Are you trying to find desktop external hard drives among various brands on the market but aren’t sure where to begin? To assist you in finding the right one, we’ve put together a list of the 7 best to help you pick the perfect one!
We investigated and evaluated a number of the top-selling desktop external hard drives on the market in order to create our list of the best. Making a decision among the many options available is never simple. There are an infinite number of models available, each with a distinct price. And as you’ll find out, the best options aren’t usually the ones you imagine! This comparison is rich and relevant because of the numerous factors that were employed. You will find products featured in this ranking not only based on their pricing but also on their features and other customers reviews. To write this review, we completed 29 hours of research and did 29 desktop external hard drives tests. You won’t need to pick products at random any more. If you’re unsure of what to look for, browse our list and consult the buying guide!
An overview of our top picks
Table of contents
The best desktop external hard drives you can buy today
- High-capacity add-on storage.Specific uses: Business, personal
- Fast data transfers
- Plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs
- WD quality inside and out
- Massive capacity, up to 22TB capacity. (1TB = one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.).Specific uses: Personal
- Includes software for device management and backup with password protection (Download and installation required. Terms and conditions apply. User account registration may be required.)
- 256-bit AES hardware encryption
- SuperSpeed USB (5 Gbps); USB 2.0 compatible
- Trusted storage built with WD reliability
- Durable aluminum chassis External USB Hard Drive
- Build-in 1TB Capacity Hard Drive, Plug & Play on Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet
- Easy Installation, Designed for Windows 10 OS (Backward compatible w/ Win 8.1 / 7)
- USB Bus Powered (No additional AC Power adapter required)
- 2 Years Warranty from Reseller
- Seagate Expansion desktop drive, add-on storage for your PC and Mac The Seaga
- Product type: COMPUTER_DRIVE_OR_STORAGE
- Compatible with Windows and Mac
- Easy-to-use storage solution
- English (Publication Language)
- 12TB so you can save and build your Xbox gaming collection up to 300 games. (As used for storage capacity, one gigabyte (GB) = one billion bytes and one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment.) (Number of games based on a 36GB average per game. The number of games will vary based on file size, formatting, other programs, and factors.)
- 1-Month membership of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate included with purchase. (1-Month trial offer of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for new Xbox Game Pass members only. Limit: 1 per person/account. Available for a limited time. See product packaging for full details.)
- 7200RPM drive with active cooling technology and speeds up to 250 MB/s. (Based on read speed and internal testing. As used for transfer rate, megabyte per second (MB/s) = one million bytes per second. Performance will vary depending on your hardware and software components and configurations.)
- Two 7.5W USB Type-A charging ports to charge your gaming gear and accessories.
- Purpose-built for gamers based on WD_BLACK quality and reliability.
- Ideal for the home, office, or dorm, the Seagate Desktop Drive offers 8TB of enormous desktop storage for photos, movies, music, and more
- An external hard drive for Windows or Mac computers, simply back up with a quick drag and drop
- The perfect laptop hard drive or PC drive, just plug into to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- Includes an 18 inches USB 3.0 cable and 18 watt power adapter
- The available storage capacity may vary.
- Access local or remote files
- View images, video, sounds, texts
- and more
- Arabic (Publication Language)
- Sleek profile design with a matte, smudge-resistance finish
- Plug & Play - Easy to use with no software to install
- Quickly add more storage capacity to your PC and other compatible devices
- USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatible with no external AC power cord needed
- Pre-formatted NTFS for Windows PC (reformatting required for Mac computers)
- High capacity in a small enclosure – The small, lightweight design offers up to 6TB* capacity, making WD Elements portable hard drives the ideal companion for consumers on the go.
