6 best seagate external drives

Seagate external drives are widely recognized for their reliability and diverse range of offerings in the realm of data storage. Here are some key aspects of Seagate external drives:

  1. Reliability and Durability: Seagate is known for producing external hard drives that are robust and reliable. Their devices are built to withstand regular use, providing a secure and stable storage solution for users.

  2. Capacity Range: Seagate offers external hard drives with a wide range of storage capacities. Whether you need a compact drive for basic storage needs or a high-capacity solution for extensive data storage, Seagate has options to suit various requirements.

  3. Connectivity Options: Seagate external drives come with different connectivity options, including USB 3.0, USB-C, and Thunderbolt. This ensures compatibility with a variety of devices, including laptops, desktops, and other peripherals.

  4. Portable and Desktop Models: Seagate caters to different user preferences by offering both portable and desktop external drives. Portable drives are compact and easy to carry, while desktop models often provide larger storage capacities suitable for stationary setups.

  5. Backup and Security Features: Many Seagate external drives come bundled with backup software, making it convenient for users to safeguard their important files.Some models also include features for automatic backups and data encryption, enhancing data security.

  6. Performance: Seagate drives are designed to deliver efficient data transfer speeds and reliable performance. This is crucial for tasks such as transferring large files, running applications directly from the external drive, or editing multimedia content.

  7. Design and Form Factor: Seagate places emphasis on the design of their external drives. The devices often boast sleek and modern designs, with some models featuring rugged exteriors for added durability. The form factor is tailored for both aesthetic appeal and practical portability.

  8. Compatibility with Operating Systems: Seagate external drives are generally compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. While some drives may come pre-formatted for a specific OS, they can be easily reformatted for cross-platform use.

Whether you're seeking a reliable backup solution, additional storage for multimedia content, or a portable drive for on-the-go use, Seagate's lineup of external drives provides a variety of options to meet different storage needs.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best seagate external drives on the market
  

Seagate is a well-known brand in the realm of external hard drives, offering a range of products tailored for various storage needs. Here's a glimpse into what you can expect from Seagate external drives:

  1. Reliability: Seagate is recognized for producing reliable and durable external hard drives. Their drives are often designed to withstand the rigors of daily use, providing a secure storage solution for your important data.

  2. Capacity Options: Seagate offers a diverse selection of external hard drives with varying storage capacities, catering to both casual users and professionals with extensive storage needs. Whether you need a few terabytes or more, there's likely a Seagate drive that suits your requirements.

  3. Connectivity Options: Seagate external drives come with different connectivity options to accommodate various devices.Common interfaces include USB 3.0, USB-C, and Thunderbolt, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of computers and devices.

  4. Portable and Desktop Models: Seagate provides both portable and desktop external drives. Portable drives are compact, making them ideal for on-the-go users, while desktop drives often offer larger storage capacities and can be a great choice for stationary setups.

  5. Backup Software: Many Seagate external drives come bundled with backup software, simplifying the process of safeguarding your important files. This software often includes features like automatic backup and file synchronization.

  6. Performance: Seagate's external drives are designed for efficient data transfer and fast read/write speeds. This is particularly important for tasks such as video editing or running applications directly from the external drive.

  7. Design and Form Factor: Seagate pays attention to the design of its external drives. They are often sleek and compact, with some models featuring rugged designs for added durability. The aesthetic appeal is combined with practical considerations for portability and ease of use.

  8. Compatibility: Seagate external drives are compatible with both Windows and Mac systems. Many models come pre-formatted for one of these operating systems, but they can be easily reformatted for cross-platform use.

When choosing a Seagate external drive, consider factors such as the amount of storage you need, the drive's physical size, and the connectivity options that align with your devices. Whether you're looking for a reliable backup solution or additional storage for your media files, Seagate has a range of options to meet different needs.

Below you can find our editor's choice of the best seagate external drives on the market
  

Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PS4, & Xbox - 1-Year Rescue Service (STGX2000400)

Seagate

Based on 96 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Easily store and access 2TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a great laptop hard drive. Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this compact external hard drive makes backup a snap. Just drag and drop To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition—no software required—and enjoy plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable.

  • Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
  • Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
  • To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
  • This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
  • Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included one-year limited warranty and 1 year rescue data recovery services

Product features

Always Spacious. Always Easy.

Back up yesterday’s memories and today’s documents, even on the go. Seagate Portable makes it possible thanks to the plug-and-play simplicity of USB 3.0 and drag-and-drop functionality.

What's Included

Seagate Portable, 18-inch (45.72cm) USB 3.0 cable, Quick start guide

Seagate STEL8000100 Backup Plus Hub 8TB External Desktop Hard Drive Storage

Seagate

Based on 7 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Get solid USB storage and up to 14TB capacity in an external desktop hard drive for Mac and Windows. Featuring dual front-facing, high-speed USB 3.0 ports, Backup Plus Hub make 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 software. Plus, a complimentary

four-month membership to the Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan’s awesome photo and video editing apps (Must be redeemed within 1 year of drive registration. Not available in all countries).

