10 best backup hard drives

Product description

WD Elements portable hard drives offer reliable, high-capacity storage, fast data transfer rates and universal connectivity with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 devices to back up your photos, videos and files on the go.

• USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 Compatibility
• Fast data transfers
• Improve PC Performance
• High Capacity; Compatibility Formatted NTFS for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7; Reformatting may be required for other operating systems; Compatibility may vary depending on user’s hardware configuration and operating system
• 2 year manufacturer's limited warranty

Product features

Level Up to NVMe SSD Performance

The WD_Black SN750 NVMe SSD delivers top-tier performance for gaming and hardware enthusiasts who are looking to build or upgrade their PC.

Compact SSD, shaped by performance

The WD_Black P50 Game Drive SSD has a portable form factor that can withstand battlefields due to its durable and shock-resistant design.

Portable storage for your coveted game collection

The WD_Black P10 Game Drive comes in capacities up to 5TB, so you don't have to compromise which games to delete on your console or PC in order to make room for new ones.

Massive storage with active cooling

With the WD_Black D10 Game Drive added storage, there's no need to waste time clearing room on your console or PC for new games—now you can keep your old favorites intact as you grow your library.

Product description

Every journey needs a passport. The My Passport drive is trusted, portable storage that gives you the confidence and freedom to drive forward in life. With a new, stylish design that fits in the palm of your hand, there's space to store, organize, and share your photos, videos, music, and documents. Perfectly paired with Western Digital backup software and password protection, the My Passport drive helps keep your digital life's contents safe.

• Slim design
• Automatic backup - easy to use
• Password protection + 256-bit AES hardware encryption
• WD Discovery software for WD Backup, password protection and drive management
• SuperSpeed USB port; USB 2.0 compatible

User questions & answers

Question:	Does it come with the USB cable
Answer:	You can do it. You just need to connect your external speakers with record player!
Question:	Just to confirm this works with windows 10 no problem? I have a 4 yr old extern hard drive that doesnt and i am worried this wont
Answer:	Yes there is a is power cord and adapter that comes with it. Also you dont need Bluetooth to work the player.
Question:	Is this compatible with ps
Answer:	Yes, a one year warranty from date of purchase.
Question:	How is this model different than the one called wd 2tb black my passport portable external hard drive - usb 3.0 - wdbs4b0020bbk-wesn
Answer:	Turn the volume dial. That activates the power. The record will start spinning when the needle arm is above it.

Product features

Backed Up

Make sure everything you create while on your own life journey - photos, videos, music, and documents - doesn’t get lost. The My Passport drive comes equipped with WD Backup software that can be set to run automatically to your schedule.

Locked Down

Keep your digital life's contents secure with My Passport password protection and built-in 256-bit AES hardware encryption. Just activate password protection and set your own personalized password using WD Discovery.

Product description

Get solid USB storage and 4TB capacity in an external desktop hard drive for Mac and Windows. Featuring dual front-facing, high-speed USB 3.0 ports, Backup Plus Hub makes it easy to charge mobile devices and transfer files from cameras, USB keys, and more. Even charge USB game controllers Enjoy simple, one-click backups, or schedule automatic daily, weekly, or monthly backup by downloading Seagate Toolkit software. Plus, take advantage of a complimentary two-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan for access to awesome photo and video editing apps.

• Store and access content for years with up to 14TB in a USB drive
• A great external hard drive for Mac and Windows, this hub can charge mobile devices and transfer files from USB cameras and USB thumb drives via its two USB 3.0 ports
• Use seamlessly between windows and Mac by installing the provided NTFS driver for Mac
• Complimentary four-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan’s photo and video editing apps (Must be redeemed within 1 year of drive registration. Not available in all countries)
• Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included two-year limited warranty External desktop hard drive offers two front-facing, high-speed USB 3.0 ports for connecting to and recharging other USB devices like phones, cameras, and tablets

Product features

Backup and Recharge in One Place

Thousands of photos, hundreds of songs, loads of movies and docs—sound familiar? Backup Plus Hub helps protect all of it with proven reliability, seamless backup, Mac and Windows usability, plus two front-facing USB 3.0 ports for charging and managing devices like phones, tablets, and cameras.

Desk, Office, and Dorm Life—Made Easier

Backup Plus Hub helps protect important files and can’t-live-without memories with a single click. To schedule automatic backups, simply use the included Seagate software.

