Best Time Machine External Hard Drives of 2026

Name: WD 5TB My Passport for Mac portable external storage, USB 3.0, Mac Compatible external hard drive, software for device management, backup and password protection, Time Machine Ready
Brand: WD

Kenneth Collin

Last Updated: 4 Feb 2026

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Time Machine External Hard Drives are a range of storage devices designed to provide secure and reliable backup solutions for Apple devices. These hard drives utilise Time Machine software, which comes pre-installed on Apple devices, to automatically back up data and enable easy recovery in the event of data loss. With a variety of storage capacities and sleek designs, Time Machine External Hard Drives are a popular choice for those seeking a dependable backup solution for their Apple products.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

#TOP 1

WD 5TB My Passport for Mac portable external storage, USB 3.0, Mac Compatible external hard drive, software for device management, backup and password protection, Time Machine Ready

9.9

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WD 5TB My Passport for Mac portable external storage, USB 3.0, Mac Compatible external hard drive, software for device management, backup and password protection, Time Machine Ready

#TOP1

9.9

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#TOP 2

Seagate 5TB Portable External Hard Drive

9.8

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Seagate 5TB Portable External Hard Drive

#TOP2

9.8

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#TOP 3

WD My Passport SSD, 2TB Portable External SSD, read speeds up to 1050 MB/s, write speeds up to 1000MB/s, Portable SSD

9.6

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WD My Passport SSD, 2TB Portable External SSD, read speeds up to 1050 MB/s, write speeds up to 1000MB/s, Portable SSD

#TOP3

9.6

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Top 6 Time Machine External Hard Drives

#TOP 1

WD 5TB My Passport for Mac portable external storage, USB 3.0, Mac Compatible external hard drive, software for device management, backup and password protection, Time Machine Ready

WDBA2F0050BBL-WESN

Midnight Blue

WD 5TB My Passport for Mac portable external storage, USB 3.0, Mac Compatible external hard drive, software for device management, backup and password protection, Time Machine Ready, Midnight Blue

9.9

FTB Score

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Features

Plays Nicely. The My Passport For Mac Drive Includes USB-C And USB-A Cables, So You Can Save Tomorrow's Content With The Mac Computers Of Both Today And Yesterday

Genius Compatible. My Passport For Mac Portable Storage Works Straight Out Of The Box With Mac Devices Which Makes It Easy To Keep You Moving On Your Journey. Simply Drag And Drop Files To And From, Or Setup A Backup Routine With Apple's Time Machine Software To Help Protect The Contents Of Your Digital Life: Photos, Videos, Music And Documents. Up To 6TB.

Social Friendly. Included WD Discovery Software Lets You Connect To Popular Social Media And Cloud Storage Services Like Facebook, Dropbox And Google Drive. Seamlessly Import, Organise And Share Your Photos, Videos And Docs To The My Passport For Mac Drive To Backup Your Online Social Life. Wd Discovery Can Also Manage Your Drive Through WD Drive Utilities

Ongoing Confidence. There's No Telling What's Ahead In Your Own Journey. That's Why WD Builds Drives To Demanding Requirements For Durability And Long-Term Reliability. On Top Of That, It Comes With A 3-Year Limited Warranty

Locked Down. The My Passport For Mac Drive's Built-In 256-Bit AES Hardware Encryption With Password Protection Helps Keep Your Digital Life's Contents Secure. Just Activate Password Protection And Set Your Own Personalized Password Using WD Discovery

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#TOP 2 Best External Hard Drive for Mac

Seagate 5TB Portable External Hard Drive

Seagate

STGX5000400

Black Matt

Seagate Portable Drive 5TB, External Hard Drive, Dark Grey, for PC Laptop and Mac, Data Rescue Services, Amazon Exclusive (STGX5000400)

9.8

FTB Score

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The Seagate 5TB Drive is an Amazon exclusive that simplifies file backups for both Windows and Mac users. You can easily back up your files using the drag-and-drop method, making the process quick and straightforward. Installing the drive is hassle-free as it connects directly to your computer and is automatically recognised, eliminating the need for software. With the included 46cm USB 3.0 cable, you can enjoy fast file transfers, ensuring that your data is moved swiftly and efficiently.

What We Like

Easy drag-and-drop backups

Plug-and-play installation

Fast USB 3.0 transfer speeds

Mac compatible with reformatting

#TOP 3

WD My Passport SSD, 2TB Portable External SSD, read speeds up to 1050 MB/s, write speeds up to 1000MB/s, Portable SSD

WDBAGF0020BRD-WESN

SSD Red

WD My Passport SSD, 2TB Portable External SSD, read speeds up to 1050 MB/s, write speeds up to 1000MB/s, Portable SSD, Works with PC, Xbox and Playstation, Red

9.6

FTB Score

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Features

PASSWORD PROTECTION WITH HARDWARE ENCRYPTION. Your Digital World Is Invaluable. Help Keep Your Data Safe With Password Enabled 256- Bit AES Hardware Encryption And Simple Backup.

