Apple (in the top toolbar menu) About This Mac Storage. See if the external drive shows up here. For more information, go to the same menu option, then select System Report. Mac not formatted to display external drives on the desktop. It could be that your Mac already recognizes the device, but just isn't showing its icon on the desktop. Apple's photo management software for the Mac, Photos, has grown to be a fairly competent all-purpose storage locker.But as your photo and video library grows — and especially if you've taken advantage of iCloud Photo Library — you may find that your Photos library strains to fit on your Mac's hard drive. Upgrade Your SSD. The most radical option to expand your MacBook's storage is to upgrade its. Make sure your Mac is connected to the external storage device (for example, using a USB cable or over a network). Click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window, then do one of the following to move your files. Move files to the storage device: Select one or more files on the desktop or in a folder, then drag them to the storage device, listed below Locations in the Finder sidebar. Using external drives to save space on your Mac? Format them first. While drives are sold as plug-and-play, formatting prior to use will give you optimal performance and compatibility with your Mac.
- Best External Storage For Macbook Air
- External Hard Drive For Macbook Air
- What Is The Best External Storage For Macbook Pro
Does this sound similar to you?
You thought you had enough disk space when you originally bought your MacBook Pro, but soon you realized that storage is being filled up quicker than you can clear old files.
Or maybe you already had an external drive to help extend your MacBook's storage, but now it's either outdated, too slow, or experiencing issues.
We may be in the age of cloud computing and remotely stored files, but it's always helpful to have a portable hard drive you can count on both for file backups and to work off as needed.
In this buying guide, we'll help you pick the best external drive for your MacBook Pro so you can access all your files without sacrificing speed or performance.
Quick Summary
Acrobat reader for free. software download. Here's a brief overview of our recommendations depending on your specific needs and preferences:
- The 10TB G-DRIVE Desktop External Hard Drive will give you enough volume and lightning speed for a traditional drive, and comes pre-formatted for Mac.
- If you need instant cross-platform compatibility, and an array of color choices, you'll be covered with the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB.
- Known for being rough on your electronics? The Silicon Power 1TB Drive is rugged and durable, with water resistance in addition to quick read and write speeds.
- If you prefer a modern speedy solid-state drive, the Glyph Atom RAID 1TB SSD is sure to meet expectations in terms of speed and durability.
Do I Need An External Drive for My Mac?
External drives are a worthwhile investment for more than just power users, but it can be hard to determine if you need one or not. Consider this:
Best External Storage For Macbook Air
- Do you regularly work with large files such as videos and edited images, or run other creative files such as video games?
- Is your MacBook Pro running slower due to being overburdened with files?
- Have you ever wanted to backup your Mac just in case of any data disaster?
- Are you using a cloud storage or online backup service but fear of security and reliability issues from the provider?
- Are old files being stored on your computer because you occasionally reference them but can't completely delete them?
Answering yes to any of the above scenario questions is a fairly good indicator that an external hard drive would benefit you.
On the other hand, an external hard drive is probably not the best option for for those of you who only have a small volume of unimportant files to save, which might be better served by using a cloud storage program like Dropbox or Google Drive or by offloading their old files onto a large USB flash drive.
Best External Drive for MacBook: What to Look For in 2020?
Storage Capacity
If you're purchasing an external hard drive, it's because you need the space on your MacBook, so it doesn't make sense to cut corners on how much exterior space you purchase. However, it's still important to consider exactly how much space you need. Consider how quickly you create large files (such as photo imports) and if you plan on keeping them in a long or short term to decide your actual need.
Formatting
While many newer drives come formatted to work on both Mac and PC, it's best not to choose one that is single-system compatible as it will limit the drive's versatility (though you could manually format an external drive for both PC and Mac compatibility, it's an extra effort and requires you to be a bit geeky). For added convenience, you should look for drives that come pre-formatted for Mac, which means you don't have to install a special program and do it yourself.
