Best external SSD for Mac iMore 2022
For the fastest, most reliable, and smallest external storage solution possible, solid-state drives or SSD drives are the way to go. This external storage type is generally smaller and quieter; plus, it uses less energy than traditional hard disk or HDD external drives. If this sounds like exactly what you need, then here's a list of the best external SSD for Mac.
- Tiny and mighty: Sabrent Rocket Nano
- Great space: Crucial X6 4TB Portable SSD
- Best design: Seagate Ultra Touch SSD
- Fastest transfer: Samsung X5 Portable SSD
- Matching outfits: OWC 1TB Envoy Pro Ex SSD
- Ruff and tuff: CalDigit Tuff Nano
- Best value: SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD
- Cool and collected: G-Technology 1TB G-DRIVE mobile SSD

Tiny and mighty: Sabrent Rocket Nano
Staff PickThe Sabrent Rocket is the cutest, most compact SSD drive I've seen. Besides the cute factor, though, it's also powerful with a full 2TB of storage space and transfer speeds up to 10GB per second!

Great space: Crucial X6 4TB Portable SSD
Despite its compact size, the Crucial X6 SSD packs in a whole 4TB of space. This is a great solution for content creators who work with large file sizes.

Best design: Seagate Ultra Touch SSD
Small and versatile, the Seagate Ultra Touch is compatible with many devices, from Mac to PC, to Android. The cool fabric casing only adds to its appeal.

Fastest transfer: Samsung X5 Portable SSD
The Samsung X5 takes full advantage of the Thunderbolt 3 interface to transfer data at speeds up to 40GB per second! It's the fastest, rootinest, tootinest SSD around.

Matching outfits: OWC 1TB Envoy Pro Ex SSD
If outward appearance is important to you, you'll enjoy the fact that the aluminum build of this OWC SSD will match beautifully with silver Macs. Happily, it also works just as nicely as it looks.

Ruff and tuff: CalDigit Tuff Nano
The CalDigit Tuff Nano is built to take a beating. If you're taking your SSD along with you as you travel or explore the great outdoors, you'll want to make sure it can hold up under pressure, and this one fits the bill.

Best value: SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD
The SanDisk Extreme has a lot going for it. Not only does it come in at a nice low price, but it also has both USB-A and USB-C adapters for device versatility.
Swift-moving storage
With one of the best external SSD for Mac, you'll have the speediest, smallest storage solution around. The hard part is choosing which one to go with! We suggest the Sabrent Rocket Nano because of its sleek, tiny design that's so perfectly portable.
If your needs call for a more robust solution, then the Crucial X6 offers a full 4GB of storage space that you won't see on most other SSD external drives. Despite its large storage capacity, it is packed into a tidy, compact package that won't weigh you down. Most importantly, any of the drives on this list will work beautifully with your Mac.
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