Best External Hard Drives for Mac in the UK

There is something to be said about the latest advances in technology. Thousands of pages of data are now instantly accessible to us, stored on a small computer whereas just a few decades ago they would have required a large file cabinet. Today, you can take several file cabinets worth of data with you anywhere, along with all of the movies and music and photos that you want, thanks to the WD My Passport External Hard Drive. This drive, which is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, holds up to 5 TB of data, with other capacities available as well. This is enough for most people who have large data storage needs, such as those who often work on large video files.

Just having the data with you is one thing, but what about keeping that data secure? This is a huge concern with any portable hard drive, yet this WD external HD has you covered. The WD Security gives you built-in password protection as well as 256-bit AES hardware encryption, which keeps your data completely safe from prying eyes. For Mac users, setting up the hard drive is extremely simple - just plug it into your Mac's USB port, and it should be instantly ready to go. If you're a Mac user who need a high capacity storage solution for your MacBook, then this drive is definitely one of the top options available.

LaCie has been one of the most well-known makers of peripherals for Macs, including portable hard drives, and they have become a favorite of many Mac users due to their high-performance devices that are designed to match most Mac computers. You get these same qualities in the LaCie Mobile Drive for Mac, with a 30th anniversary diamond-cut design that will go quite well with any MacBook or Mac Mini, giving you a stylish design along with high performance. This drive comes with 4 TB of storage capacity, with other capacities available as well, letting you choose the right one for your data storage needs.

Looks aren't the only thing going for this external hard drive. Along with the high data capacity, you also get extremely fast data transfer speeds, with the performance measuring up to 540 MB/s in read operations. This gives you near-instantaneous access to any files stored on the drive, no matter how large or small they are. The drive includes a USB 3.0 Type-C connector that lets you plug the drive into your Mac, with it being ready to use right off the bat. There is even back-up software included that lets you set up regular backups for your Mac's internal hard drive or SSD. All in all, this high-performance drive from LaCie should be the best companion for anyone's Mac.

One of the nice things about most USB devices nowadays is that many of them are truly "plug and play", meaning that you really don't have to do any configuration in order to get it to work. Just like any device made to be plug and play, the Toshiba Canvio Flex external hard drive is ready to go out of the box. Coming in an elegant silver casing, this drive is compatible with both PCs and tablets based on iOS and Android along with Macs, so compatibility issues won't be a problem here, no matter which device you plan to connect it to. The overall performance is also no slouch, as the drive reads data at a speed of 530 Gigabytes Per Second, does not make noise, and does not heat up, making it an ideal drive for those on the go.

With the differing USB ports that are in use now, it can often be frustrating to buy a USB device but then find that its connector is not compatible with the USB interface on your computer. Again, this problem has been easily solved by Toshiba. The set includes two USB-A and USB-C cables, thanks to which you can easily connect the drive to both new and old devices, regardless of which type of USB port the device contains. If you are planning on using this device on a Mac, it is fully compatible with Time Machine, although it will require reformatting before you can use it, so please take note of that. Outside of this one issue, this external hard drive is a top choice as an affordable external storage solution.

One of the biggest hard drive manufacturers has their own drive that is compatible with the Mac. The Seagate One Touch External HDD, which is housed in a sturdy aluminum case, will provide fast data read speeds of 120 Megabytes Per Second, giving you fast storage access in a very safe enclosure. The drive comes in a variety of different capacities, with the one reviewed here having 4 TB of storage. Plenty of other capacities are also available, so those with larger or smaller storage needs won't feel left out. Regardless of the size that you opt for, organizing and streaming huge collections of photos and videos is now easier and more convenient than ever.

Nowadays, it is quite common for an external hard drive to come with a few extras, and that's exactly what you get with this device. Along with the external hard drive, you get a free one-year subscription to Mylio Create, a handy photo organization app with editing options. A four-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud Photo (Photography Plan) is also offered, making this drive a great choice for those who work with photos on either an amateur or professional basis. The drive itself even comes in one of three different colours, so you can choose the model that best matches the laptop or device that you will connect it to. Overall, this external hard drive is a solid choice for anyone who values quick and easy portable storage options.

The LaCie Rugged (USB-C + USB 3.0) Portable 2.5 Inch External Hard Drive is an external hard drive that is sure to please any Mac user. Featuring a ruggedised external case with a beautiful orange bumper, this hard drive is extremely resistant to any kinds of drops or jolts, meaning that the drive operation will continue uninterrupted and that your data will remain safe. The drive connects to your Mac through a USB 3.0 connection, providing blazing fast transfer speeds of up to 130 MB/s. The 1 TB of storage capacity ensures that you have plenty of room to store your data, including large files common with photo and video editing. The speed of the drive also ensures that data transfers will happen quickly.

Along with the great looks and blazing fast speed, the drive comes with extras including the LaCie backup software, although the drive is fully compatible with Time Machine as well. The LaCie backup software is easy to use and takes only a few moments to configure it to automatically backup all of your important data. The drive itself is also quite easy to use, operating in a true plug and play fashion. As this drive both looks and works great, it has positioned itself as one of the best external hard drives for Mac, and any Mac user should be pleased with it.