When you purchased your computer, you thought it had plenty of space. Or at least, it seemed like it did… until photos, videos, programs, documents, and other files began crowding the disk space.
- In this article I'll discuss the different types of Mac backup software available, explain the features necessary for the best backup software solutions for Macs, and list eight of the best Mac backup software choices.
- Backup/ The Best Backup Software of 2018. Both Windows and Mac OS X have beefed up their built-in backup tools in recent years. Good set of backup options. File versions saved.
Don't risk losing your data - check out our guide to the best free and cheap backup software for your PC. Nowadays, most data is digital. It's such a convenience, because it means you don't need.
Whether desktop or laptop, 10 years old or only 2, running out of storage on your Mac or PC is a widespread problem with an easy solution.
For a lot of people, the go-to is cloud storage services such as iCloud or Google Drive, but these aren’t a great fit for everyone, especially if you have a lot of files or need to access them offline on both your mac and PC.
In this case, an external drive that’s Mac and PC interchangeable is the best option, because you’ll have all your files on hand at all times and it can store significantly more data than a cloud drive.
In this article, we’ll help you better understand the use cases of a physical drive, and round up the best Mac & PC compatible external drives for backup and storage purposes.
Quick Summary
Tired of learning all the “techy” terms related to hard drives? We understand. Here’s a brief of our recommendations to save you time exploring.
For Mac users: G-Technology Portable External Hard Drive 2TB
From the sleek design to the pre-formatting, this terabyte-sized drive is perfect for Mac users who need a little extra space and offers the transfer rate up to 140MB/s for accessing all your files.
For Windows PC users: WD 2TB Elements Portable
At 5400 RPM but only around 3″ x 4″, this tiny drive packs a real punch. You can get it in sizes from 1 to 4 TB, all of which are equally portable and will allow you to access your files with speed and efficiency wherever you go.
For the best of both worlds: Samsung T5 Portable SSD
Whether you simply prefer the speed of an SSD or use both Mac and PC on a regular basis, this drive offers formatting that works everywhere you go and top notch read/write rates. The drive is small, portable, and sleek (available in multiple colors!)
Who Should Get This?
You don’t have to be a power user to make use of an external drive, but if you aren’t sure you need one, here are some considerations:
- Has your computer slowed down due to being stuffed with files you aren’t necessarily using all the time?
- Do you need to backup your computer, especially if you’re worried about a crash soon due to the age of the machine?
- Are the fees for your cloud storage service not worth the amount of storage you get?
- Do you want to clean up old files that you only occasionally reference?
- Need a better place to run large applications from, or have programs you want to run on more than one computer?
If you’re saying yes to any of these, then there’s a good chance you would benefit from an external drive. It’ll give you space and security that you need.
However, an external drive might not be the best choice for you if you only have a few files that need storage, or if you already have a backup of your computer for example via backup software. In that case, using a small flash drive or an online cloud storage provider might be the better option.
External Drive for Mac and PC Compatible: What to Look for?
File Capacity
The number one consideration when buying an external drive is how much space it has to offer. Depending on what type of files you’ll be storing and how long you want the drive to last, you may want more or less space. However, when buying an external drive you should be getting at minimum 128GB, as anything less will be better served by a flash drive. Many people will be much more satisfied with closer to 1 TB of storage though since space tends to disappear faster than you would think.
Type: HDD and SSD
External drives come in two types: HDD and SSD. The former is what is normally referred to as a “hard drive”, since it uses a physical spinning disk to read and write data, while the latter, sometimes called a solid-state drive, actually uses flash memory and stores everything electronically and has no moving parts. An HDD tends to be cheaper, but SSDs are faster and more reliable.
Formatting
An external drive is typically formatted for either MacOS or PC use. While there are some drives that work on both, most tend need to be reformatted to be functional on the opposite system, and that will erase all your data. Formatting in the first place can also be difficult, so look for a drive that’s already formatted to work with your computer and know that you will only be able to access your files on machines of the same type.
Speed
All external drives are rated for read-and-write speeds, which is how fast they can store, retrieve, and display information. Higher speeds are better, but a small difference won’t be noticeable. An HDD is generally not capable of the higher speeds of an SSD, but they do tend to be much cheaper.
Best External Drive for Mac and PC Interchangeable: Our Picks in 2019
1. G-Technology Portable External Hard Drive 2TB
Using a Mac? This drive is preformatted just for you, offering a high transfer rate for fast file access and connects easily via USB-C. It will definitely stand up to regular use of creative editing applications and store files/backups well if you’re using in a more long-term frame.
Pros:
- 2TB is a fair amount of storage space for any user, and this drive is available in larger sizes as well.
