• I had a MacBook, which I connected the WD external hard drive to, but now I don’t have a MacBook anymore. So I tried connecting it to my old computer (Windows), but it wouldn’t appear on the computer screen.
• Mac drive reader free download - Paragon NTFS for Mac, Apple Mac OS Update 8.1, Drive Genius, and many more programs. Mac Free Hard Drive Data Recovery. Recover deleted or lost data on Mac hard.

Welcome to our guide to buying the best external hard drive or backup hard drive in 2019. When looking to buy the best external hard drive for your needs, there are quite a lot of things you need to consider - and this guide will help you.

Macs can easily read PC-formatted hard disk drives. Writing to them, however, is a different story. If you've switched to the Mac, welcome aboard. Your old external Windows PC drive will work great on the Mac.

Plus, with Amazon Prime Day 2019 rapidly approaching, there's a good chance that we're going to see some major price cuts to the best external hard drives out there. If you do find a killer deal for any of the drives on this best external hard drive list, then you can buy in full confidence that you're getting a brilliant external drive for your money.

When buying the best external hard drive for your needs, you need to make sure you get a device that can safely and securely store your important files. Reliability is of the upmost importance here, as you do not want to buy an external hard drive that fails on you - making you lose all your important backups.

The best external hard drives will also be quick - either because they use SSD (Solid State Drive) technology, or because they use the latest connectivity technology, such as USB-C.

The biggest deciding factors when it comes to data transfer rates is the connection the drive uses, and whether it is a standard hard drive or a solid state drive (SSD). Many external hard drives use USB 2.0 connections, but for faster speeds you'll want USB 3.0 or ideally the newer USB Type-C connection. You'll need to ensure your PC or laptop also has a USB Type-C port.

You'll also need to think about how much storage space you need. The best external hard drives offer a range of capacities. We'd recommend 500GB to start with, as that gives you plenty of space to store your files without costing too much money.

However, if you deal in large files, such as high resolution photos and videos, then you may want to consider buying a bigger drive, with external hard drives offering terabytes (TB) of storage space.

Buying the best external hard drive for your needs involves figuring out how much space you need. You don't want to buy an external hard drive that's too small, and end up running out of space, but neither do you really want to pay over the odds for storage space you'll never need.

So, we've listed the best external hard drives money can buy in 2019. Each external drive (or backup hard drive) on this page has been carefully picked to make sure it offers fast data transfer speeds – essential if you move lots of big files regularly – while also offering sturdy build quality so you don't have to worry about them breaking and losing your files.

When buying the best external hard drive for your needs, there are certain things you need to take into account. For example, you'll want to make sure you have a drive that offers fast data transfer speeds.

In this guide we list the best external hard drives with both traditional hard drives and faster (and more expensive) solid state drives.

Still, the best external hard drives are also dependable and rugged, so you can safely store your data without worry. The best external drives will also be light enough to carry in your bag, with large capacities so that you can keep your data safe when travelling.

There's a huge range of external hard drives on offer, so we've put together this list of the best external hard drives to help you find the perfect one for your needs.

1. Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC external hard drive

Wireless security

Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0

An external hard drive you can buy without breaking the bank, Buffalo's MiniStation Extreme NFC could be your match made in heaven.

With compatibility for both Mac and Windows machines, the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC is very flexible, and comes with a rugged case that's dust and water resistant, along with a built-in USB 3.0 cable.

Not only is your data kept protected from knocks and drops with the rugged shell, but it's also got 256-bit AES security features and NFC (Near Field Communication) features as well.

Essentially it allows you to unlock the drive to get to your files quickly and easily by tapping the supplied NFC card onto the drive's body. Pretty neat!

• This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro

2. Western Digital My Passport Ultra 4TB external hard drive

Comes with Encryption and a long warranty

Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 3.0

The latest generation of the Western Digital My Passport Ultra range of external hard drives has landed, coming in sizes from 1TB to 4TB. It features cloud storage and 256-AES encryption, along with WD's own software suite.

It is a good performer when it comes to data transfer speeds but doesn't come near the top of the leaderboard. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't reach the top speeds of solid state external drives, but for external hard drives based on traditional HDDs, this is the drive to consider.

3. Samsung T5 SSD external hard drive

The best external SSD of 2018

Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Interface: USB Type-C

If you'd rather have an external hard drive that took advantage of solid state drive (SSD) speeds, then the Samsung Portable SSD T5 is definitely the best external hard drive for you. Samsung has a brilliant reputation for external SSDs, thanks to products like the T3, and the T5 builds on its predecessor by adding a fast USB Type-C connection that ekes out every last drop of performance from the solid state drive inside. Of course, it's also backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 if your PC doesn't have USB Type-C. It's expensive, but it's well worth the cash.