What's Included

Backup Plus Hub, 18-inch (45.72cm) USB 3.0 cable, 18W power adapter, Quick start guide, Seagate backup software, Mac driver

Product description

Easily manage 2TB of photos, videos, movies, and more with Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch—the go-to solution for an external laptop hard drive or PC hard drive. Featuring a minimalist tone-on-tone woven fabric design and hardware encrpted password protection for extra peace of mind, this is an excellent Mac or Windows accessory. Simply plug into a USB-C or USB 3.0 computer to back up files with a single click, schedule automatic backups, and even mirror file folders across devices. Plus—edit, manage, and share photos with a one-year subscription to Mylio Create and a two-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan

• SECURITY FIRST: Securely and easily manage photos, videos, movies, and more with password activated hardware encryption
• STYLISH & SPACIOUS: Stylish tone-on-tone fabric design works seamlessly with USB-C and USB 3.0 laptops and PCs
• PLUG & PLAY: The perfect external hard drive for Windows or Mac, simply back up files with a single click or schedule automatic daily, weekly, or monthly backups (Reformatting may be required for use with Time Machine)
• MYLIO & ADOBE: Edit, manage, and share photos with a 1-yr. complimentary subscription to Mylio Create and a 4-mo. membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (must redeem within 1-yr. of drive registration; not available in China)
• RELIABLE: Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included two-year limited warranty and Rescue Data Recovery Services

User questions & answers

Question:	Can files automatically be saved onto this hard drive
Answer:	No, it’s not. All Ironwolf and Itonwolf pro drives are SMR free, according to Seagate
Question:	How does the password protection differ from just encrypting it yourself
Answer:	I have 3 of these in a Synology 4 bay NAS DiskStation DS918+ works great!
Question:	How do you reformat it for Time Machine? Is it difficult to do
Answer:	This BS-math ["a kilobyte is defined as 1000 bytes"] was started by Maxtor (IIRC, it was 1991 and it affected the 320 MB hard drives; I had just purchased a 240 MB for $230 at the PX. The 320 MB was only $189, sitting on the shelf next to 240 MB). Before then if you had a 240 MB drive you could put roughly 220 MB of data on it. Drive manufacturers would say 'unformatted capacity: 240 MB' and you did NOT "lose" so much capacity. Track and sector encoding doesn't equate to the difference between (1024^3 - 1000^3). Imagine if you will, someone telling you that a year is defined as 10 months.
Question:	Does it come with a usb-c plug end for my new macbook
Answer:	I have two NAS drives in my computer, and they work great. I bought two easystore external hard drives and removed the hard hard drives from the case. The hard drives are 5400 rpm drives. I only archive things on those drives, and they work great. The 7200 rpm drives are better for gaming but more expensive. The easystores only costed me $150. They also have a 256mb cache.

Product features

The Right Fit. The Right Feel.

Sporting a chic, woven fabric design on the outside and password protection with hardware encryption inside, Backup Plus Ultra Touch seamlessly blends in the essentials of high capacity, universal compatibility, and easy backup.

Mylio Create

Enjoy a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create—an intuitive yet powerful app that helps organize photos into a life calendar and offers easy protection, editing, sharing, and syncing across multiple devices.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Easily edit, organize, store, and share photos with a two-month complimentary membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan. Edit with the powerful and easy-to-use interface of Lightroom CC and combine images into rich, multilayered artwork with Photoshop CC.

Product description

The G-DRIVE USB-C external drive delivers reliable, high-capacity storage in a compact, stylish package. Encased in an all-aluminum enclosure and featuring a versatile USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface that meets the needs of the creative enthusiast, this drive is perfect for easy access to stored HD videos, photos and music while charging your MacBook. The G-DRIVE USB-C external drive is plug and play on Mac and can be easily reformatted for Windows.

