# The 4 Best External Hard Drives on Amazon in 2026 > The best external hard drive picks on Amazon in 2026: 2TB portable drives, the best external hard drive for Mac and PC, and a slim drive for backup. Guide: https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-external-hard-drives/ · Updated 2026-09-28 · By TwelveTabs · Search it live: https://twelvetabs.com/?q=best%20external%20hard%20drive&guide=best-external-hard-drives As an Amazon Associate we may earn from qualifying purchases. Our picks are independently researched, written by TwelveTabs AI and never sponsored. Prices and ratings change often: see the guide for today's. ## The top picks - **Most people:** WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive, 2TB. It won all three of our searches: a 2TB portable hard drive on one USB 3.2 Gen 1 cable, plug and play on PC and Mac. - **Password protection and backups:** WD My Passport Portable External Hard Drive, 2TB. A runner-up in all three of our searches: the same 2TB size as our top pick, plus hardware encryption, password protection and backup software. - **Game consoles and a small backup:** Seagate Portable External Hard Drive, 1TB. A runner-up in our Mac and backup searches: a compact 1TB plug-and-play drive listed for PC, Mac, PlayStation and Xbox, with a data rescue plan. - **A thin, light drive for small files:** Maxone Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive, 500GB. A runner-up in our main search: an ultra-slim 500GB drive in an aluminum case for everyday backups of documents and photos. Our top pick for most people is the **[WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive, 2TB](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-external-hard-drives/#pick-1)**. It won all three TwelveTabs searches we ran for this guide: "best external hard drive" (21 Amazon listings), "external hard drive for mac" (26) and "large external hard drive for backup" (24). It is a plug-and-play portable drive that runs on a single USB cable and works with Windows PCs and Macs. Want your files locked behind a password? The **[WD My Passport, 2TB](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-external-hard-drives/#pick-2)** was the runner-up in every search and adds hardware encryption and backup software. For a game console or a small backup, the **[Seagate Portable, 1TB](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-external-hard-drives/#pick-3)** is listed for PC, Mac, PlayStation and Xbox. And for a thin drive that slips into a laptop sleeve, the **[Maxone Ultra Slim, 500GB](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-external-hard-drives/#pick-4)** comes in an aluminum case. Want something faster and more pocket-size than a spinning drive? Our [external SSDs guide](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-external-ssds/) compares six portable solid-state drives. ## How to choose an external hard drive An external hard drive is the simplest way to back up a computer or add space. These are the choices that matter. - **Portable or desktop.** Wirecutter explains that a portable drive needs only one USB cable, so it is easy to carry with a laptop. A desktop drive also needs a power outlet but is generally faster, which suits everyday work on files stored on the drive. All four of our picks are portable. - **Hard drive or SSD.** A hard drive gives you the most space for your money. Wirecutter suggests a portable SSD instead if file transfer speed matters more to you than space. Two SSDs reached our shortlists but not our finals. - **Pick the size for the job.** Backing up a whole laptop needs at least as much space as the laptop holds, and more if you keep old versions. Our top two picks hold 2TB. The same WD drives are sold in bigger sizes under separate listings, covered below. - **Check the format for a Mac.** WD's Windows-formatted drives work on a Mac after reformatting, Wirecutter notes, or you can buy the Mac version. Our top pick's listing says it works with PC and Mac. Reformatting erases the drive, so do it before you copy files over. - **One drive is not a full backup.** Backblaze's 3-2-1 rule says to keep three copies of your data, on two different kinds of storage, with one copy off-site, such as a cloud backup. An external drive is one of those copies, not all three. ## Our picks in detail ### 1. WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive, 2TB: best for most people **Why it made the list** - It won all three of our searches, from 21, 26 and 24 listings. - It holds 2TB and connects with one USB 3.2 Gen 1 cable, backward compatible with USB 3.0. - It is plug and play, and our Mac search confirmed its listing supports both PC and Mac. - Its listing also names game consoles among the devices it works with. **Drawbacks** - It comes without the password protection and backup software of the My Passport, which is why that drive stayed close behind it in every search. - It is a spinning hard drive, so it moves files slower than a portable SSD. **Watch for