheaper, giving you more storage on the dollar than SSDs.
Generally, the rule of thumb is that SSDs are best for operating systems, apps, and anything you want to run directly off the drive (e.g. video files you want to edit from the drive rather than transferring to and from your computer). For data that you just want to store, HDDs can be a more cost-effective choice.
What’s the best hard drive brand?
The most relied-upon and trusted hard drive brands among experts are generally agreed to be Western Digital and Seagate. We could argue all day about which of them is best – people do – but it doesn't really matter. You will not go wrong with a drive made by either of those companies. Others worth considering include Kingston, ADATA and Crucial – and it can also be worth looking at well-established tech giants like Samsung, especially if you already use their smartphones and tablets.
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