Read the full review: Samsung Portable SSD T5

4. Adata SD700 External SSD

Capacity: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | Interface: USB 3.0

The Adata SD700 will suit those looking for a rugged storage device that can provide ample capacity without costing too much. It performs superbly well and remains the only SSD we’ve seen that is IP68 rated.

Thanks to the solid state drive that resides in this external hard drive, it's a lot faster than external drives that use traditional spinning hard drives - so you're getting great transfer speeds as well as rugged protection.

It also comes in capacities up to 1TB, so you don't have to worry about missing out on storage space just because it uses an SSD - this drive really does hit all the right notes.

5. WD My Book Duo 4TB external hard drive

Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB 3.0 x 2

If you're looking for the absolute largest capacity external hard drive, then the WD My Book Duo 4TB is the one to get, offering a huge 4TB (you can also get versions with up to 20TB) of storage space over two hard drives.

If you don't mind sacrificing some of the ample storage space you can set the drives up in a RAID array, so you have file backups of your files should one of the drives die.

This USB 3.0 drive has many of the features of a fully-fledged NAS device (including a high price), and if you have a router with a USB 3.0 port you could use this as a network attached storage device in its own right.

The device, which comes with two-year warranty, has 256-bit AES hardware encryption, and automatic backup software (WD SmartWare Pro).

Worth noting that the enclosure used is fully serviceable and that WD ships the drive already pre-formatted for Windows users (NTFS).

6. Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt external hard drive

Best Thunderbolt external hard drive

Capacity: 1TB, 2TB | Interface: Thunderbolt, USB 3.0

If you have a device with a Thunderbolt port, then this is a great option, as it provides twice the speeds of standard USB 3.0 drives. It's also not especially expensive compared to other Thunderbolt drives. The price is kept down due to its use of a traditional hard drive, rather than an SSD, which limits the potential speeds. It also comes with a USB 3.0 port for people without access to Thunderbolt.

• This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the WD MyBook Duo

7. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive 5TB

Capacity: 5TB | Interface: USB 3.0

If you want to combine speed and capacity, then the Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive 5TB is definitely worth considering. It comes in a range of sizes up to 8TB and it beats the competition when it comes to read and write speeds as well.

On top of this storage and speed, you get a decent amount of peace of mind thanks to Seagate's lower than average failure rates, especially in bigger capacity hard drives.

You also get backup software, and the drive is compatible with both Windows and Macs, though it's formatted for Windows out of the box unless you go for a Mac-specific hard drive - though these are more expensive.

8. Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro external hard drive

Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0 and Wi-Fi

Even if we had mixed feelings on past versions of the My Passport Wireless, the 2016 “pro” variant of the external HDD restores faith in the Western Digital name. The design, for one, has been overhauled and no longer resembles the My Passport Ultra or My Passport for Mac. Instead, there’s now a more premium feel to the My Passport Wireless Pro. It resembles an external DVD drive, but considering the onboard SD card slot, don’t worry about getting it confused with anything else. For photographers, this will make the Wireless Pro stand out.

For everyone else, there’s a massive 6,400mAh battery built into the device. This lets the drive be used completely free of wires over 2.4GHz or 5GHz channels. When it’s wired up, however, don’t expect cutting edge connection tech, as the My Passport Wireless Pro uses only USB Type-B to Type-A. Completely absent is the latest and greatest USB-C connection.

Where the My Passport Wireless Pro compromises on affordability, it’s able to benefit in just about every other area. Of course, not everyone needs a wireless hard drive or SD card support, but for those who do, it’s almost essential.

Read the full review:Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro

9. LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive 4TB

Capacity: 4TB | Interface: USB-C

You may have stumbled upon the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive when perusing the Apple website for USB-C accessories. There’s a reason for that: the Porsche Design ships with both USB Type-C to Type-A and USB Type-C to Type-C connectors, making it a worthy candidate regardless of your setup.

It’s expensive for an external hard drive, don’t get us wrong, especially if you’re in the market for the top-end 4TB option. On the other hand, this is an HDD that could theoretically output speeds of up to 5Gbps, if it weren’t hindered by the limits of SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) technology.

Comprising five 800GB platters in a 15mm form factor, the LaCie Porsche Design Mobile is an excellent challenger to the Seagate M3, though it’s notably bigger in both weight and dimensions.

