Best External Hard Drive to Back Up Your Photos and Videos (2026)

Quick answer: For most people backing up a photo and video library, a portable hard drive such as the WD My Passport offers the most storage for the money. If you shoot RAW or 4K video and need speed or travel often, a rugged portable SSD like the Samsung T7 Shield or Crucial X9 Pro is the better choice. Whichever you buy, don’t rely on one drive as your only copy.

We’re a data recovery company, not a hardware review site, so we don’t run benchmark tests. What we do see is the other end of a drive’s life: the backup drives that were dropped, unplugged mid-copy, or quietly failed after years in a drawer. This guide combines current drive options with what that experience teaches about choosing and using a backup drive.

Quick picks at a glance

HDD or SSD for photo and video backup?

A hard drive (HDD) is usually the better value for storing large archives. An SSD is better for speed, portability and resisting knocks. Many photographers end up using both: an SSD for current work and an HDD for long-term backup.

A hard disk drive stores data on spinning magnetic platters, read by heads that float a fraction of a millimetre above the surface. That design makes them cheap per terabyte, but it also makes them vulnerable. A portable HDD knocked off a desk while it’s running can suffer a head crash that damages the platters.

A solid-state drive has no moving parts. It stores data on flash memory, so it copies files much faster and handles bumps far better. The trade-off is cost: you pay noticeably more per terabyte.

That last row matters. On many SSDs, the TRIM function wipes deleted blocks soon after you delete a file. If you accidentally delete photos from an SSD, the window for recovering them can be very short. An HDD usually leaves deleted data in place until something overwrites it.

How much storage do you need?

Add up your current photo and video library, then buy at least double that. Libraries only grow, and backup software needs room for older versions of your files.

RAW files and 4K footage fill drives much faster than JPEGs. If you’re unsure, check the size of your Pictures and Videos folders, or your Lightroom catalogue folders, before you buy.

The best external drives for photo and video backup

WD My Passport: best portable hard drive for most people

The My Passport has been a dependable choice for years because it packs a lot of storage into a pocket-sized case at a low price per terabyte. Current models go up to 6TB, include password protection with 256-bit AES hardware encryption, and come with WD’s backup software for scheduled backups. It uses USB 3.2 Gen 1, which is plenty for a hard drive.

Good for: backing up a laptop or desktop photo library.

Keep in mind: the hardware encryption is great for privacy, but it also adds complexity if the drive’s circuit board fails, which we cover further down. Keep a second copy of anything irreplaceable.

Seagate One Touch Portable: best simple everyday backup

The One Touch Portable is Seagate’s current portable hard drive range, replacing the older Backup Plus. It offers capacities up to 5TB, a textured finish, and Seagate’s Toolkit software for automatic backup scheduling. It’s a straightforward plug-and-play drive for anyone who wants backups to happen without thinking about it.

Good for: home users who want set-and-forget backups.

Keep in mind: like any portable HDD, it doesn’t handle drops well while running.

Samsung T7 Shield: best rugged SSD for travel and shoots

The T7 Shield wraps a fast SSD in a rubberised, IP65-rated casing that resists dust and water splashes. Transfer speeds of around 1,000 MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2 make offloading a full day of RAW files or 4K footage much quicker than with a hard drive.

Good for: photographers and videographers working on location, and editing straight from the drive.

Keep in mind: you’ll pay more per terabyte, so it’s often used alongside a cheaper HDD archive.

Crucial X9 Pro: best compact SSD

The X9 Pro is a small, light USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD with speeds above 1,000 MB/s and IP55 water and dust resistance. It’s a good alternative to the T7 Shield when you want something even smaller to carry in a camera bag.

Good for: travel and quick transfers.

Keep in mind: check which capacities are in stock locally, as SSD pricing has been volatile.

LaCie Rugged range: best for field work

LaCie’s Rugged drives, with their orange shock-absorbing bumpers, are a long-time favourite with photographers who work outdoors. The range includes both hard drive and SSD models. Some LaCie and Seagate drives come with a bundled data recovery plan. If that matters to you, check the box or product page for your specific model, as coverage varies by product and region.

