Best Secure Encryption External Hard Drives of 2025

Kenneth Collin Avatar
Kenneth Collin
Last Updated: 31 Jan 2025

* We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Secure Encryption External Hard Drives are a type of data storage device that provides an additional layer of security to protect sensitive information. These hard drives use advanced encryption technology to safeguard the data stored on them, making it more difficult for unauthorized users to access or steal valuable information. With their compact and portable design, Secure Encryption External Hard Drives are ideal for individuals and businesses that need to store and transport confidential data securely. They are a reliable and practical solution for anyone who wants to keep their data safe from prying eyes.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

iStorage diskAshur2 SSD 128GB Secure Portable Solid State Drive Password protected Dust/Water Resistant Hardware encryption Cover #TOP 1
iStorage diskAshur2 SSD 128GB Secure Portable Solid State Drive Password protected Dust/Water Resistant Hardware encryption
ftb score rating icon 9.8
LaCie Rugged Secure, 2TB, Portable External Hard Drive Cover #TOP 2
LaCie Rugged Secure, 2TB, Portable External Hard Drive
ftb score rating icon 9.7
WD 16TB My Book external hard drive Cover #TOP 3
WD 16TB My Book external hard drive
ftb score rating icon 9.5

Top 7 Secure Encryption External Hard Drives

#TOP 1

iStorage diskAshur2 SSD 128GB Secure Portable Solid State Drive Password protected Dust/Water Resistant Hardware encryption

IS-DA2-256-SSD-128-R
Fiery Red
128 GB
iStorage diskAshur2 SSD 128GB Secure Portable Solid State Drive Password protected Dust/Water Resistant Hardware encryption Cover
iStorage diskAshur2 SSD 128GB Secure Portable Solid State Drive Password protected Dust/Water Resistant Hardware encryption

Features
The DiskAshur2 Helps You Ensure Compliance With Data Regulations Such As GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA
Perfect Solution To Protect Your Digital Assets. Simply Enter A 7-15 Digit PIN To Authenticate And Use As A Normal USB Flash Drive. When The Drive Is Disconnected, All Data Is Encrypted Using AES-XTS 256-Bit Hardware Encryption (Software Free)
Transfer Your Files In Seconds: Lightning Fast Backwards Compatible USB 3.2 Data Transfer Speeds, Up To 361MB/s Read Speeds, Up To 358MB/s Write Speeds
The Perfect Solution For Storing Your Personal/company Data: Portable, Rugged, Dust & Water Resistant (IP56) - All Data Transferred To The Drive Is Encrypted In Real Time And Is Protected From Unauthorised Access Even If The Device Is Lost Or Stolen!
The DiskAshur2 Will Work On Any Device With A USB Port, No Software Is Required. Compatible With: MS Windows, MacOS, Linux, Chrome, Android, Thin Clients, Zero Clients, Embedded Systems, Citrix And Vmware
#TOP 2

LaCie Rugged Secure, 2TB, Portable External Hard Drive

STFR2000403
Orange
LaCie Rugged Secure, 2TB, Portable External Hard Drive Cover
LaCie Rugged Secure, 2TB, Portable External Hard Drive, USB-C, Drop, Shock and Rain Resistant, 1 month Adobe CC, 3 year Rescue Services (STFR2000403)

Features
Future Proof Compatible With USB-C Interface
AES-256 Hardware Encryption For Advanced Data Protection
Protect Files From Unauthorized Access With Seagate Secure Self-Encrypting Technology
Protect Files From Unauthorized Access With Seagate Secure Self-Encrypting Technology
Gain Lasting Peace Of Mind With The Included Five-Year Limited Product Warranty, Including Rescue Data Recovery Services
Gain Lasting Peace Of Mind With The Included Five-Year Limited Product Warranty, Including Rescue Data Recovery Services
Future Proof Compatible With USB-C Interface
Drop, Crush, Shock And Rain Resistance For All-Terrain Use
Drop, Crush, Shock And Rain Resistance For All-Terrain Use
AES-256 Hardware Encryption For Advanced Data Protection
#TOP 3

WD 16TB My Book external hard drive

WDBBGB0160HBK-EESN
Black
16TB
WD 16TB My Book external hard drive Cover
WD 16TB 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

Features
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.
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.
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”.
#TOP 4

Apricorn Aegis Padlock 1TB SSD 256-Bit

ASSD-3PL256-1TBF
Black
1 tb
Apricorn Aegis Padlock 1TB SSD 256-Bit Cover
Apricorn Aegis Padlock 1TB SSD 256-Bit, FIPS 140-2 Validated USB 3.0 Hardware Encrypted External Portable Drive *RUGGEDISED*

