Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure.
Undeniably, flash drives are very popular types of storage for Macs. They are small, and people used them to share data long before we had cloud storage options.
Macbook Pro 2015: more RAM or more flash storage? Macbook Pro 2015: more RAM or more flash storage? So I'm planning on getting a new 13' rMBP soon. Never had a Mac, always had windows, but I've always had an iPhone and love it, and my current laptop is falling apart so it. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020) MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016 - 2019). LaCie 48TB 6big RAID Thunderbolt 3 Hard Drive Storage - Previous Gallery Image; LaCie 48TB 6big RAID Thunderbolt 3 Hard Drive Storage - Next Gallery Image. MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020) MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016 - 2019). Promise Pegasus J2i 8TB Internal Storage Enclosure for Mac Pro - Previous Gallery Image. SanDisk 128GB iXpand Flash Drive Go - Previous Gallery Image; SanDisk 128GB iXpand Flash Drive Go.
Thumb drives are still helpful when there is a need to quickly extend available storage, which is a common problem for MacBooks Pro and Air.
Table of Contents:
- Best USB Flash Drive for MacBook Pro
How to Choose a Good USB Flash Drive
When choosing the right USB flash drive, pay attention tothe following factors:
- Reliability
- Storage Capacity
- Performance
- Size
- Compatibility with Apple computers
Reliability
There are certain qualities that I look for when consideringthumb drives, but the main factor in selection is always reliability. Itdoesn’t matter how fast the drive is, how cool it looks, or how cheap you canget in on Amazon. If the drive fails when you need it, then it’s not worth evena penny.
While nobody can guarantee that a particular device will befail-free, there is a difference in failure rate between quality drives andcheap knockoffs. In my opinion, devices produced by well known establishedcompanies have lower failure rates compared to drives from unknownmanufacturers.
If Amazon is your choice when it comes to purchasinganything online, be aware that not all user reviews are real. So many times,I’ve seen several thousands of 5-star reviews on noname devices, and at thesame time, good drives get a couple of hundreds of reviews, and the average is3.5.
So, what should you do?
If you get anything from this article, I want to remind youthat brands matter when reliability is the most important factor in choosing aflash drive.
If you are not familiar with which manufacturers have beenon the market for decades, here is the list (not complete) of companies whichproduce quality drives:
- SanDisk
- Kingston
- PNY
- Samsung
- Corsair
Other things to consider in thumb drives if their ability tobe waterproof, shockproof, or dustproof. Also, having metal encasing is muchpreferred over the cheaper plastic body.
Memory Storage Capacity
I remember the days when the most you could get is a stickwith 128MB (megabytes). Fortunately, those days are long gone.
Nowadays, the capacity of modern thumb drives can exceed 1TB (almost 8,000 times more storage than in the early days).
However, you must know that not all file formats can support such huge volumes. Read about the Mac file formats in the Apple Compatibility section below.
Performance
The speed with which a USB drive reads and writes data is what makes people choose external hard drives over the convenience of thumb drives. We all know that flash drives are slow, sometimes painfully slow when we try to copy large files.
However, I was able to find out several gadgets with almost SSD like performance. These drives can be used even with Apple Time Machine, which is known for its demands for read/write speed requirements.
Besides, the actual flash drive performance, don’t forget tocheck which USB type the device supports. There is a huge difference intransfer speed between USB 2, 3.0, and 3.1.
While USB 2 offers max transfer speed around 480 Mbps, USB 3.0 supports up to 5 Gbps. With USB 3.1, the transfer speed can get up to 10Gbps. And finally, USB-C is the fastest of all with speeds up to 40Gbps.
Size
Size matters. Especially for USB flash drives that are usedmostly to transfer data from one computer to another. However, in most cases,it’s a matter of personal choice. Some people love very small ones, so they canattach them to a ket chain. Some like larger gadgets.
Compatibility with Apple computers
Since this article is about USB flash drives for MacBooks, let’s talk about compatibility issues. If you browse drives on Amazon or Best Buy, you may see that some of them specifically mention that they are compatible with Macs.
One could make a conclusion that some drives are compatible, and some are not. And such a conclusion can lead to limiting choices.
The reality is that when a device claims that it iscompatible with Macs, it only means that you can use the device out of the boxwithout needing to do anything extra.
However, you can use any USB flash drive with any Mac. Allyou need is to know how to format it properly.
