Overview
Compare Internal HDDs
Compare External HDDs
Compare Portable HDDs

External Hard Drives

Serious storage that draws on AC power to deliver capacity, flexibility, and performance for personal needs and professional workflows.

Shop All External HDDs
Home
Solutions
Compare HDDs
Compare External HDDs

What is an External Hard Drive?

An external hard drive is a storage device that connects to your computer through a cable, offering a simple way to expand storage or back up data. Many models support RAID configurations, allowing for increased speed, redundancy, or both — ideal for managing large files or protecting critical data. With higher capacities and AC power, external drives are well-suited for both personal use and professional workflows.

Why Use an External Hard Drive?

Massive capacities up to 160TB1,*

Pro-grade speeds up to 1690MB/s2,*

Consumer speeds up to 260MB/s3,*

Options for RAID and NAS

*Applies to select models only.

External HDDs for Home Storage

Find reliable, high-capacity WD external hard drives for everyday use, from home media and family photos to creative projects and regular backup.

Shop External HDDs for Home Storage

Easy backup

Simplify saving important files at home with password-protected storage and intuitive backup software4 on select WD external HDDs.

Ready for PC and Mac

WD external drives come ready to use with Windows® out of the box, along with options to work with your Mac device.

Highly compatible

Connect across USB generations to power workflows with flexible, high-capacity WD drives.

External HDDs for Creative Pros

From the editing bay to your on-set workstation, external hard drives from SanDisk Professional help power some of the most demanding creative endeavors out there.

Shop External HDDs for Creative Pros

Pro-grade performance

Power-packed with enterprise-class endurance and reliability for demanding creative projects.

Daisy-chain for days

Use Thunderbolt™ 3 on select drives to daisy-chain devices, so you can make your workstation even more efficient.

Ready for RAID

Streamline data redundancy, performance, and more with RAID compatibility on select external HDDs.

 

External HDDs for Gaming

Build a gaming library that even elite gamers could be proud of with high-capacity external hard drives from WD_BLACK for PlayStation®, PC, and Xbox™.

Shop External HDDs for Gaming

Massive capacity

Save up to 300 games with external gaming hard drives that deliver up to 12TB of storage.

Console commander

Build your gaming library with highly compatible drives across Xbox™, PlayStation®, PC, and Mac.

Game in style

High-performance storage with WD_BLACK aesthetics will have your drive looking as great as your gameplay.

Learn More About External HDDs

HDD Enclosure: The protective outer shell that houses the hard drive and other critical components.

HDD Unit: Primary storage device with platters, read/write heads, actuators, and more.

Data Transfer Port: Where you plug in USB or Thunderbolt™ cables to connect to your host device.

Power Port: Where the power adapter plugs into the external HDD enclosure.

Drive Bays/Slots: Designated hard drive slots for customizable RAID and NAS setups, often behind a removable cover.

Disclosures

  1. 1TB = one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment. For RAID products, storage capacity is based on RAID 0 mode, unless otherwise stated.
  2. Applies only to SanDisk Professional G-RAID SHUTTLE 8 in default RAID 5. 1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, RAID configuration and other factors.
  3. Applies only to SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE PROJECT and G-DRIVE PRO Desktop Drive. 1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.
  4. Download and installation required. Terms and conditions apply. User account registration may be required.
    *Applies to select models only.