Sure, it packs an extra convenience factor in the form of USB-C, but it should be noted that the Porsche Design Mobile is still limited to USB 3.0 speeds. Plus, even an aluminum finish can’t prevent it from clashing with your Rose Gold MacBook. Nevertheless, LaCie’s offering is the best USB-C external HDD money can buy, at least for the time being.

Read our full review:LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive 4TB

10. iStorage diskAshur 2TB external hard drive

Best for security

Capacity: 2TB | Interface: USB 3.0

Typically, iStorage hard disks cater best to governments and multinational organizations around the world, for good reason too – they offer tight security like no other drives around.

If someone tries to tamper with your iStorage drive, you can configure it to self-desturct. What's more, the data is encrypted by the 256-bit AES protocol, with multiple forms of protection in place to ensure the bad guys don't get in no matter how persistent. When you consider all that extra security, the prices won't scare you away either.

Sure, it's still expensive, four times the price of an equivalent 2TB drive, and unlikely to be the most nimble performer. But, you're paying for a product that's virtually uncrackable. Bear in mind, though, you'll get no help from the manufacturer if things go awry and you lose your password.

Read our full review: iStorage diskAshur DT

Gabe Carey and Matt Hanson also contributed to this article

There are many free hard drive testing programs available to help you determine what, if anything, is wrong when you suspect there may be a problem with a hard drive.

Tools like Windows Error Checking and the chkdsk command are included in your Windows-based operating system already but some others, like those below, are available from hard drive manufacturers and other developers.

Depending on the issue found, you may need to replace your hard drive if it fails some part of one of these hard drive tests.

Many excellent Commercial Hard Drive Repair Software programs are available as well. Be sure to first try the free hard drive diagnostic software options below before paying for any program!

Seagate SeaTools

What We Like

• Works from both inside and outside of Windows

• Completely free

• SeaTools for DOS works on any operating system

• SeaTools for Windows lets you test a hard drive from any manufacturer

What We Don't Like

• SeaTools for DOS can be hard to use and install

• SeaTools for Windows runs on Windows only

• SeaTools for DOS can deal with only 100 errors before restarting

• SeaTools for DOS might not work well with RAID controllers

Seagate SeaTools is free hard drive testing software that comes in two forms for home users:

SeaTools Bootable and SeaTools for DOS support Seagate or Maxtor drives and run independent from your operating system on their own USB drive or CD, respectively.

SeaTools for Windows is a program that installs on your Windows system. You can do basic and advanced testing of any kind of drive—internal or external—from any manufacturer.

For those looking for SeaTools Desktop, SeaTools Online, or Maxtor's PowerMax software, please note that the two tools above have replaced all three. Seagate now owns the Maxtor brand.

Seagate's SeaTools programs are excellent programs. They're used to test hard drives by professional computer services but are easy enough for anyone to use.

The Windows version of SeaTools works with Windows 10 through Windows XP.

HDDScan

What We Like

• Works with all hard drives

• No installation need (portable)

• Easy to use

• Includes a SMART test

• Runs on all modern versions of Windows

What We Don't Like

• Runs on Windows operating systems only

• Doesn't include help docs or tips for how to use the different options

• Can't install the program to your computer (it runs as a portable program automatically)

HDDScan is a free hard drive testing program for all types of drives, no matter the manufacturer.

There are several tools included in HDDScan, including a SMART test and a surface test.

The program is very easy to use, is completely portable, supports almost all drive interfaces, and seems to be regularly updated.

You can use HDDScan in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Windows Server 2003.

DiskCheckup

What We Like

• Keeps track of SMART attributes to predict hard drive failure

• Can be configured to email you when certain events take place

• Well-organized and easy-to-use interface

• Small download size

What We Don't Like

• Doesn't scan SCSI or hardware RAIDs

• Free for home/personal use only, not commercial/business

DiskCheckup is a free hard drive tester that should work with most hard drives.

SMART info like reading error rate, spin-up time, seek error rate, and temperature is displayed, as well as the ability to run a short and extended disk test.

Details in the SMART section can be configured to send an email or display a notification when their attributes exceed the manufacturer's recommended threshold.

Hard drives that have a SCSI or hardware RAID connection are not supported and can not be detected by DiskCheckup.

DiskCheckup works with Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP and Windows Server 2008/2003.