• USB-C connector and USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface for universal data transfers
• USB Power Delivery to charge your compatible laptop while you access and back up files
• Sleek, all-aluminum enclosure for durability
• Apple Time Machine ready for easy file backup
• Plug and play on Mac; easily reformatted for Windows
• 3-year limited manufacturer's warranty

User questions & answers

Question:	The picture shows an on/off switch. The answer below says there is not one. I believe two models are being confused. Is this model accurately shown
Answer:	No. And you will notice immediately because the translation is quite iffy.
Question:	can it be stacked up
Answer:	Yes ! I was able to download all my photos, videos and screenshot in a few easy step. This device is also very fast.
Question:	I don't have usb-c. i have the old usb 3.0 will this work with that
Answer:	Mine didn’t transfer either.
Question:	Do i need to plug it in or will it run off usb-c
Answer:	Not sure this will be of help, however, both Dual Magic Flash and LUV Share apps are required for the phone to recognize the device being connected.

Product features

Stylish, High-Capacity, Reliable Storage

The G-DRIVE USB-C external drive delivers reliable, high-capacity storage in a compact, stylish package. Featuring a versatile USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface that meets the needs of the creative enthusiast, this drive is perfect for easy access to stored HD videos, photos and music while charging your compatible MacBook.

*As used for storage capacity, one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.

USB Power Delivery*

Support for up to 45 watts of USB Power Delivery through the USB-C port allows you to charge your compatible MacBook or MacBook Pro without having to take a separate charger out of your bag. *Requires USB Power Delivery Profile on computer and use of USB-C to USB-C cable.

USB-C to USB-A cable included

To ensure maximum compatibility, we include a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable to make sure this drive works with all USB 3.1, 3.0 and 2.0 computers.

Perfect for Mac and Windows

Ready to go for Mac computers and Apple Time Machine backup right out of the box. Easily refor- mat for Windows with included software.

Product description

LaCie Rugged USB-C is a powerful, trusted external hard drive for Mac and Windows computers. Quickly and easily connect to the latest laptops and PCs using Rugged’s reversible USB-C cable—or the included USB 3.0 adapter for legacy USB 3.0 devices. Enjoy a high-speed USB-C 5Gb/s interface and confidently tackle any terrain with drop, crush, and rain resistance. Plus—take advantage of a complimentary one-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan for access to awesome photo and video editing apps! It even includes two-year limited warranty protection plan and Rescue Data Recovery services for long-term peace of mind.

• Quickly and easily connect to the latest Windows and Mac computers with Rugged’s reversible USB-C cable, or legacy computers using the included USB 3.0 adapter
• Enjoy fast USB-C 5Gb/s file transfers, backups, and image browsing
• Confidently tackle any terrain with drop, crush, and rain resistance
• Take advantage of a complimentary one-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan for access to awesome photo and video editing apps
• Enjoy long-term peace of mind with an included two-year limited warranty protection plan and Rescue Data Recovery services
• System Ram Type: ddr3l_1600_sdram

Product features

Meet the Rugged Side of USB-C

From urban jungles to backwood trails, Rugged USB-C is ready to survive and ready to connect. Fusing legendary toughness with USB-C, USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility, it works seamlessly with Mac and Windows alike. Fast transfers. Easy, reliable backups. It's all there.

Product description

Ideal for the home, office, or dorm, Seagate Expansion Desktop offers enormous desktop storage for photos, movies, music, and more. Backing up and transferring content is incredibly easy—just drag and drop To get set up, connect the USB hard drive to a Windows computer for automatic recognition—no software required. For Mac computers, simply reformat. Included is an 18 inch USB 3.0 cable and 18W power adapter.

• Enjoy enormous desktop storage space for years to come for photos, movies, music, and more
• Designed to work with Windows computers, this external USB drive makes backup easy with a simple drag and drop
• Setup is easy: Just connect the external hard drive to your Windows computer for automatic recognition: no software required
• Includes an 18 inches USB 3.0 cable and 18Watt power adapter
• Enjoy long term peace of mind with the included 1 year limited warranty