HDD or SSD
There are several kinds of external drives based on the electronics that make them work. An HDD is the traditional spinning disk of data, whereas an SSD is newer technology that has no moving parts and store information inside the electronic components. An HHD, or Hybrid Hard Drive, uses a combination of these methods. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to speed, durability, price, and information safety, so make sure you know which you prefer.
The Best External Drives for MacBook Pro in 2020: Our Picks
Kindly note that the products chosen below are mainly based on our personal preferences and the guidelines as shown above. They are by no means made in the order below.
1. G-Technology 10TB G-DRIVE USB-C Desktop External Hard Drive
This speedy HDD drive offers a huge chunk of storage at an uncommonly high RPM. It will stand up to daily use in editing and media programs and connects to your computer via USB-C so you can take full advantage of its specs.
Pros:
- If you have set up Apple Time Machine, this drive will be ready for easy file backup so you won't be waiting for your files to read or write. Also, it comes with a great amount of storage space.
External Hard Drive For Macbook Air
Cons:
- The disk is pre-formatted for Mac, you won't be able to use your files on a secondary computer such as a Windows PC unless you reformat it to NTFS file system.
2. Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB
Available in four different sizes, this hard drive from trusted brand Seagate comes in several colors. Approximately the size of your phone, it packs a punch for its size and is very portable.
Pros:
- It can be used on both Mac and PC without reformatting. Also, it offers fast connection via USB and weighs about 5 ounces.
Cons:
- Largest TB size option is not compatible with Mac.
3. Silicon Power 1TB Rugged Armor A60
An extremely versatile and sturdy drive, this model is compatible with more than just your MacBook. It's water resistant, with read and write speeds at the standard 120 mbps.
Pros:
- It can be used with several gaming consoles and Apple Time Machine in addition to your Mac.
- It's also durable and available with the modern USB-C which is especially useful if you're using the newest MacBook Pro.
Cons:
- It appears somewhat unprofessional, also the drive is a bit on the heavy side as it weighs around 8 ounces.
4. Glyph Atom RAID 1TB External Solid State Drive
Available with USB and USB-C connections and pre-formatted for Mac, this SSD from well-known brand Glyph provides extremely fast speeds that will support your casual and power use. It looks clean and functions beautifully.
Pros:
- It comes pre-formatted for Mac with easy reformats for PC or cross-platform compatibility, significantly faster than comparable drives from Samsung and other brands, available in several colors and two connection types.
Cons:
- It's the heaviest drive on our list at 11 ounces, and a bit on the pricey side as well.
Useful Tips & Resources
Picking a hard drive can be difficult, especially if you aren't sure whether you need one. One way to help decide is to try a cloud storage platform such as Google Drive or Dropbox before you decide to buy an external drive. Both platforms are free to start with and they offer terabyte storage options for paying customers and using one may help you decide if you need more constant access to your files or simply a place to store them.
If you know you want an external drive but aren't sure what storage type you need (HDD or SSD), perhaps this guide from PCWorld will help you decide which best fits your requirements.
Also, It's worth noting that some external drives available on the market are formatted for PC only, but you can reformat it to Mac OS Extended, or for cross-platform compatibility (with NTFS) if you need to use your external drive for your MacBook Pro and a PC as well. This tutorial is definitely worth checking out:
Final Words
What Is The Best External Storage For Macbook Pro
Regardless of your final choice of external drive, having one will definitely improve your workflow and computer performance. You'll be able to use your files more effectively and improve your MacBook's performance. Which external drive have you used in the past or are considering purchasing? Let us know.
Your MacBook Pro was designed to complete a wide variety of different tasks with ease and speed. Apple is well known for leading the pack in new technological advancements and always seem to utilize cutting edge components and design in all of its products. Regardless of which model year of MacBook you might have, chances are when it was new, it was at the top of its class in function and form.