Best File Format for Flash Drive on Mac
There are four main file formats supported on Macs: APFS and its variations, Mac OS Extended (aka HFS+) and variations, MS-DOS and exFat. So, which one should you choose? I wrote an entire article about file formats and which ones are best if you need to transfer data between PCs and Macs.
Here, I will give a quick tip.
If you are planning to use a flash drive with Macs only, then go with Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. This file format also works with Apple Time Machine.
However, if you need to share files between Macs and PC computers, then go with exFat.
How to Format Flash Drive on Mac
There is a built-in tool Disk Utility, which can be used toformat flash drives on Mac.
Here’s how to format the flash drive:
- Plug the drive into Mac
- Start Disk Utility from Spotlight Search or LaunchPad
- Select the USB drive on the left
- Click on Erase button at the top of the app
- In the pop-up window type in a name for thumb drive (or keep the old one)
- Select the desired file format
- Hit Erase button
Once the format is complete, you can start using the flashdrive with your MacBook.
Best USB Flash Drive for MacBook Pro
Best Overall: Corsair Flash Voyager GTX
This premium USB 3.1 flash drive is as fast as many SolidState (SSD) external hard drives with up 440MB/s read and 440MB/s write speeds.The actual speeds in our testing were around 420MB/s read, and 400MB/s write,which is pretty close to manufacturer’s specs.
It is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 3.0. Art files 3 2017.
Corsair Voyager is available in multiple capacities: 128GB,256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. With 1TB drive, I can carry all my virtual machines withme, which is very convenient at work.
This flash drive comes premium rugged zinc-alloy housing, soit does not get hot like some metal drives when copying a large number offiles.
Corsair measures 2.75 x 0.88 inches (70x22mm) and weighsabout 55 grams.
It has a keychain hole, but since it’s bulky, I am not sureif someone would want to carry Corsair with her keys.
Pros: Speed, multiple size options, robust build quality, shockproof
Cons: Fairly large, so it may block other USB devices if the USB ports are close to each other.
Learn about Corsair Flash Voyager GTX on Amazon
Runner-Up: SanDisk Extreme PRO
If you need to transfer 4GB to the USB flash drive in less than 25 seconds, then SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.1 Solid State Flash Drive.
The manufacturer claims that that the drive offers read speeds of up to 420MB/s and write speeds of up to 380MB/s. In our test with the Black Magic Speed Test app, we found registered reads at 401MB/s and writes at 315MB/s, which are close to the manufacturer’s values.
It is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 3.0.
SanDisk Extreme PRO is available in two capacities: 128GBand 256GB.
Bluetail 2 3 – easy to use vector drawing application. Drive dimensions: 2.79 x 0.84 x 0.45 in (71 x 21 x 11 mm).Weight 18 grams.
Sandisk comes with SecureAccess Software, which I didn’t use myself. There are separate download files for Mac and PC.
The USB connector is retractable. Once extended, theconnector locks in place, requiring you to press down on the button to retractit.
This thumb drive is preformatted with exFat, so it shouldwork on both Windows and Macs.
Pros: Speed, retractable connector, very light, SecureAccess Software
Cons: Limited size options (only 128 and 256GB)
Learn about SanDisk Extreme PRO on Amazon
Best USB-C Flash Drive for Mac
Samsung Duo Plus is the best USB-C flash drive for Mac. Itis waterproof, shockproof, magnet proof, temperature proof, and x-ray proof.Along with USB type C, the drive supports USB 3.1 type A, and it is backwardcompatible with USB 3.0/2.0.
Samsung has a unique design which consists of USB-C andUSB-A pieces. You can copy files from newer MacBook with USB-C ports, thenswitch two parts so that USB-C part goes into USB-A and then plug it into anolder Mac with only USB ports.
Samsung Duo Plus is available in four capacities: 32GB,64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. Unfortunately, there is no 1TB drive.
The thing I didn’t like about the design is that after usingthe flash drive in USB-A mode, you may lose the cap because it only fits USB-Cconnector.
The manufacturer only advertizes the read speed, which is upto 300MB/s for 256/128GB models, and up to 200MB/s for 64/32GB models. Thewrite speed, however, is not impressive. In our tests, we saw around 30-40MB/s.
Drive dimensions: 2.3 x 0.7 x 0.3 in (58 x 18 x 8 mm).Weight 10 grams.
This thumb drive is preformatted with exFat.
