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External Hard Drives Comparison - July 2026

7 Best External Hard Drives In the UK

Overview:
1
Best Choice
9.7Exceptional
2
9.6Exceptional
3
Best Value
9.3Excellent
4
9.1Excellent
5
8.8Very Good
6
8.7Very Good
7
8.6Very Good
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Model

Seagate Portable Drive 4TB, External Hard Drive, Dark Grey, for PC Laptop and Mac, Data Rescue Services, Amazon Exclusive (STGX4000400)
Model
WD 18TB My Book external hard drive, Desktop HDD with Password Protection, USB 3.0, SuperSpeed USB, software for device management, backup, hardware encryption, works with PC and Mac, Black
Model
Seagate Portable Drive 2TB, External Hard Drive, Dark Grey, for PC Laptop and Mac, Data Rescue Services, Amazon Exclusive (STGX2000400)
Model
WD 2TB Elements AE Portable External Hard Drive, SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1/USB 3.0, Plug-and-Play, Formatted for Windows, Black
Model
WD 5TB Elements AE Portable External Hard Drive, SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1/USB 3.0, Plug-and-Play, Formatted for Windows, Black
Model
WD 6TB Elements portable external hard drive, USB 3.0, portable external storage, Plug-and-Play, SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1, Formatted for PC and Mac, Black
Model
Toshiba Canvio Partner 2TB Portable 2.5’’ External Hard Drive, USB 3.2, Mac & Windows compatible. (HDTB520EK3AB)

Brand

Seagate
Brand
WD
Brand
Seagate
Brand
WD
Brand
WD
Brand
WD
Brand
Toshiba

Reviews

267,738 reviews
Reviews
22,323 reviews
Reviews
210,501 reviews
Reviews
9,417 reviews
Reviews
6,879 reviews
Reviews
132 reviews
Reviews
2,388 reviews

Tech Specs

Interface

USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0)
Interface
USB 3.0 (5 Gbps); USB 2.0 compatible
Interface
USB 3.0
Interface
-
Interface
USB 3.2 Gen 1/USB 3.0
Interface
USB 3.0, SuperSpeed USB 3.2 Gen 1
Interface
USB 3.2 (compatible with USB 3.0)

Form Factor

Portable
Form Factor
-
Form Factor
Portable Drive
Form Factor
Portable External Hard Drive
Form Factor
Portable External Hard Drive
Form Factor
2.5” Portable Hard Drive
Form Factor
-

Capacity

4TB
Capacity
18TB
Capacity
2TB
Capacity
2TB
Capacity
5TB
Capacity
-
Capacity
-

Color

Dark Grey
Color
Black
Color
Dark Grey
Color
Black
Color
Black
Color
-
Color
-

Compatibility

PC, Laptop, Mac, Xbox, PS4
Compatibility
-
Compatibility
PC Laptop and Mac
Compatibility
-
Compatibility
Formatted for Windows
Compatibility
Formatted for PC and Mac
Compatibility
Mac & Windows

Available On

Available On
Available On
Available On
Available On
Available On
Available On

Our Top 3 Picks

Here are the top 3 recommended products with more information to help you find the right product for you
  • 9.7
    1
    Seagate
    29% Off

    Seagate Portable Drive 4TB, External Hard Drive, Dark Grey, for PC Laptop and Mac, Data Rescue Services, Amazon Exclusive (STGX4000400)

    Why we love it

    Large 4TB capacity stores many files
    Lightweight and portable for easy transport
    Plug-and-play compatibility for simple setup
    Main highlights
    • Instant plug-and-play PC compatibility, easy drag-and-drop functionality
    • Fast transfer of USB 30 files (backwards compatible with USB 20)
    • Expand the capacity of your computer with a lightweight, compact solution Compatible with PC, notebook, Xbox and PS4 consoles
    • Buy this product exclusively on Amazon
    • Amazon Exclusive
  • 9.6
    2
    WD

    WD 18TB My Book external hard drive, Desktop HDD with Password Protection, USB 3.0, SuperSpeed USB, software for device management, backup, hardware encryption, works with PC and Mac, Black

    Why we love it

    Massive 18TB storage capacity
    Easy setup with Mac and PC
    Strong data protection features
    Main highlights
    • The My Book drive is trusted desktop storage designed to complement your personal style with a massive amount of space to store your photos, videos, music, and documents. Equipped with password protection and perfectly paired with backup software, My Book desktop storage helps keep your files safe.
    • SuperSpeed USB 3.0, (5 Gbps); USB 2.0 compatible
    • Password Protection with Hardware Encryption. The My Book drive’s built-in 256-bit AES hardware encryption with password protection helps keep your content private and safe. Just activate password protection and set your own personalized password using the included software. For quick, convenient access you can set to automatically unlock the drive on your computer, saving you the hassle of keying in your password every time.
    • Massive capacity, Available in capacities up to 18TB, there's plenty of room to save the massive amounts of photos, videos, and music you love, plus your important documents.
    • Easy to Use. Ready to use with Mac and Windows computers right out of the box, so you can start transferring files, saving your memories, and backing up right away. It also comes with all the software you need to help protect your data.
    • Complete Backup. My Book desktop storage comes equipped with backup software to help make sure your photos, videos, music, and documents don’t get lost. You can set it to run automatically to your schedule. Just pick the time and frequency to back up important files from your system. With the power of the included backup software, you’ve got complete backup routine options to help recover data in the event of a computer virus or computer failure, or if you accidentally press “delete”.
  • 9.3
    3
    Seagate
    25% Off

    Seagate Portable Drive 2TB, External Hard Drive, Dark Grey, for PC Laptop and Mac, Data Rescue Services, Amazon Exclusive (STGX2000400)

    Why we love it

    Easy drag and drop backup
    Automatic recognition for quick setup
    Portable lightweight design
    Main highlights
    • To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
    • This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 30 cable
    • Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
    • Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
    • Amazon Exclusive

Our ranking system

The topchoice.co.uk Team selects top-of-the-line items from a wide selection and conducts rigorous evaluations on almost all the products available on the internet. We rank each product based on how well it matches our criteria.We can ensure that the product is well-tested with the help of our expertise, experts, and artificial intelligence technology. topchoice.co.uk requires consistent care for the products we review, ensuring that our assessments are always accurate and up to date.

Features

Our team of experts analyzes key attributes, capabilities, significance, and many more depending on the type of product to determine its effectiveness.
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Consumer Reviews

We ensure an evaluation of the ratings using references all over the internet for each product. With the help of our AI technology and professional review teams, we give weight to the worth of individual user experiences.
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Popularity

Popularity is an important criterion in choosing a product. Several factors contribute to the popularity of the products on our site, including prestige, relevance, reputation, news, and more.
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Value for money

topchoice.co.uk compares product attributes to price, examines tech specs, ratings and reviews, and more.

When compared to other criteria, does the pricing seem reasonable? In order to provide genuine value for money, our team must answer that question with advanced calculations.