- The transfer rates up to 140 MB/s means you can easily access your files without sacrificing any time spent loading or waiting for files to transfer.
Cons:
- Pre-formatted for Mac, but can be reformatted to Windows.
- Not cross-compatible.
2. WD 2TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive
If you’re an avid PC user, this HDD drive from Western Digital has you covered. With sizes from 1 to 4 TB and plug-n-play functionality, you’ll start with your feet on the ground. USB 3.0 allows you to transfer files at up to 5MB/s, and the drive overall runs at 5400 RPM.
Pros:
- A high RPM means you don’t have to worry about sitting in front of your computer waiting for files to load, while the slim 3″ by 4″ design is super portable, perfect for taking files to and from work or another setting.
- Can even be used to backup games on your console.
Cons:
- Only for PC, unless you want to separately reformat to use with Mac.
3. Samsung T5 Portable SSD
Available from the smallest 250 GB size all the way up to 2TB, this external SSD from Samsung writes at 540MB/s, which is a stellar rate. It normally uses a USB-C cable, but if your computer doesn’t yet support this, a standard USB-A cable is also provided. This product also ranks in our best portable SSD drive review.
Pros:
- Formatted to work on Mac and Windows and even Android!
- A variety of storage options makes it easy to find the right size for you.
- The sleek drive is also very sturdy and fits into the palm of your hand.
Cons:
- Transfer speeds may be slightly lower if you can’t make use of the included USB-C cable.
Useful Tips
Don’t forget to get an external drive case (like this one from Amazon), which will help protect your drive from potential damage caused by accidental scratch or dropping. It also allows you easily pack it into backpack or briefcase.
Want to format your external drive for Mac and PC compatibility? Check out this step-by-step tutorial we created earlier.
To extend the life of your storage drive, it’s a good practice to always put it on a flat and stable surface and away from heaters, humidifiers or air conditioners. Also, when you’re done with data backup or file transfer, make sure to properly eject the drive before plugging it out.
Still can’t decide between an HDD or SSD external drive? Check out this guide from PC World, which will help outline which is best depending on your situation. Alternatively, if you aren’t sure about getting an external hard drive at all, you can always try out a web-based cloud service first to see if it gives you space and flexibility you want.
Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox are great places to get started since they offer free options at the lowest tier, and paid users can get more than 1TB of storage space.
Final Words
Whether you prefer HDD or SSD, you’re looking for your first drive or your third, an external drive is usually a great solution for data backup and file storage on both your Mac and PC. Moving files off your computer will also help tune up your PC a little bit and will protect your important files from potential damage.
Are you using both a Mac and PC, and how much space do you need for your external drive? Leave us a comment below and tell us how you’re making the most of your external drive!
Influenced by the startup culture in the Silicon Valley, Jessica loves building things from zero to one and is keen on following news related to the Big Five tech giants and many SaaS startups.
Nothing lasts forever; not even your Mac. Despite its advanced security updates and features, your Mac is not immune to cyber attacks and data breaches.
Also, you can’t protect your System against sudden power failure which might render it non-functional. So it’s a good idea to keep a backup of your data files and nothing better than a mac backup software can do the job for you.
This article outlines the most reliable and best backup software for Mac available for you to save your personal and professional files.
Best Mac Backup Software
1. Right Backup
Price – $14.99/per month
One of the best backup software Mac, Right Cloud Backup, comes up with an automatic 12-hour scheduler, to update your data in every 12 hours. Let’s look at the features:
- Right Backup provides you with two options to restore your data: Smart Restore and Custom Restore. Smart Restore option lets you restore selective folders quickly, wherein Custom Restore option enables you to restore the files you want manually.
- As it is compatible with multiple platforms, you can access your data anytime, anywhere and from any device with a single Right Backup account.
- If you ever lose your device, you don’t need to worry about the data it contains if you have got it all backed up in your Right Backup account. All you need to do is log in to your account and retrieve the documents, photos, music or videos that you want back. Get it here
2. Time Machine –
Pre Installed as part of Mac OS X/macOS Leopard and later
Another best backup solution for mac is Time Machine. It is brilliant inbuilt appple backup software for Mac. Let’s look at the features of the same:
- It is great for incremental backups that enable you to recover data that has been accidentally deleted.
- If the system crashes and you have lost the data, Time Machine will recover the data for you. Moreover, it makes it necessary to reinstall the OS on a new drive and start from scratch.