Pros: USB Type-C Type-A support, decent read speed, waterproof
Cons: Unimpressive write speed
Learn more Samsung Duo Plus about on Amazon
Budget Pick: Patriot Supersonic Rage Elite
Patriot Supersonic Rage Elite offers a lot of storage forless money.
Note that there are two models: Rage (blue) and Rage Elite(red).
Rage comes with the following capacity: 32GB, 64GB, and128GB. Rage Elite gets bigger with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB.
Patriot advertizes read speed up to 400MB/s and writes up to300MB/s. Actual numbers are a little lower, and they fluctuate between 160-240for reads and between 100-140 for reads.
It is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 3.0.
Drive dimensions: 2.09 x 0.83 x 0.39 in (53 x 21 x 10 mm).Weight: 9 grams
Pros: Price, lightweight
Cons: Speed, build quality
Learn about Patriot Supersonic Rage Elite on Amazon
For those who chose a MacBook over an ordinary laptop must be short for some storage space, right? Well, upgrading storage space through apple is as costly as purchasing a new laptop. Translate tab 2 0 8 inches. In this case, an external hard drive is less expensive and beneficial for storage requirements.
You can switch your external hard drive from a Mac to a pc which makes data transfer for two different OS easier. Furthermore, external hard disks are less likely to get corrupted and are portable in nature.
Macbooks generally have SSDs which are capable of loading a program quickly but more likely to low on storage.
Furthermore, SSDs are quite costly and upgrading an SSD on a Macbook is definitely costlier than you could even imagine. An external hard drive is best for storing data such as photos, videos, movies, rendered projects and more.
Contents
- 1 10 Best External Hard Drives for MacBook in 2020
- 1.3 3. Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)
- 1.4 4. Western Digital My Book (8 TB)
- 1.5 5. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt
- 1.6 6. G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)
- 1.7 7. Adata SD700 External SSD
- 1.8 8. LaCie Rugged USB-C
- 1.9 9. Samsung X5 (1TB)
- 1.10 10. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive
- 2 What things to consider while buying External Hard Drive For Mac?
- 3 External Hard Drive Vs SSD: Which one is good for MacBook Pro?
10 Best External Hard Drives for MacBook in 2020
Although choosing an external hard drive is a complicated process but we have made a list of 10 best external hard drives for Mac that you should consider before your final decision.
1. Samsung Portable SSD T5
Starting off Samsung Portable SSD T5 which is an outstanding storage device, it can reach up to a speed of 550 MB per second for data transfer which is amazing. You can directly plug it into a USB-C port or USB-A port.
It contains no moving parts therefore chances of getting damaged due to mishandling are less. Even though SSD is costlier than a hard drive, the speed it offers is commendable. You will notice a significant boost in the overall performance while doing stuff that requires you to load large files and programs.
Overall, the SSD is fantastic but only if you can spare a few more bucks than your actual budget. You can get the SSD ranging from 250 GB to 2 TB from Amazon with some additional discounts.
2. Western Digital My Passport 4TB external hard drive
Western Digital My Passport 4TB external hard drive is the newest generation of external hard disks and is available in capacities from 1 TB to up to 4 TB. It offers cloud storage and 256-AES encryption alongside WD’s software for backups.
The data transfer speeds won’t disappoint you and the drive offers speed similar to what an SSD provides. If you are looking for a drive with good data transfer rate and maximum storage, consider Western Digital My Passport 4TB as a choice.
3. Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)
If you are looking for a reliable, portable, and affordable hard disk, Seagate backup plus slim is the thing you should have a look at. It supports Windows and Mac both and perfect for storing your essential data right away.
With the Seagate dashboard backup system, you can schedule backups and never lose your important files anymore. Backup automation can be set for daily, monthly, weekly or your desired time-frequency.
Also Check:
Extra Flash Storage For Macbook Pro Computers
Alongside, Seagate also provides a two-month membership for adobe creative cloud photography plan and a one-year subscription to Mylio create to manage your photo library.
- Affordable price
- Metal body
- Supports USB 3.0
- Comes with an automation backup software
- Doesn’t support USB 3.0 cables
4. Western Digital My Book (8 TB)
This Hard disk is probably for creators and organizations that require a lot of storage for various purposes. Faster data transmission rate will let you transfer data in the meantime, all thanks to USB 3.0 support.
It also offers 256 AES encryption for securing your data and makes sure your personal data is secured in the storage device. Even though it meets the requirements of a regular user, the only thing where Western Digital My Book (8 TB) lacks is portability.
