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External Hard Drives

External Hard Drives Articles

External hard drives are portable storage devices that connect to your computer through USB or other cables, letting you back up files, transfer data between machines, or expand your storage space without opening your computer. People land here to understand how these devices work, what types exist, and how to choose one that fits their needs and budget.

The articles in this category explain what to look for when shopping for an external drive—storage capacity, speed, durability, and compatibility with your operating system. You'll also find information about how to set one up, transfer files to and from it, keep your data safe, and troubleshoot common problems like connection issues or slow performance.

External Hard Drives

61 articles

External Hard DrivesInstalling Pro Tools on an External Drive: What Works and What Doesn'tRead more →External Hard DrivesConnecting Multiple Drives Over eSATA: What Your Hardware Can Actually DoRead more →External Hard DrivesRunning Steam From an External Drive: What Works and What Doesn'tRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Fix an External Hard Drive That Won't WorkRead more →External Hard DrivesHow an External Hard Drive Stores and Retrieves Your FilesRead more →External Hard DrivesHow Long External Hard Drives Actually Last Before They FailRead more →External Hard DrivesWhat External Hard Drives Cost and What Changes the PriceRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Connect and Use an External Hard Drive on Your MacRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Your Computer to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesBack Up Your iPhone to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Your Mac to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Your MacBook to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Your Computer to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Your Windows 11 Computer to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Your Mac to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Your iPhone to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Your MacBook to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Fix Permission Errors When Your External Drive Won't Let You Write FilesRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Completely Wipe an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Safely Erase an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Safely Eject an External Hard Drive Without Losing DataRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Safely Eject an External Hard Drive in Windows 11Read more →External Hard DrivesHow to Encrypt an External Hard Drive to Protect Your FilesRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Move Photos From Your iPhone to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesFinding Your External Hard Drive on Mac: Where It Shows Up and WhyRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Find and Access an External Hard Drive on Your PCRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Format a Portable Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Format an External Hard Drive on Windows and MacRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Back Up Google Photos to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesMoving Photos from Your iPhone to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesMoving Photos from Mac to External Hard Drive: The Fastest MethodsRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Open and Use an External Hard Drive on MacRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Open and Access Your Seagate External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Password Protect an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Recover Data from an External Hard Drive That Won't OpenRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Recover Files from an External Hard Drive That Won't OpenRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Reformat an External Hard Drive on MacRead more →External Hard DrivesWhen Your External Hard Drive Stops Working: Repair Options and What to Try FirstRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Wipe and Reset an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Get Files Off an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesGetting Your External Hard Drive Ready to UseRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Download and Save Your Google Docs to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Move Your Google Photos to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Transfer Photos from iPhone to Portable Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Move Photos from Your Mac to an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Check Your External Hard Drive's Health and Contents Using Command PromptRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Connect and Use an External Hard Drive on Your ComputerRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Use a Seagate External Hard Drive on Your MacRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Connect and Use a Seagate Portable Drive on Your MacRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Completely Erase an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesWhich External Hard Drive Works Best for Ripping DVDsRead more →External Hard DrivesWhat Makes an External Hard Drive Worth BuyingRead more →External Hard DrivesWhat an External Drive Is and How It WorksRead more →External Hard DrivesHow to Choose an External Hard Drive for Your Driving Records and MediaRead more →External Hard DrivesWhere to Buy an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesWhat an Input/Output Error Means When You're Trying to Restore an External DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesWhy PS5 Games Won't Run From an External Hard DriveRead more →External Hard DrivesWhy Your External Hard Drive Isn't Showing Up and How to Fix ItRead more →External Hard DrivesWhy Your External Hard Drive Isn't Showing Up on Your ComputerRead more →