User questions & answers

Question:	Can I take the hard drive out and use it as a regular desktop hard drive
Answer:	I’ve done this with about 30+ 2tb, 4tb, and 8tb drives over the years- converting an external to an internal- and they are all still running fine to this day. Usually $30-40 cheaper than the internal and you get a free usb cable to boot. Just make sure you don’t hurt your hands while doing it. Twisting a flathead screw driver in the seams seemed like the way to go if I recall. They don’t make the cases easy to open. For someone below: Don’t use these for RAID. NAS rated drives are different because they handle higher heat, able to run 24/7 with cross checks, etc. read more about what makes the iron version a NAS approved drive compared to the standard barracuda.
Question:	will it work with a mac for time machine
Answer:	Just reformatted the external hard drive using Disk Utility. Works for Mac :) Im not a tech savvy person, so I found this website to be useful when selecting what option to select when erasing the hard drive. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4276140?start=0&tstart=0I chose to use Journaled as I am using this for a Time Machine back up, like Matthew Chellew suggests in the first answer.
Question:	Does it work well with an Xbox One
Answer:	Like a charm, exactly what I purchased it for. Plug into any of the three ports (all 3 of the original XBox One ports are 3.0) and give it a minute. The XBox will recognize it and you have to choose for storage or media. Choose storage for games and you are up and running. Do be aware that this HDD does require its own power supply. I was transferring games within 5 minutes. FWIW within half an hour there was a power outage in the middle of a transfer and the external drive, the XBox One and the data are were ok when power came back on. If a data transfer is interrupted for any reason simply delete the failed portion on the destination drive and start the process over.
Question:	What is the diference between Seagate 5TB usb 3 model numbers STEB5000100, STBV5000100 and STDT
Answer:	The STBV is the older "Expansion" model with a lightly textured plastic case and slightly sloped front bezel. Sold only in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific with a 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year warranty, respectively.The STEB is the replacement "Expansion" model for the above with a more interesting texture and feet on one edge to stand vertically. It is sold in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific with a 1-year, 2-year, or 3-year warranty, respectively.The STDT is the "Backup Plus" model that looks like the STBV except with no sloped front and comes with backup software (on the disk) for both Windows and Mac OS, and includes 200GB of cloud storage with OneDrive for 2 years. It is sold in North America only with a 2-year warranty.The STDT comes in capacities of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8TB. The STEB and STBV go up to 5TB.They all use the same SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface. I suspect the internal drives have small differences and firmware, but I can find no information about that.

Product features

What Does a PC Crave? Extra Space.

For a laptop or desktop overflowing with files, Expansion Desktop delivers loads of add-on capacity. Take advantage of quick transfers and backups with drag-and-drop ease to help protect thousands of photos, songs, and more in one trusty place.

What's Included

Expansion Desktop, 18-inch (45.72cm) USB 3.0 cable, 18W power adapter, Quick start guide

Product description

WD Elements desktop storage with USB 3.0 offers reliable, high-capacity, add-on storage, fast data transfer rates and universal connectivity with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 devices. The sleek design features up to 10TB capacity plus WD quality and reliability.

• Fast data transfers
• High Capacity add on storage
• Plug and Play Ready for Windows PCs
• WD quality inside and out
• 2 year manufacturer's limited warranty

User questions & answers

Question:	Does this come with the power adapter
Answer:	Yes, 110-240v power supply
Question:	Is this compatabible with the ps
Answer:	PS4 maxes out at 8TB. Do not buy this 12TB thinking it will work...trust me I already checked.
Question:	Will this work with a system that only has USB2.0 ports
Answer:	Technically it won't be any faster than a USB2 drive since the limit will be the port on the PC. But it will work no worse and if you ever get a PC with USB3 ports it will work much better.
Question:	which one is better? elements 8tb or my book 8tb
Answer:	Looking at Western Digital's Warranty information page I see this: ----- Elements - THIS MODEL - (Product Designator WDBWLG ) 1 year in the USA, Canada & Latin America 2 year in Europe, Middle East & Africa 3 year in Asia Pacific & India ------ My Book FIRST I FOUND LISTED Product Code WDBBGB NO warranty info for US, Canada & Latin America NO warranty info for Asia Pacific & India 3 Year for Europe, Middle East & Africa https://www.amazon.com/Book-Desktop-External-Drive-WDBBGB0080HBK-NESN/dp/B01LQQHLGC/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1547662493&sr=1-1&keywords=western+digital+my+book&refinements=p_n_feature_three_browse-bin%3A668383011%2Cp_n_feature_two_browse-bin%3A5446816011 ----- The only "My Book" for the USA, Canada & Latin America I see listed is: Product Code WDBFJK , and that has only a 2 year warranty and sells for a higher price. https://www.amazon.com/Book-Desktop-External-Drive-WDBFJK0080HBK-NESN/dp/B01B6BN0Q2/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1547665593&sr=1-6&keywords=western+digital+my+book+8TB&refinements=p_89%3AWestern+Digital There are other variations of the "My Book" series that have 3 year warranty in The USA, Canada & Latin America: My Book for Mac, My Book VelociRaptor Duo, My Book Thunderbolt Duo, My Book Mirror, My Book Pro, My Book Pro II, My Book World, My Book World II, My Book Studio, My Book Studio II, My Book Home, My Book Office, My Book Elite, My Book Studio, My Book Studio LX, My Book Live, My Book Duo, My Book Duo Pro Thos have Product Designators: WDBYCC, WDBUWZ, WDBUPB, WDBUSK, WDH2U, WDG1T, WDG2TP, WDG1NC, WDH1NC, WDG2NC, WDH2NC, WDH1Q, WDH2Q, WDH1CS, WDH1B, WDBAAH, WDBAAJ, WDBC3G, WDBACH, WDBACG, WDBCPZ, BDTB, WDBUTV, WDBFBE, WDBRMH, WDBDFM It seems that all should refer to WD website to match Product Designator with warranty for your locale: https://support.wdc.com/warranty/warrantypolicy.aspx#group1

