The Best External Hard Drives of 2026

This fast desktop-class drive is available in higher capacities up to 18 TB. We found that the G-Drive USB-C was the fastest drive in many of our tests, taking just 11.5 seconds to copy our 2.7 GB test file. We loved that its USB-C cable can also be used to power a laptop, making it just a little bit easier to keep your work area looking neat and tidy.

You should know, however, that the G-Drive USB-C can be a little noisy, making an audible whirring sound when it spins up after sitting idle for a while. Additionally, Like the other desktop-class external hard drives in this guide, it requires an external power adapter in order to be used.

The LaCie D2 Professional was the fastest portable hard drive we tested, copying our 2.7 GB test file in just over 13 seconds. When you’re working on tasks that involve reading and writing lots of data, the kind of speed offered by the D2 can make your workflow easier and smoother.

Available in capacities up to 14 TB, the D2 is a desktop drive that requires an external power adapter in order to use. Frequent international travelers will be pleased to know that the drive comes with six electrical plug adapters making it possible to use, no matter which continent you find yourself on. The D2 can be connected to your computer using either its included USB-C or USB 3 cables.

The D2’s drive is designed to spin down when it is idle. This means there’s a slight pause when the drive starts back up. This could create a hiccup in your workflow and, in some cases, can cause your computer to momentarily freeze while the drive’s contents are being re-registered.

The LaCie Mobile Drive is a small, well-designed USB-C bus-powered external hard drive that offers relatively limited storage space, in a pocket-sized package.

It’s available in capacities ranging from 1 TB to 5 TB and isn’t much bigger than a pack of cards. Its sleek 2.5-inch aluminum enclosure isn’t much larger than a pack of playing cards and comes in three colors: moon silver, silver, or space gray. This external hard drive comes with LaCie Toolkit, which allows users to format their drive to be used with Mac OS or Windows 10, as required.

The LaCie Mobile Drive comes with a two-year rescue recovery service. So if the drive fails while under warranty, LaCie will do its best to recover your data. We didn’t have the opportunity to test this service, but it’s nice to know it’s there, should you need it.

You ought to know that during use, the Mobile Drive’s case gets a little warm, as it has no ventilation holes built into it. However, it never became hot to the touch. While this may not be a worry for most users, those looking for an external hard drive to use in hot environments may want to consider a different option.

The performance of the Seagate Portable Drive drive isn’t anything to write home about: it took over 26 seconds to copy our 2.7GB test file to it. That’s not much slower than the G-Technology ArmorATD. However, the ArmorATD’s outstanding build quality makes it far more lovable than the Seagate. The drive’s slower transfer speeds make it less than ideal for regularly shuttling large files back and forth between the drive and your computer.

However, if you’re looking for an external hard drive to back up your computer, it could be an ideal device. Simply schedule your computer’s backup to start overnight and, by the time morning rolls around, the operation should be complete.

You should know that during testing we were unimpressed with the build quality of this drive’s enclosure. If your hardware is routinely subjected to casual abuse, or if you have a serious case of butterfingers, consider a more robust drive, like the ArmorATD, instead.

The Toshiba Canvio Flex is a small, portable drive that will fit easily into a pocket. The performance of this drive isn’t much to write home about, but it offers great capacity for the price. We found that it took just over 24 seconds to copy our 2.7GB test file to this drive. As with the Seagate Portable Drive, the Canvio Flex's lack of speed makes it an adequate solution for the storage of small files or slowly backing up a computer.

We were unimpressed by the fact that Canvio Flex comes equipped with an older style Micro-B USB 3 port. Micro-B USB 3 has a wider, more complicated plug than more recent connections do, which can make it more prone to breaking. This may become an issue if you frequently plug and unplug the drive from its cable.

Toshiba describes the drive as being “USB-C ready.” This means that you can use it with its included USB-C to USB 3 Micro-B cable to connect to USB-C equipped computers. However, because of the USB 3 Micro B connection, you won’t get the fast speeds that a native USB-C connection can provide.

Like the Western Digital My Book, the Fantom GForce 3 is a large, 3.25-inch desktop-class drive enclosed in a portable case. The case is made of aluminum and includes a clip-on stand that allows the drive to sit horizontally or vertically on a flat surface. As with the other desktop-class external drives in this guide, the GForce-3 requires power from a wall socket in order to work.

The GForce 3 took roughly 14.5 seconds to copy our 2.7GB test file. However, we thought it unfortunate that the only connection that the GForce 3 can use is USB 3.0. If you use a modern laptop that only includes USB-C ports, you’re going to need an adapter.