- It is not that safe as it has a single-destination backup strategy, so you should have a dual strategy. To do that, you need to regularly create backups to a different destination as well, be it an external hard drive or a cloud storage service in addition to Time Machine backups. Know More
Also Read: Best Mac Cleaner Software to Optimize and Clean your Mac
3. Carbon Copy Cloner –
Price – £32.25
Carbon Copy Cloner is one of the best backup software available for Mac. Let’s look at the features:
- As the name suggests, it allows you to make a clone of your Mac’s boot disk which means it enables you to copy every bit of data.
- The software can also be used to backup specific folders and set them as a task. Moreover, you can schedule a task.
- You can also set to receive notifications when a task has run.
- Moreover, Carbon Copy Cloner can also execute a shell script before or after a task is run.
4. SuperDuper –
Price – $27.95
SuperDuper is another software which is widely used for cloning a Mac OS X disk. Let’s look at the features:
- Like Carbon Copy, it can create a bootable copy of your startup disk.
- It can copy a specific folder to any chosen destination.
- SuperDuper! has several pre-configured tasks in a drop down menu to choose from, once you’ve specified the source and destination.
- The software is popular because of a feature called Sandboxing, which allows you to install potentially risky drivers or system updates without fear of creating an unbootable or unworkable system or losing access to your critical personal data.
Also Read: Best Video Converter Software for Mac
5. Data Backup for Mac –
Price – $35
Data Backup for Mac is one of the best backup software for Mac due to its simple and flexible interface. Let’s take a look at the features:
- It allows you to choose from four different types of backups: clone; incremental; versioned and simple copy when you create a backup. You can also schedule the backup.
- Data Backup provides you with two ‘Quick Backup’ options: All documents to CD/DVD or ‘iPhoto and other Pictures’ to CD/DVD.
- You can also customize the backup set from scratch and specify your own source and destination, which can be another hard drive or a USB stick or any other device.
6. Acronis True Image on Mac
Price – From $34.99 to $59.99(Premium)
Yet another best backup software for Mac, Acronis True Image is multi platform software. Let’s check out the features.
- It protects everything with full image backup be it the operating system, programs, settings, files, or boot information.
- It enables you to backup to external drives, NAS devices, network shares, and the cloud. Back up phones and tablets.
- Acronis Notary™ is a feature which uses blockchain technology to ensure a file’s authenticity.
7. Crashplan –
Price – Free as local backup; from $59.99/year for offsite backup service
CrashPlan is one of the best free backup software for Mac as it offers the best way to backup and stores personal, business & enterprise data securely – offsite, onsite or on Cloud. Let’s look at the features:
- The only software which provides free local and offsite backup. Just install the software and start backing up whether off site or on CrashPlan servers.
- CrashPlan provides you with unlimited online backup storage. No storage size limits, bandwidth cap or file-type restrictions.
- It has a simple and clutter-free interface that makes it easy to use.
- It allows you to pause and restore backups. Moreover, if you have huge GBs of data to be restored, you don’t need to pause or restore every time you shutdown or restart your Mac, CrashPlan will automatically do it for you
Also Read: 15 Best Video Editing Software for Mac
8. Carbonite –
Price – From $59.99 per year (free trial available)
Carbonite is also a good iMac backup software for Mac. Let’s look at the features:
- Carbonite, personal cloud backup allows you to easily protect your files, photos and more.
- It provides you unlimited cloud storage.
- You can restore files with just a few clicks.
- All the files are safe as Carbonite encrypts your files at every step.
Price – $5/month, or $50/year (15-day free trial available)
Backblaze is another online backup service which is one of the best mac backup software. Let’s take a look at the features:
- It not only secures your data on their servers with encryption but also uses two-factor authentication which sends you a code to your phone, adding an extra layer security.
- It allows you to sign in anywhere from any computer to download a zip file.
- The business version centralizes billing and administration, empowering you to manage your team’s backup needs.
10. ChronoSync –
Price – $49.99
This all in one tool is also considered to be the best backup software for Mac as it works for file synchronizations, backups, bootable backups and cloud storage as well. Let’s take a look at the features:
- ChronoSync allows you to create filters for synchronization. These work in a similar way to smart searches in the Finder. You click ‘+’ to add a rule and then choose from filters and attributes.
- You can run sync or backup tasks on daily, weekly or monthly schedules.
- It sends email notifications on scheduled task completion.
Best Free Backup Software Downloads
Must Read: How To Check Disc Space On Mac
Best Backup Solution for Mac
Free Backup Software For Mac
Backing up your data is the wisest decision to keep your data secure and avoid data loss. A mac backup solution will help you ensure the protection. If you haven’t opted for a backup solution so far, we recommend you to have one as you never know when you get clutched in the hands of cybercriminals. In the worst case scenario, if your data gets stolen or lost, your backup solution will save the day.
Check out the list of some of the best apple backup software for Mac. Try them and let us know which one works for you.