External HDDs that are not specific to Macs may also work, but you’ll need to reformat them first, which could take some time.Įven though Mac computers are capable of reading hard drives that are formatted for Windows, if you intend on using your external HDD as a bootable disk or want to use it to backup files with your Mac’s Time Machine, you must format it to be entirely Mac compatible.
Best external hard drive for pc or mac for mac#
This is because when you initially connect an external HDD made for Mac (to a Mac computer), you won’t be required to format it before you begin transferring files.
Key considerationsįor Mac users, buying an external HDD already formatted for your system makes getting started much easier. There are hard drives that may hold values like 3TB, 6TB, and 10TB, but they are much less common than the standard hard drives that hold: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB. There are varying levels of storage capacity in an external hard drive, and the overall size of the HDD depends on the model. Others will need to be plugged into the wall. Some external hard drives get power directly from the computer connection. Flash drives are external drives, but they aren’t as fast, and they don’t usually store as much space as their larger external hard drive relatives. If you find that you’re constantly running out of space - or your overall computer performance is beginning to suffer - an external hard drive can be very safe and secure way to move files around.Įxternal hard drives are basically hard drives (HDD) or solid state drives (SSD) that are wrapped in their own protective casing and connect to your computer from the outside as opposed to the inside. They’re often used to store backup files or files too large to keep on a primary computer.
Transferring files from one computer to the next can be much faster with the help of an external hard drive. Buying guide for best external hard drives for macsĮxternal drives are quick and easy to use, and they’re usually extremely portable.
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