Therefore, if you are looking for a hard disk for work purposes and if portability is not an issue, Western Digital My Book (8 TB) is definitely the right choice.
- High storage
- Data encryption
- Compatible with the time machine
- Requires power source to work
- Not portable
5. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt
Buffalo MiniStation thunderbolt offers data transmission at a speed of twice of what USB 3.0 offers. You can enjoy this feature if your device has a thunderbolt port. Another good thing about Buffalo MiniStation thunderbolt is its price. It is affordable and portable.
- Also Check: 10 Best Cooling Pads For MacBook Pro Reviewed
However, it is a hard drive, not a solid-state, therefore, the data transmission will definitely be high but the overall performance of your pc will remain unchanged. Lastly, if you don’t have a thunderbolt port in your pc, you can use the traditional USB 3.0 port.
- USB 3.0 port
- Affordable
- Formatted for Mac
- Not a Solid State drive
6. G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)
With the new products, Apple is on its way to completely shift to USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports but there are still some people who are using old hardware and for them, G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB) is going to work like a charm.
The body of the HDD is made up of metal which makes it durable and strong against accidents such as dropping off the drive on the floor or whatnot. It runs at a speed of 7200 RPM and can transfer data at a rate of 195 MB/s which is efficient for transferring music, videos and software.
- Metallic body for durability
- High data transmission rate
- USB 3.0
- Should be reformatted for Windows OS
7. Adata SD700 External SSD
Adata SD700 is an affordable External SSD which is IP68 rated which certainly makes it a water-resistant storage device. The overall performance of this SSD is commendable and as per our research, Adata SD700 External SSD is the only SSD with an IP68 rating.
You can expect faster transfer rates and better booting speed if you are planning to install an OS on the SSD. Don’t worry about the storage space as it is available in 1 TB capacity also. The maximum read and write speed is up to 440 MB/S, all thanks to the USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface.
- Lightweight and portable
- Shock resistant
- Supports Android, Mac, and Windows
- 3 years of Warranty
- Mac users must format it to FAT32 to use this product
8. LaCie Rugged USB-C
Lacie rugged USB-C hard disk can be distinguished easily because of its unique rubber casing that makes sure your hard drive doesn’t get damaged when it drops from up to 1.3 m height. It can withstand rain, dust and can even survive 1-ton pressure. This is certainly the best choice for content creators.
Alongside hard disk, you will also get access to a one-month subscription to Adobe creative cloud all apps plan. The company also provides 3 years of warranty for the device and will also help you to restore the data if lost.
Also Check:
In terms of speed, Lacie rugged USB-C hard disk is not very fast as it provides only 120 MB/s which is comparatively lesser than the HDDs mentioned in this listicle. However, there are various variants available for this hard disk on Amazon.
- Durability
- Affordable
- Resistant to water
- Lesser data transmission speed
9. Samsung X5 (1TB)
Samsung never disappoints with its amazing hardware capabilities. With Samsung X5, you can transfer data at a rate of 2,300 MB/s which is the fastest speed an SSD can provide you. The build quality is super amazing as it is made up of metal, making it stronger than storage disks that are made up of plastic bodies.
The shock-resistant capability can save up your drive from a fall of 2 meters. Alongside this, it comes with Thunderbolt 3 technology that is ideal for faster data transfer of up to 40 GB per second which is unbelievable. You can take full advantage of this SSD on your MacBook or Macbook pro without having to format anything.
- High data transmission rate
- Supports thunderbolt 3
- Shock-resistant up to 2 meters
- Heats up really quick
- Comparatively expensive than the other disks
10. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive
Mac Pro Storage
In terms of flexibility, Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive is really good as it supports both Mac and windows out of the box. The disk doesn’t get damaged due to dust and water which is again a positive point.
It encrypts the user data at 256 bit AES security which additionally makes everything on the drive, secure. Overall, it is a great drive for Mac owners as well as windows owners too.
- Secure for handling user data
- Protects from water and dust
- Low-speed data transfer
What things to consider while buying External Hard Drive For Mac?
So those were some of the best external hard disk drive solutions for Mac. However, you must be confused about which external HDD to choose. But not to worry, let me just point some of the key factors that you need to consider while buying an external hard drive:
1. Storage
One of the first and the most important thing that you need to consider is the storage space of your external HDD. As you already know that Macbook does not come with a huge space. Hence, you better choose something which offers you enough space to store all your files.