- Plug-and-play expandability
- Vast capacities up to 6TB[1] to store your photos, videos, music, important documents and more
- SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)
![Rescue Monthly Whole Home Data and Image Recovery [Subscription]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UCxbeCLKL.jpg "The 8 Best desktop external hard drives of %currentyear% 55")
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Everett, Percival (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 216 Pages - 02/18/2014 (Publication Date) - Graywolf Press (Publisher)
- Sliger, Charles S. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 99 Pages - 04/09/2023 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)
- Intel Core i5-4570T @ 2. 9 GHz, High Performance 4th Generation Processor
- 8 GB DDR3L Ram / 240 GB Solid State Drive (SSD). Comes With Keyboard & Mouse
- Windows 10 Professional (64 Bit).
- Built-in [12TB ] Capacity USB 3.0 External Hard Drive (estimate 10TB Capacity available after formatted)
- Works for any Windows OS Desktop PC, Laptop with USB 3.0 Port
- Expand computer hard drive storage instantly! Add extra storage to your Desktop PC / Laptop Without opening up the case
- Perfect for hard drive expansion and backup storage for your entire Windows OS system! (Do it before it crash, you never know when it will happen! "Daily schedule backup is no longer optional" )
- 2 Years Warranty from Reseller
- Available in capacities up to 5TB that can hold up to 125 games, so that you can save old favorites and still have room for new titles (As used for storage capacity, one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment. Number of games based on a 36GB average per game. The number of games will vary based on file size, formatting, other programs, and factors.)
- Comes with an 18-inch (457mm) USB Type-A to Micro-B cable with SuperSpeed interface up to 5Gbps (Cable length may vary.)
- Compatible with Xbox Series X/S (play and store Xbox One games, archive Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S games) and PlayStation 5 (play and store PS4 games, archive PS5 games) consoles
- Portable form factor with sleek metal top covering that provides fast access to your growing game library
- Premium HDD with 3-year limited warranty, purpose-built for gamers based on WD_BLACK quality and reliability
- English (Publication Language)
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Mavis Martin (Actor)
- --- (Director) - Mavis Martin (Producer)
- English (Playback Language)
- English (Subtitle)
- 14TB Capacity USB 3.0 External Hard Drive (Build-in 7200RPM Enterprise HDD, Designed for 24/7)
- Works for any WIndows OS Desktop PC, Laptop with USB 3.0 Port
- Expand computer hard drive storage instantly! Add extra storage to your Desktop PC / Laptop Without opening up the case
- Perfect for hard drive expansion and backup storage for your entire Windows OS system! (Do it before it crash, you never know when it will happen! "Daily schedule backup is no longer optional" )
- This external hard drive boasts a brand-new, premium HDD case paired with a like-new refurbished, top-tier internal 7200RPM enterprise hard drive from a leading manufacturer. With 0 power hour, zero bad sectors and 100% health, it has passed rigorous factory quality tests to ensure exceptional performance and reliability. Fully researched and tested for outstanding performance and compatibility with PC & gaming consoles, it stands as the top choice in external hard drives.
- This factory refurbished product is tested & certified by Apple to be 100% working and shows no signs of use. Includes all original accessories, Plus a 90 day Apple warranty. Battery & exterior case has been replaced during Apple's refurbishing process
- 1.4 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
- 4 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory - Up to 12 Hours of Battery Life, OS X Mavericks
- 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display; Intel HD Graphics 5000
- 128 GB PCIe-based flash storage
- Built-in 18TB Capacity USB 3.0 External Hard Drive (Estimate 16TB capacity available after formatted)
- Works for any WIndows OS Desktop PC, Laptop with USB 3.0 Port
- Expand computer hard drive storage instantly! Add extra storage to your Desktop PC / Laptop Without opening up the case
- Perfect for hard drive expansion and backup storage for your entire Windows OS system! (Do it before it crash, you never know when it will happen! "Daily schedule backup is no longer optional" )
How to choose a good desktop external hard drives
Does the idea of finding a fantastic desktop external hard drives make you anxious? When it comes to purchasing this product, specifically when deciding which model to select, has your head been spinning between options? You are not alone if that is the case. We are aware of the pressure involved in the purchasing process!