Features
Connectivity Technology: USB
ASSD-3PL256-1TBF
Memory Storage Capacity: 240.01
Hard Disk Size: 1.0 TB
#TOP 5

DataLocker DL4 FE 2TB USB-C

DataLocker
DL4-2TB-FE
Silver/black
HDD 2TB
DataLocker DL4 FE 2TB USB-C Cover
DataLocker DL4 FE 2TB USB-C / -A Hard Drive with AES-256bit Hardware Encryption, Colour Display and FIPS 140-2 Level 3 Certification, DSGVO/GDPR Compliant, DL4-2TB-FE Silver/Black HDD 2TB

Features
Easy To Use Thanks To Integrated Colour Touch Screen
AES 256bit Hardware Encryption
USB-C Connection (USB-A Cable Included)
Real Alpha-Numeric Passwords With Special Characters
Operating System Independent, No Drivers Or Software Required
#TOP 6

WD 4TB My Book external hard drive

WDBBGB0040HBK-EESN
Black
4 TB
WD 4TB My Book external hard drive Cover
WD 4TB My Book external hard drive, Desktop HDD with Password Protection, USB 3.0, SuperSpeed USB, software for device management, backup, hardware encryption, Black

Features
Works With Acronis True Image WD Edition Software To Schedule Full System Backups
Equipped With WD Backup Software For Windows And Apple Time Machine Compatibility For Mac, The My Book Desktop Hard Drive Can Back Up Your Photos, Videos, Music And Documents
The My Book Desktop Hard Drive Can Back Up Your Photos, Videos, Music And Documents
Password Protection With Built-In 256-Bit AES Hardware Encryption With WD Security Software, Just Set Your Own Personalised Password To Help Keep Your Content Private And Safe
Millions Of People Around The World Trust Their Data To My Book Desktop Storage; Designed To Meet WD's Demanding Requirements For Durability, Shock Tolerance And Long-Term Reliability, We Back Up (pun Intended!) The Trusted My Book Desktop Storage With A 3-Year Limited Warranty
#TOP 7

WD 1TB My Passport Portable SSD, External NVMe Solid State Drive

WD
WDBAGF0010BGY
SSD Grey
WD 1TB My Passport Portable SSD, External NVMe Solid State Drive Cover
WD 1TB My Passport Portable SSD, External NVMe Solid State Drive, USB-C, up to 1050 MB/s, Works with PC, Xbox and Playstation, 2-meters drop resistance, Space Grey

Features
Password Enabled 256-Bit AES Hardware Encryption
Blazing Fast NVMe Technology With Speeds Of Up To 1050MB/s And Write Speeds Of Up To 1000MB/s
Sleek And Compact Design
Simple Backup
Shock And Vibration Resistant. Drop Resistant Up To 2 Metres
Cross Compatible USB 3.2 Gen-2 And USB-C (USB-A For Older Systems)
Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can an external hard drive be encrypted?

Most modern operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux come with built-in tools for encrypting your external hard drives or USB peripherals. For instance, you can use BitLocker for Windows, FileVault for Mac, and LUKS (Linux Unified Key Setup-on-disk-format) for Linux to encrypt your USB drives.

2. Should I encrypt my external hard drive?

The Importance of Encryption Encryption is the key to protecting the data on your hard drives. You can choose an encryption program that will make it more difficult for the thief to access the information, and prevent anyone who might find your portable drive from accessing it easily.

3. How secure are encrypted hard drives?

Data on an encrypted hard drive cannot be read by anyone who does not have access to the appropriate key or password. This can help prevent access to data by unauthorized persons and provides a layer of security against hackers and other online threats.

Editor's Notes

During our secure encryption external hard drive research, we found 7 secure encryption external hard drive products and shortlisted 7 quality products. We collected and analyzed 286,529 customer reviews through our big data system to write the secure encryption external hard drives list. We found that most customers choose secure encryption external hard drives with an average price of £223.68.

The secure encryption external hard drives are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of secure encryption external hard drives, including iStorage, LaCie, Western Digital, Apricorn, DataLocker. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 55 consumers with an average rating of 4.9.

Written by
Kenneth Collin Avatar

Kenneth Collin graduated from Imperial College, London, at 22. He is a UX/UI designer, a web developer, and a writer, amongst others. At age 14, Kenneth programmed his first app. Kenneth's app served as a remote control for censored devices. "When I was 8, I would pick up scraps from electronics and try to rebuild or at least fix them," Kenneth said in one of his recent articles on Home repairs for top gadgets.