ACCELERATED PERFORMANCE. Larger Files And More Content Demand Next-Level Performance. The My Passport SSD Delivers Read Speeds Of Up To 1050MB/s And Write Speeds Of Up To 1000MB/s , And Capacities Of Up To 2TB* So You Can Access Your Digital World Anytime, Anywhere.

THE NEW LOOK OF SSD PERFORMANCE. Stylishly Designed In A Range Of Colors, Enclosed In A Compact Sleek Metal Design. The My Passport SSD Is Engineered From The Ground Up To Be A Quality Drive, Inside And Out, To Deliver Reliable Performance.

TAKING DURABILITY TO GREATER HEIGHTS. Carry Your Data With Confidence. The My Passport SSD Has A Bold, Metal Design That Is Tough Enough To Handle Whatever Comes Your Way. Shock And Vibration Resistant. Drop Resistant Up To 6.5ft (1.98m).

SIMPLE BACKUP. Included Backup Software2 Makes It Easy To Enable Simple Back Up Of High-Capacity Files To Your Drive Or Cloud Service Account.3 Set It And Forget It! Compatible With Apple Time Machine (requires Reformatting).

OUT OF THE BOX COMPATIBILITY. No Setup Required. Ready To Use Right Out Of The Box And Compatible With PC And Mac. Equipped With USB 3.2 Gen-2 Technology, The My Passport SSD Comes With A USB-C Cable And USB-A Adaptor To Work With Legacy Systems.

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#TOP 4 Best WD External Hard Drive

WD 1TB My Passport External SSD with Encryption

WDBAGF0010BGY

SSD Grey

WD 1TB My Passport External SSD with Encryption 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

9.4

FTB Score

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The WD My Passport SSD offers lightning-fast NVMe technology, delivering speeds of up to 1050MB/s. This means you can transfer large files in seconds, making it ideal for gamers and creatives alike. It features password-enabled 256-bit AES hardware encryption, providing peace of mind as your data remains secure. Its shock and vibration resistance, along with a drop resistance of up to 2 metres, ensures your drive can withstand daily wear and tear. With a sleek design, this portable SSD is easy to carry wherever you go.

What We Like

Blazing fast transfer speeds

Strong data encryption

Durable and drop-resistant

Sleek and portable design

#TOP 5

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

WDBAGF0010BRD-WESN

SSD Red

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, Red

9.2

FTB Score

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Features

PASSWORD PROTECTION WITH HARDWARE ENCRYPTION. Your Digital World Is Invaluable. Help Keep Your Data Safe With Password Enabled 256- Bit AES Hardware Encryption And Simple Backup.

ACCELERATED PERFORMANCE. Larger Files And More Content Demand Next-Level Performance. The My Passport SSD Delivers Read Speeds Of Up To 1050MB/s1 And Write Speeds Of Up To 1000MB/s1 , And Capacities Of Up To 2TB* So You Can Access Your Digital World Anytime, Anywhere.

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#TOP 6

LaCie Mobile Drive, 4TB, External Hard Drive

LaCie

STHG4000402

Space Grey

LaCie Mobile Drive, 4TB, External Hard Drive Cover

LaCie Mobile Drive, 4TB, External Hard Drive, Space Grey, USB-C, PC Mac iPad & iPhone, Data Rescue Service (STHG4000402)

9.0

FTB Score

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Features

The Drive's Compatibility With Mac And Windows Systems, And USB-C Interfaces Also Make It Easy To Access Data

High Capacity External Hard Drive For All Your Data And Compatible With Mac & PC Without Reformatting

Turn Your Raw Footage Into Polished Productions With A Free Subscription To The Adobe Creative Cloud All-Access Program.

LaCie Toolkit Is Here To Help. This Easy-To-Use Software Lets You Perform One-Click Backups, Schedule Automatic Backups, And Even Mirror Folders Across Multiple Devices.

Gain Lasting Peace Of Mind With The Included Two-Year Limited Warranty And Two-Year Rescue Data Recovery Services

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can Apple Time Machine backup an external drive?

Create a Time Machine backup Connect an external storage device, such as a USB or Thunderbolt drive. Find out more about backup disks that you can use with Time Machine. Open Time Machine preferences from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar. Or choose Apple menu  > System Preferences, then click Time Machine.

2. Is Time Machine an external hard drive?

If Time Machine has been previously set up: open Time Machine and choose Select Disk then select the external drive. Note that your first backup may take several hours, depending on how many files you have. However, you can still use your computer while the backup is in progress.

3. Does Time Machine delete external hard drive?

No it will not erase your existing files. Time machine will create a folder on your external hard drive called Backups.

Editor's Notes

During our time machine external hard drive research, we found 8 time machine external hard drive products and shortlisted 6 quality products. We collected and analyzed 1,920,618 customer reviews through our big data system to write the time machine external hard drives list. We found that most customers choose time machine external hard drives with an average price of £133.32.

The time machine external hard drives are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of time machine external hard drives, including WD, Seagate, LaCie.

Written by

Kenneth Collin

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.