But if they don't happen to be included, you can easily buy dongles for about $12.Īnd remember: A single backup doesn't cut it. Many of them include cables or adapters to accommodate USB-C and USB-A ports. Unless otherwise indicated, all the PC drives mentioned here are compatible with Windows but can be formatted for a Mac.
Portable hdd for mac and windows software#
But a lot of the time they'll be designated as working with a specific platform out of the box and sometimes come with backup software that's platform-specific. Most of the options on this list of the best external hard drive models will work across platforms - whether you have a Windows PC, Mac computer, PlayStation or Xbox - so long as the drives are correctly formatted for the right platform.
A solid-state drive doesn't have moving parts and the external SSD drive has up to four times faster read and write speed, but it costs a lot more per gigabyte. Prices have dropped significantly in the last few years, with even the high-capacity, state of the art, all-around best external hard drive models tipping the scales at 5TB but costing just over $100. There are many high-quality hard drives out there, so you'll easily find one that works for your needs and budget.Ī traditional hard drive or mechanical drive that uses "old" hard drive technology, with mechanical platters and a moving read-write head to access data, is adequate for most people, thanks to speedier USB-C and USB 3.0 (as well as 3.1/3.2) interfaces. Luckily, getting more space is an easy fix you'll just need an external hard drive.
With the large size of games these days, it's hard to manage the storage on your gaming console or PC.