GSmartControl

What We Like

• There are three tests you can choose to run

• Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS

• Lets you view the drive's SMART attributes

• A portable version is available

What We Don't Like

• Doesn't support every USB and RAID device

• When exporting information, it includes everything, not just a specific result you want to save

GSmartControl can run various hard drive tests with detailed results and give an overall health assessment of a drive.

You can view and save SMART attribute values like the power cycle count, multi-zone error rate, calibration retry count, and many others.

GSmartControl can run three self-tests to find drive faults:

• Short Self-test: Takes around 2 minutes to complete and is used to detect a completely damaged hard drive.
• Extended Self-test: Takes 70 minutes to finish and examines the entire surface of a hard drive to find faults.
• Conveyance Self-test: This is a 5-minute test that's supposed to find damages that occurred during the transporting of a drive.

GSmartControl can be downloaded for Windows as a portable program or as a regular program with a normal installer. It works with Windows 10 through Windows XP. It's also available for Linux and Mac operating systems as well as included in a couple of LiveCD/LiveUSB programs.

Windows Drive Fitness Test (WinDFT)

What We Like

• Very easy to use

• There are two HDD testing functions

• An option lets you perform a deep test for better results

• Lets you test more than one drive consecutively

• SMART attributes can be viewed

• Also lets you erase a hard drive

What We Don't Like

• Can't scan the primary hard drive where Windows is installed

• No tutorials, instructions, or tips are included in the program

• Unable to change where the LOG file is saved

• Works on Windows operating systems only

Windows Drive Fitness Test is free hard drive diagnostic software available for use on most drives available today.

The download link below installs the Windows Drive Fitness Test software to the Windows OS, but you can't use the program to scan the drive that has Windows installed.

Unfortunately, only USB and other internal hard drives can be scanned with Windows Drive Fitness Test.

You can install WinDFT to Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.

Samsung HUTIL

What We Like

• Tests hard drives regardless of the OS that's installed

• Not too difficult to use

• Lets you erase data from the drive, too

What We Don't Like

• Tests Samsung HDDs only

• Isn't as easy to install as a desktop-based program

• You have to have access to a working computer in order to set up the program

• The interface is completely text (no buttons you can click)

Samsung HUTIL is a free hard drive diagnostic utility for Samsung hard drives. HUTIL is sometimes called ES-Tool.

Samsung's HUTIL tool is available as an ISO image for burning to a CD or USB drive. This makes HUTIL operating system independent and a better testing tool, in general, than those designed for use within Windows. It's also possible to run HUTIL from a bootable floppy disk.

Because Samsung HUTIL is a bootable program, you'll need a working hard drive and OS to burn it to a disc or USB device.

HUTIL will only test Samsung hard drives. HUTIL will load and find your non-Samsung drive but you will not be able to run any diagnostics on the drive.

Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic (DLGDIAG)

What We Like

• Runs from within Windows

• The Windows program can scan hard drives from any manufacturer

• Lets you boot to the program if you don't have Windows (or have no OS installed)

• The Windows version is easy to use

• Lets you scan external and internal HDDs

• Also shows basic information about the drives

What We Don't Like

• The DOS program scans Western Digital hard drives only

• The DOS program isn't as easy to set up as the Windows version

• Using the DOS program might be harder than its Windows counterpart

Western Digital Data Lifeguard Diagnostic (DLGDIAG) is free hard drive testing software that's available for download in both a portable Windows program as well as a bootable, ISO file and allows for a number of hard drive tests.

See the installation instructions from Western Digital in the link below for details.

Bart's Stuff Test

What We Like

• Runs a stress test by writing data to the drive

• Tests all hard drives, internal and external, regardless of the OS or file system

• Lets you tweak lots of settings

• Really easy to use and understand

• Runs in portable mode

What We Don't Like

• No option to install it to your computer

• Officially supports up to Windows XP only

• No longer gets updated with improvements or new features

Bart's Stuff Test is a free, Windows-based hard drive stress test.

There aren't a lot of options in Bart's Stuff Test and it's not as thorough as some other tests on this list.

All things considered, Bart's Stuff Test is a decent addition to your hard drive testing arsenal, especially if you're having problems testing with an ISO based tool above but want something besides the Windows default tool.

Bart's Stuff Test is said to work only with Windows XP through Windows 95. However, I tested the most recent version of Windows 10 and Windows 8 without any issues.

Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool

What We Like

• One of the easiest hard drive testing apps to use

• Provides two hard drive testing functions

• Runs from within Windows, but there's also a floppy version if you don't have Windows

What We Don't Like

• Tests Fujitsu hard drives only

• The bootable program runs from a floppy disk only (not a disc or flash drive)

• The floppy program isn't as easy to install and use as the Windows version

• The desktop program runs on Windows only

Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool is a free hard drive testing tool designed for Fujitsu hard drives.

The Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool (FJDT) is available in both a Windows version and an operating system independent, bootable DOS version. Unfortunately, the bootable version is designed for floppy disks—an image that works with a CD or USB drive is not available.

Two tests are available with Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool, a 'Quick Test' (about three minutes) and a 'Comprehensive Test' (time will vary based on hard drive size).

The Windows version of Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool should work in all versions of Windows, from Windows 10 to Windows 2000.

Fujitsu Diagnostic Tool will perform hard drive tests on Fujitsu drives only. If you have any other make of hard drive, try one of the manufacturer independent tests listed toward the beginning of this list.

HD Tune

What We Like

• Tests several types of storage devices

• Includes helpful tests

• Information can be saved to a screenshot and copied to the clipboard

• The program isn't confusing to use

What We Don't Like

• Can't export results to a text file like most programs support

• Officially works on up to Windows 7 only, not newer Windows OSs

• Only home/personal use is allowed

HD Tune is a Windows-based hard driver tester that works with any internal or external hard drive, SSD, or memory card.

You can run a benchmark read test with HD Tune, check the health status with Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART), and run an error scan.

Only Windows 7, Vista, XP, and 2000 are said to be supported, though I was also able to use HD Tune in Windows 10 and Windows 8, too.

Free EASIS Drive Check

What We Like

• Scan results can be emailed to you automatically

• Runs a surface scan to check for errors

• Shows SMART attributes

• Checks errors on both internal and external hard drives

• Scan results show useful information

What We Don't Like

• Hasn't been updated in a long time (the last official supported OS is Windows 7)

• Works on Windows computers only

• Doesn't include as many features as most other hard drive testers

Free EASIS Drive Check is a hard drive tester that has two main testing utility built-in—a sector test and a SMART value reader.

The SMART test can list over 40 values about a hard drive while the sector test checks the surface of the media for reading errors.

The report of either test can be read straight from the program when complete, configured to be sent to you by email or printed off.

Free EASIS Drive Check is said to work with Windows 2000 through Windows 7, but I was able to use it properly on Windows 8 and 10 as well.

Microsoft Windows Built-In Error Checking

What We Like

Hard Drive Reader Device

• No download necessary

• Also tries to fix any hard drive errors

What We Don't Like

• Runs on Windows only

• Lacks features found in other free hard drive testing software

Error Checking, sometimes referred to as scandisk, is a hard drive testing tool that comes with Microsoft Windows that can scan your hard drive in search of a wide range of errors.

This tool can also attempt to correct a number of hard drive problems.

Macrorit Disk Scanner

What We Like

• Great visuals that are easy to understand

• Doesn't have to be installed

• Works on several Windows operating systems

• Updates often

What We Don't Like

• Excludes features found only in the paid versions

• Free only for personal/home use

• Scans just one drive at a time

• Includes external links you might accidentally click

Macrorit Disk Scanner is a very simple program that checks for bad sectors on a hard drive. It's easy to use and you can start using it in no time since it's fully portable and doesn't need to be installed.

The majority of this screen is used as a visual representation of the progress of the scan and clearly indicates if there's damage.

One thing in particular that I like about Macrorit Disk Scanner is that you can see how much time is remaining before the scan is over, which some hard drive scanners don't show.

The operating systems that can run Macrorit Disk Scanner are Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, Windows Home Server, and Windows Server 2012/2008/2003.

Best Hard Drives For Pc

Ariolic Disk Scanner

What We Like

• Checks any hard drive for bad sectors

• Shows which files are affected by errors

• Portable (no installation necessary)

• Very clean interface that's not distracting or confusing to use

What We Don't Like

Free Mac Hard Drive Cloning Software

• Doesn't support HFS (only NTFS and FAT file systems)

Ariolic Disk Scanner is very similar to Macrorit Disk Scanner in that it's just a read-only scan of a drive to check for bad sectors. It has a minimal interface with only one button, and is easy to understand if any parts of the drive contain bad sectors.

The program is completely portable and just over 1 MB in size.

One thing that's different than Macrorit Disk Scanner is that Ariolic Disk Scanner lists the files where read errors occurred. This sounds like a useful feature but I, unfortunately, was unable to confirm it because my scan returned no errors.

I tested Ariolic Disk Scanner in Windows 10 and XP only, but it should also work with other versions of Windows.