How to Use an External Hard Drive
Connect an external hard drive to your computer to back up files and free up space on your internal drive.
Steps
- 1
Plug the external hard drive
into a USB port on your computer. Use a USB 3.0 port for faster speeds.
- 2
Wait for your computer
to recognize the drive. A notification appears on Windows. The drive icon shows on the Mac desktop.
- 3
Open the drive
in File Explorer on Windows or Finder on Mac. Double click the drive name to see its contents.
- 4
Drag and drop files
onto the drive window to copy them to the external drive.
- 5
Safely eject the drive
before unplugging it. Right click the drive in File Explorer or drag it to the trash on Mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an external hard drive work with any computer?Show
Most drives work with both, but you may need to reformat for the other system.
How much storage do I need?Show
A 1 terabyte drive holds about 250,000 photos or 500 hours of video. Choose based on what you plan to store.
Can I run programs from an external hard drive?Show
Yes, but programs load slower from an external drive than from your internal drive.
What is the difference between HDD and SSD?Show
HDD drives are cheaper and hold more data. SSD drives are faster and more durable but cost more per gigabyte.
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Written by the HowToDoStuff.online editorial team. Last updated .