Storage is an important factor to consider with any computer. Regardless of how many nice features your MacBook Pro has, if you run out of storage, it can cause unwanted issues. Some people even believe that you can never have too much storage capacity on a computer. Your MacBook Pro came with built-in storage but depending on your model, it is possible to add more storage capacity to your computer.
Why Add More Storage?
More storage is a good thing. How to make a software for pc using notepad. The more storage capacity you have on your computer, the more programs, apps, files, and data you can run and store. If you run out of storage space, you might have to delete files or programs in order to make room for new ones. While you can always place this data on something like an external hard drive, it can be a pain to run out of storage capacity on your computer.
When you reach the limits of your computer's storage capacity, you might also start to notice issues with performance. Things can start to run slowly and freezes can occur as your computer struggles to keep everything operating effectively without enough storage to do so. By adding more storage, you can avoid these potential problems while keeping all of the files and data you wish and not having your performance suffer.
Adding Storage – Things to Consider
When you buy a new MacBook Pro, you usually have options for what storage capacity you want to be included on your computer. More storage costs more money so oftentimes, buyers don't get a high amount of storage. While this cost may seem significant, the extra storage can really help with performance and other important operations on your computer so it's always good to consider a storage upgrade if you can afford it.
Another thing to consider is that not all MacBook models can have storage added to them internally. You can always use external storage methods, which we will discuss below, but some Apple computers won't allow the additional storage capacity to be added after the machine has been manufactured. This is another reason to get the most memory you can afford at the time of purchase.
How to Add Storage to MacBook Pro
There are several methods to gain additional storage capacity on your MacBook Pro. Some of these options are only available for certain model years and newer model MacBooks cannot actually add storage internally. The newest models come equipped with an SSD (Solid State Drive) storage which cannot be upgraded. These are the model years that can be upgraded which have and SSD:
- MacBook Pro Retina 2015 or earlier.
- MacBook Pro non-Retina 2016 or earlier.
- If you have a different style MacBook or want to learn more about this upgrade, check out this link.
If you can't upgrade your SSD, there are other methods to increase the storage capacity of your computer including:
1. External Storage
You can use external storage methods to add storage to your MacBook Pro. The most common way to do this is by using an external hard drive. These drives connect directly to your computer using an appropriate cable and will give you as much extra storage as you want or need. You can transfer files and data quickly and easily from your computer to this external hard drive to gain extra storage.
2. SD Cards
On older model MacBooks, you can use an SD card to gain extra memory. These cards aren't as common as they used to be, but that means they are really cheap. If your computer has an SD card input, all you have to do is slide an SD card in and you can easily gain a couple hundred GB or more in storage capacity.
3. Cloud Storage
Another option to add storage to your computer is through the cloud. This is a good way to backup files or data and allows you to gain almost endless amounts of storage, although you will have to pay for it. One downside to cloud storage is that it can be slow to download or upload files depending on your internet speed. You can get up to 2TB of cloud storage with Apple's iCloud and that is a considerable amount to work with.
4. Network Storage
This isn't a very common method for increasing storage these days, but it does work and can offer an increase in storage capacity if you have another computer or hard drive laying around the house. By utilizing the storage capacity on another device, you can connect it to your MacBook pro and gain added space. The downside to this method is that you have to be on the same network as the added device so you might not be able to leave your house.
Final Thoughts
I still think that the easiest way to add storage to your computer is to start with a lot of it from the get go. This means upgrading the storage on your MacBook Pro from the time you buy it. You don't have to go with the absolute highest amount of storage available but you should get more than the basic option. All of these added storage options will cost some money so getting more from the start is a good option.
If you don't want to pay as much upfront, you can use any of the methods above to gain added storage on your computer. I find the easiest method to do this is an external hard drive and usually carry one with me everywhere I take my computer, just in case. It also functions as a backup for any important files or data you have.
How much storage do you have on your computer? Do you think it will be enough or will you need to upgrade?