this:** WD sells this same drive at 2, 4 and 5TB under separate listings. Our table shows the 2TB. If you need more space, check the capacity in the listing title before you buy. **Skip it if** you move big video files every day and want SSD speed. ### 2. WD My Passport Portable External Hard Drive, 2TB: best for password protection **Why it made the list** - It was the runner-up in all three of our searches. - It adds hardware encryption and password protection, so a lost drive does not mean lost privacy. - It comes with automated backup software that its listing says includes defense against ransomware. **Drawbacks** - It holds the same 2TB as our top pick, so you pay for the security features, not more space. - WD's Windows-formatted drives need reformatting for a Mac, as Wirecutter notes of its sibling, the My Passport Ultra. Check the listing for the Mac version if you use one. **Watch for this:** the My Passport also comes in 4, 5 and 6TB listings. They are the same drive in bigger sizes. **Skip it if** you do not need encryption. The Elements does the same job for less fuss. ### 3. Seagate Portable External Hard Drive, 1TB: best for consoles and small backups **Why it made the list** - It was a runner-up in our Mac search and our backup search. - It is a compact 1TB plug-and-play drive that its listing says works with PC, Mac, PlayStation and Xbox. - Its listing includes a one-year Rescue data recovery service. **Drawbacks** - It holds half the space of our top two picks. - Our searches placed it below both WD drives each time. **Skip it if** you are backing up a laptop with lots of photos or video. Go for 2TB or more. ### 4. Maxone Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive, 500GB: best thin drive **Why it made the list** - It was a runner-up in our main search, from 21 listings. - It comes in an ultra-slim charcoal grey aluminum case. - It is a plain USB 3.0 plug-and-play drive for everyday backups of documents and photos. **Drawbacks** - 500GB fills up fast with photos or video, which is why our search ranked it below the 2TB drives. - Maxone is a lesser-known brand than WD or Seagate. **Skip it if** you need to back up a whole computer. ## What we left out, and why Our three searches returned 71 Amazon listings. TwelveTabs shortlisted 30 and read the listing pages of 9 finalists. The same drive won every search, so the finals were small. What stayed out: - **Bigger WD Elements and My Passport drives, 4 to 6TB.** They reached our shortlists, even in our search for a large backup drive, but each time the 2TB version of the same drive ranked higher. They are the same drives in larger sizes, so pick the capacity you need. - **Samsung T7 and SanDisk Extreme portable SSDs.** Both were shortlisted but did not reach a final. If speed matters most, they are worth a look. **Wirecutter's top pick**, the **Western Digital My Passport Ultra (5 TB)**, is in our table. Wirecutter calls it the best balance of speed, space and portability for most people. It is a close relative of our second pick with more space, and it did not appear in our shortlists. Wirecutter's desktop pick is the Western Digital Elements (8 TB). ## Questions people ask ### What is the best external hard drive for a Mac? Our top pick won our "external hard drive for mac" search, and its listing says it works with Mac and PC. You may need to reformat a Windows-formatted drive for full Mac use. ### How much storage does an external hard drive need? At least as much as the computer you are backing up, and more if you want room for old versions. For most laptops, 2TB is a sensible start. ### Is an external hard drive enough for backup? It is one good copy. Backblaze's 3-2-1 rule suggests three copies on two kinds of storage, with one kept off-site. Want files shared across several devices on your home network instead? See our [NAS devices guide](https://twelvetabs.com/reviews/best-nas-drives/). ### How did TwelveTabs choose these external hard drives? We ran three live TwelveTabs searches of Amazon on September 25, 2026, which read the listing pages of 9 finalists, and checked the advice against Wirecutter and Backblaze. AI wrote this guide from that research. ## How we researched On September 25, 2026 we ran three live TwelveTabs searches of Amazon: “best external hard drive”, “external hard drive for mac” and “large external hard drive for backup”. Together they returned 71 listings. TwelveTabs shortlisted 30 of them, read the listing pages of 9 finalists and named a winner and runners-up in each. The same WD drive won all three. We kept four drives in four sizes and uses. AI wrote this guide from that research. Listings change: we read them on September 25, 2026, and a capacity, model or seller may differ today. ### Sources - [Wirecutter: The Best External Hard Drive (Wayback Machine snapshot)](https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-external-hard-drives/) - [Backblaze: The 3-2-1 Backup Strategy](https://www.backblaze.com/blog/the-3-2-1-backup-strategy/)