Good for: outdoor, event and travel photographers.

Keep in mind: the bumper protects against knocks, but a hard drive model is still a spinning drive inside. Treat it gently while it’s running.

Seagate Expansion Desktop or SanDisk Professional G-Drive: best for large archives

If your library runs into many terabytes, a 3.5-inch desktop hard drive gives you the most storage for the money. The Seagate Expansion Desktop is a budget workhorse. The SanDisk Professional G-Drive, formerly sold under the G-Technology brand, is aimed at creative professionals. Both need a power adapter, so they’re designed to stay on your desk rather than travel.

Good for: a central archive of years of photos and video.

Keep in mind: a large archive on a single drive is a large single point of failure. Pair it with a second copy.

Where to buy in Australia: most of these drives are stocked by major retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Officeworks, as well as online. Prices for SSDs in particular have moved a lot recently, so compare a few before buying.

What to look for before you buy

• Connection: for hard drives, any USB 3 port is fast enough. For SSDs, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) port or better lets you use the drive’s full speed. A USB-C connector alone doesn’t make a hard drive faster.
• Encryption and password protection: useful if the drive leaves your house. Write the password down somewhere safe, because forgetting it can lock you out of your own files.
• Durability: look for an IP rating (such as IP55 or IP65) and drop protection if you travel. For desk-bound backups, it matters less.
• Warranty and recovery plans: most portable drives carry a two- to five-year warranty. A warranty replaces the drive, not your data, so look for a bundled recovery plan if that’s important to you.
• Backup software: automatic scheduled backups are the difference between a backup you have and a backup you meant to make.
• Formatting: if you use both Windows and Mac, format the drive as exFAT so both can read and write to it. Use APFS for Mac-only setups and NTFS for Windows-only setups.

One drive isn’t a backup plan.

If your photos exist only on one external drive, that drive isn’t a backup. It’s the original. A reliable setup follows the 3-2-1 rule:

1. Three copies of your files: the original plus two backups.
2. Two different types of storage, such as an external drive and cloud storage, or an HDD and an SSD.
3. One copy kept off-site, in the cloud or at another address, in case of theft, fire or flood.

For photographers, a practical version looks like this. Copy memory cards to your computer or working SSD. Back up automatically to an external hard drive. Then keep a second drive at another location or sync to a cloud service. Don’t format your camera cards until at least two copies exist.

If you want redundancy at home, a NAS (network-attached storage) with two drives mirrored in RAID 1 keeps a live copy on each drive. Mirroring protects against one drive failing, but it also copies accidental deletions instantly. It doesn’t replace an off-site backup.

What a recovery lab sees when backup drives fail

This is where our perspective differs from a review site. These are the patterns worth knowing before you choose and use a backup drive:

• Drops while running are a major cause of portable HDD failure. When a spinning drive is knocked, the heads can strike the platters. A clicking or grinding sound afterwards usually means physical damage. Continuing to power the drive can scratch the platters further.
• Some portable drives are harder to recover than others. On many portable drives, the USB connection is built directly onto the drive’s own circuit board, and on drives with hardware encryption, that board also holds the encryption. If the board fails, recovery generally needs specialist work rather than a simple board swap. Recovery is often still possible, but it’s more involved, so these drives shouldn’t be your only copy.
• Higher-capacity portable HDDs are often slower on long copies. Many use SMR recording, which can slow down during large, sustained writes. This is normal and not a fault. It just means big initial backups take time, so let them finish.
• SSDs fail differently. They don’t suffer from head crashes. When they fail, it’s often the controller or firmware, and the drive may suddenly stop appearing on your computer. Recovery from a failed SSD is possible in many cases but is specialised work.
• Unplugging mid-copy causes file system corruption. A drive that suddenly asks to be formatted has often been disconnected without ejecting. Don’t format it, because the files may still be recoverable.