  • 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 and two-yr Rescue Data Recovery Services

User questions & answers

Question: Can this be used for hd or 4k streaming as a nas when connected to a good router like asus 87u or 5300? has anybody tried playing 4k movies off it
Answer: Dear friend, yes,the unit support iPhone for bluetooth. Best wishes
Question: Can i hook up 2 different windows machines and can they both (for back up) accessed? as in running 2 different backups at different times
Answer: Dear friends, We usually define the item fits or not fits your car by measuring the dash board of the car. Please do me a favor to have a look the height of the dash board. This unit is universal 1 DIN(length 178mm（7.01 inch）* height 50mm(1.97 inch)) Best wishes
Question: Any idea what is the power rating of this external drive? and also the power adaptor
Answer: AM/FM tuner with 18FM/12AM presets.
Question: can I use it as extra space on a airport
Answer: Dear friends, We usually define the item fits or not fits your car by measuring the dash board of the car. Please do me a favor to have a look the height of the dash board. This unit is universal 1 DIN(length 178mm（7.01 inch）* height 50mm(1.97 inch)) Best wishes

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

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 1TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – Silver USB 3.0 For PC Laptop And Mac, 1 year Mylio Create, 4 Months Adobe CC Photography, 1 year Rescue Service (STHN1000401)

Seagate

Based on 1 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Store and access 1TB 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 1TB 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 one year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create and a two month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan
  • Enjoy long term peace of mind with the included two year limited warranty and 1 year Rescue Service

Product features

A Little Fits a Lot

Small enough for a loaded laptop bag, spacious enough for loads of content—Backup Plus Slim is the perfect marriage of easy portability and truly useful file storage. Easily plug into Windows and Mac computers via USB 3.0 and enjoy helpful tools like customizable backup and folder mirroring.

What's Included

Seagate Backup Plus Slim drive | 18-inch (45.72cm) USB 3.0 cable | Quick start guide | Downloadable Seagate Toolkit backup software | One-year Mylio Create plan | Two-month membership Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan

Seagate (STEB6000403) Expansion Desktop 6TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 For PC Laptop

Seagate

Based on 17 reviews Check latest price

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

Seagate Portable 4TB External Hard Drive HDD USB 3.0 for PC Laptop and Mac (STGX4000400) & AmazonBasics External Hard Drive Portable Carrying Case

Seagate

Based on 58 reviews Check latest price

Product description

Amazon Basics External Hard Drive Portable Carrying Case

The Amazon Basics hard-shell case for portable hard drives offers durable protection for your portable Seagate or other hard drive. Designed especially to fit the Seagate External Hard Drive (fits drives sized up to 5 x 3.2 x 0.8 inches / 12.7 x 8 x 2 cm), this soft-lined case features an inner mesh compartment for a USB cable and accessories. The interior mesh pocket allows you to carry a USB cable and other accessories (enlarge).

  • Easily store and access 4TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
  • Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
  • To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
  • This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
  • Max compatible dimensions (outside): 5.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
  • Compact case to store or transport medium and larger portable hard drives
  • Slimline design allows case to easily fit into any backpack or briefcase
  • Interior strap and zippered closure secures portable hard drive in place

User questions & answers

Question: Can this be use for sony ps4 pro
Answer: Yes, you are correct the back HDMI will be blocked and actually becomes disabled on that model once docked along with the rear USB ports. Once you dock your laptop you would have to either use Displayport or DVI for a digital signal like HDMI from the docking station.

Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – Light Blue USB 3.0 for PC Laptop and Mac, 1 year Mylio Create, 2 Months Adobe CC Photography (STHN2000402)

Seagate

Based on 1 reviews Check latest price

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 one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create and a two-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan
  • Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included two-year limited warranty

User questions & answers

Question: Will this work as local storage for an Arlo Pro 3 video system
Answer: I've had 2 of these and both came with 1 USB cord that has 3 connectors. 1 goes to the hard drive box and the other 2 plug into the computer
Question: Can you delete backup software and use as aux drive
Answer: RAID 1 is MIRROR mode, writes same data to both drives for backup so it is normal to get half capacity. Simply follow LaCie directions to switch back to RAID 0 mode, but this will ERASE ALL DATA so if you have anything on the drive, back it up to another drive before switching RAID modes and reformatting.
Question: Is it compatible with a Samsung S5e tablet
Answer: Not sure. However, here is the link ti LaCie America. They should be able to aid you. https://www.lacie.com/products/rugged/
Question: Can it be partitioned for 2 separate backups
Answer: The computer you attatch it to

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