Product description

The My Passport Ultra is trusted, portable storage in a design that brilliantly pairs metal and matte finishes to create a sophisticated style. It has plenty of space to store all the content you love. Social media and cloud storage import, WD Backup software and password protection help keep all your memories safe and secure. Easy to use, just plug it in to start saving and backing up.

• USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible
• Innovative style with refined metal cover
• Password protection with 256-bit AES hardware encryption
• Formatted for Mac
• 3-year manufacturer's limited warranty

Product features

USB-C ready, USB 3.0 compatible

Featuring the latest in USB-C technology, the My Passport Ultra for Mac portable drive delivers quick and easy storage for your Mac, while the included USB-3.0 adapter makes sure it’s compatible with older machines.

Innovative Style and Function

Fusing modern anodized metal and textures, the My Passport Ultra for Mac portable drive matches your personal style and the latest Mac computers.

Product description

Store and access 2TB of photos and files on the go, with Seagate Backup Plus Slim. The perfect compliment to personal aesthetic, this compact, portable external hard drive features a minimalist brushed metal enclosure and quick plug and play connectivity with the included USB 3.0 cable. Giving files extra protection is practically effortless—simply back up with a single click or schedule automatic daily, weekly, or monthly backups. Plus—edit, manage, and share photos with a one year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create and a two month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan.

• Store and access 2TB of photos and files on the go, with Seagate Backup Plus Slim, an external hard drive for Mac and Windows
• This portable external hard drive features a minimalist brushed metal enclosure, and is a stylish USB drive
• Simply plug this external hard drive for Mac and Windows into a computer via the included USB 3.0 cable to back up files with a single click or schedule automatic daily, weekly, or monthly backups; Reformatting may be required for use with Time Machine
• Edit, manage, and share photos with a 1 year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create and a 2 month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan
• Enjoy long term peace of mind with the included 2 year limited warranty

User questions & answers

Question:	how long is the usb cable and what type of cable is it
Answer:	I had this hard drive for awhile as a spare backup drive in my PC. I plugged it into the front port of my PS4 and instantly gained 4TB of space. It requires no extra power source, the PS4 will format it and you can play games on it just the same as installing to your HDD inside the PS4. I don't notice any speed issues on my PRO, it runs the same speed. It's perfect to stop you from having to shuffle games off and on the limited 1TB in the system.
Question:	Do you plug in and it automatically backs up all data including photos
Answer:	An MP3 is about 1-2 meg/minute depending on bit rate, so in the worst case, say 4-8 million minutes depending on bit rate, so it's about 66,666 to 123,000 hours depending on file size. About 7.6 - 15 years of continuous recording. Chances are, unless you're loading it with porn (and maybe not even then!) you probably can't fill this before it wears out. Trust me, by the time you even come close to filling this drive, a 40TB drive will be about the same price, you'll buy that, then copy everything over, format it, then offer it to your kid, who will wonder what can he do with a drive this small.
Question:	Can you play the new xbox series x/s off of the hard drive
Answer:	Hello, thank you for your support. This may need to be connected to the USB2.0 interface of raspberry PI 4 to work normally. You can try it.Thanks.
Question:	Can this be used for extra, regular use, storage for an iMac? Like attached to the back of it
Answer:	Hello, it has a strong fall resistance. It won't break easily.