How to look after your external drive

• Keep it still while it’s running. Place portable hard drives on a flat, stable surface and don’t move them during a copy.
• Always eject before unplugging. This lets the computer finish writing data and prevents file system corruption.
• Avoid heat. Don’t leave drives in a hot car, in direct sun, or on top of a warm laptop. Australian summers are hard on electronics.
• Keep it dry and dust-free. Store drives in a case, away from moisture.
• Use the right cable and power supply. Faulty or cheap cables can cause dropouts, and desktop drives need their original power adapter.
• Check your backups. Every few months, open some files from the backup drive to confirm they actually work.
• Replace ageing drives. Many hard drives run for years, but lifespan is unpredictable. Plan to move your archive to a new drive every four to five years, or sooner if the drive starts behaving oddly.

If your backup drive has already failed

Stop using the drive as soon as you notice clicking, grinding, repeated disconnects, or a prompt to format it.

What to do:

1. Unplug the drive and don’t reconnect it repeatedly.
2. Note what happened (a drop, a power cut, a strange noise) so the technician can diagnose it faster.
3. If you still have another copy, don’t write anything to the failed drive.

What to avoid:

• Don’t format or initialise the drive when Windows or macOS asks.
• Don’t open the case. Dust and fingerprints on platters can make recovery much harder.
• Don’t run repair tools like CHKDSK on a drive with physical symptoms.
• Don’t install recovery software onto the same drive you’re trying to recover from.

For deleted files on a healthy drive, recovery software can sometimes help. Our guide on how to recover data from an external hard drive walks through that. For drives with physical symptoms, professional external hard drive data recovery or external SSD data recovery gives the best chance. Results depend on the type and extent of damage, which is why we start with a free phone consultation and an assessment of the drive.

Final takeaway

For most people, a portable hard drive such as the WD My Passport or Seagate One Touch is the best value for backing up photos and videos. A rugged SSD like the Samsung T7 Shield or Crucial X9 Pro is worth the extra cost if you need speed or travel with your files. The drive matters less than the habit: keep at least two backups, one of them off-site, and check them occasionally.

Backup drive stopped working? Recovery Squad helps Australians recover photos and videos from failed external hard drives and SSDs, with centres in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane. Start a recovery job or call  1300 495 440 for a free consultation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best external hard drive for backing up photos and videos?

For most people, a portable hard drive such as the WD My Passport or Seagate One Touch Portable offers the best balance of capacity and price. If you need faster transfers or a drive that survives knocks, a rugged SSD like the Samsung T7 Shield or Crucial X9 Pro is the better choice.

Is an SSD or HDD better for backing up photos?

An HDD is better value for large archives because it costs less per terabyte. An SSD is faster and more durable because it has no moving parts. Many photographers use an SSD for current work and an HDD for long-term backup.

Is one external hard drive enough to back up my photos?

No. If your photos exist on only one drive, a single failure, loss or theft can wipe them out. Follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, on two types of storage, with one kept off-site.

How much storage do I need for photos and videos?

Buy at least double the size of your current library. As a guide, 1–2TB suits phone photos and family videos, 2–4TB suits RAW photography, and 4TB or more suits regular 4K video.

How long do external hard drives last?

There’s no fixed lifespan. Many run for years, but some fail early, especially after drops or heat exposure. Plan to replace backup drives every four to five years and check your backups regularly.

What format should I use for an external drive on Mac and Windows?

Use exFAT if you need to use the drive on both Windows and Mac. Use APFS for Mac-only and NTFS for Windows-only setups.

Can photos be recovered from a failed external hard drive?

Often, yes. The outcome depends on whether the failure is logical (such as corruption or deletion) or physical (such as damaged heads or a failed circuit board). Stop using the drive straight away and don’t format it, as continued use can reduce the chances of recovery.

Is cloud storage better than an external hard drive?

They do different jobs. An external drive gives you a fast local copy, while cloud storage protects you against theft, fire and flood at home. Using both is the most reliable approach.