For many users, 1 TB of space should be good enough. But if you need to store a huge number of files and save them for a longer period of time, then getting 2TB of HDD would be an ideal choice.
Apart from 1TB and 2TB of storage options, you can also consider getting huge storage options like 4TB. But for a day to day work, 4TB of HDD does not help much. Also, they are quite expensive.
2. Transfer speed
After the storing capacity, transfer speed is the second most important thing that you have to consider. You don’t want to get an external hard disk drive for Mac, which takes too long to copy files. Instead, you need something that can get the job done as quickly as possible.
So the first thing that you must do is avoid USB 2.0 powered external HDD. As they are outdated and not fast enough. Instead, you should get an external HDD with USB 3.0, 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.2 Gen 1. All of these are capable of offering an exceptional transfer speed. On the other hand, I would like to recoomend you to buy the best external SSD for Mac that offers good transfer speed.
3. Compatibility
The next thing you need to check its compatibility. External HDD formatted for Windows 10 may have connectivity issues with Mac OS and vise versa. So since you are using a Mac powered machine, I would recommend you to get an external HDD with Mac OS compatibility.
Although there is no need to focus on the compatibility part way too much. Since you can always format your external HDD using a Windows Computer with exFat Format. So you can easily use the HDD with your Macbook. But yes, if you get a pre compatible external hard disk drive then it saves you from extra work and headaches that you have to face.
Extra Flash Storage For Macbook Pro Case
4. Security
If you are someone who takes security really seriously, then you must look for security features. Most of the manufacturers do ship security software and backup software. So you can easily encrypt your drive or take a backup of it. Even, if you don’t consider encryption feature, backup feature is something that you must and should consider.
Even to make sure your HDD stays safe, they use strong casing from physical damage. So you can consider getting such external hard disk drives that save you from every side.
External Hard Drive Vs SSD: Which one is good for MacBook Pro?
Whenever it comes to a primary storage solution for computers, HDD and SSD’s are the only solutions we have. However, in the last couple of years, the usage of HDD has dropped drastically, and people are not moving to SSD’s for better performance.
But there are quite a lot of users who are still unaware of the difference between a hard disk drive and a solid state drive or SSD.
However, not to worry, let me just draw a quick difference between both and help you to understand better.
1. Storage Capacity
HDD’s are a great option if you want something for storage. HDD’s are available in a wide range of storage capacities like from 500GB to 12 TB. Even, for enterprise uses, you will find a large capacity of HDDs.
SSDs are also available with large capacities. However, when it comes to the costing of an SSD and an HDD, SSDs are quite expensive. Hence, if your main goal is to store huge amount of data, HDD is an ideal choice.
2. Speed
Whenever it comes to speed, SSDs are a better option. Since a hard disk drive uses a round plate with a layer of magnetic material. And the data is stored on this magnetic layer only. So the disk spins and the magnetic head is used for reading and writing data.
Also, the speed that the disk spins is measured in RPM. And on an average, an HDD has about 5,400 RPM, and it will have a read/write speeds of around 100 MB/s.
However, when it comes to SSD’s, there are no moving parts. As a result, it offers you a much faster data transfer rate. On average, it offers you around 550 MB/s and 520 MB/s of data transfer rate.
3. Reliability & Durability
There are quite a lot of factors that determine the lifespan of drivers. However, you should know that an SSD can sustain a limited number of write cycles compared to HDD which has no read/write limits.
But you should know that SSD has a write cycle limit between 3000 and 10,000 which is a high number. So it would not be a problem for you.
Also, SSD’s are lesser affected by any sort of damages compared to HDD. Since there are no moving parts in SSD, they tend to survive more. While HDD’s might stop working if it encounters any physical damage.
3. Cost
Finally, let’s talk about pricing. Well, if you look at the cost of both HDD and SSD, you would happily pick up an HDD. Why? Because SSD’s are expensive. When you choose an HDD, you will get a large amount of capacity for a lesser price. But on the other hand, if you choose an SSD, it would cost you 3-5x of an HDD price.
In the end, the conclusion is HDD’s are a better option when it comes to storing data. Of course, SSD’s are faster and more reliable. But they do come with a high price. But on the other hand, if you take care of your HDD in a good manner, it will offer you great performance for years.
Wrapping it up:
So, these were the 10 best external hard drives for Macbook Air and Pro. Every disk mentioned in this article has its own pros and cons, we have tried our best to list out the good and bad in every product. For Mac users, external SSD can be really helpful for storing content and transferring it to a different place.