Your presence here indicates that you are interested in desktop external hard drives. Before choosing which product would be the best for your needs after being inundated with information, locate a reliable source with genuine selections. You can get that information from a variety of sources, including buying guides and rating websites, word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family, online discussion forums where users can share their own experiences, product reviews that can be found all over the internet, and YouTube channels. You can only get the right product through exhaustive analysis. But you realize that’s not always simple. In order to ease your concerns, we have taken the time to develop a list of the top desktop external hard drives products available right now. You might be wondering how we came up with the list. How was this buying guide developed?
First, we used our algorithms to gather as much reliable data as we could about these products. To verify all the data gathered, we used both artificial intelligence and a lot of algorithms.
Then, our experts used criteria that are recognized in the business to evaluate them according to their quality to price ratio, allowing us to choose the top desktop external hard drives on the market right now!
The selection of the goods is not arbitrary. Before creating a list, we take into account a number of factors. Below are some of the criteria discussed:
Brand Value: What happens if you choose a dubious brand just because it appears to be a good deal? So the likelihood of receiving a product with a short shelf life increases. That is due to the fact that well-known brands have a reputation to uphold, while others do not. Top desktop external hard drives brands strive to provide some distinctive traits that set them apart from the competition. So, hopefully one or more of the items on our list will be perfect for you.
Features: Useful features are all you need, not tons of them. We consider the important aspects and select the top desktop external hard drives based on those.
Specifications: Numbers always help you measure the quality of a product in a quantitative way. We try to find products with higher specifications, but with the right balance.
Quality: A product’s quality may always be quantified with the aid of numbers. We look for goods with better standards that strike the proper balance. The best quality product that gets highly appreciated and recommended by experienced users.
Customer ratings: Would it be accurate to suggest that the desktop external hard drives were used by hundreds of customers before you? Superior ratings indicate that many customers had better service.
Customer Reviews: Like ratings, provide you with accurate and reliable information about the product from genuine customers. Customer ratings are very important to all of us because they contain accurate and reliable information about the customer service we received from several hundred customers.
Seller Rank: This is very intriguing! Not only do you need a good desktop external hard drives, you also need a product with rising sales that is trendy. It accomplishes two goals. First, the expanding user base proves the quality of the product. Second, given that number, producers must be able to offer greater quality and after-sales support.
Value: You get what you pay for, they say, so consider the value. Cheap isn’t always good and expensive isn’t always bad. However, that does not imply that spending a lot of money on a product that is flashy but underwhelming is a good idea. Before adding them to the list, we make an effort to evaluate how much value you can get for your money from your desktop external hard drives.
Durability: Durability and reliability are closely related concepts. You will benefit from a strong and long-lasting desktop external hard drives for months and years to come.
Product availability: Products come and go, and new ones replace the old ones. Most likely, a few new features and required changes were made. What use is it to use a supposedly good product if the maker no longer supports it? We make an effort to highlight products that are current and offered by one or more trustworthy sellers, if not more.
Negative Reviews: Yes, we do take that into account as well! The goods with the majority of bad reviews are filtered out and disregarded when we choose the best-rated one on the market.
These are the standards by which we selected our desktop external hard drives. Do we end our process there? Hell no. The most crucial fact about us that you should be aware of is that we regularly update our website with current and pertinent information. We have one more layer of filtration since we place the greatest importance on reader satisfaction. Please let us know if any product included here is incorrect, irrelevant, subpar, or simply out of date. We always value your opinions, and we’ll work hard to make any necessary corrections to our list in response to them.
Why should you believe us?
There are now thousands of possibilities for these products on Amazon, but choosing the best one can be difficult and time-consuming. And what desktop external hard drives should you purchase in 2022?
This guide is the result of more than 10 years of experience in researching, testing and writing about many topics. Each member of our team is an authority in their area. We read every article we could find online and every consumer review on every retail website for seven hours. Additionally, we discovered a ton of websites that offered helpful resources, including buying tips and thorough information on desktop external hard drives.
