Some retailers, like Other World Computing, split their kits by model and year, which makes it difficult to buy the wrong one. This Instructables guide applies to most Apple laptops, but keep in mind that each model will have small differences. These include instructions and even video resources. In many cases, you can buy upgrade kits that include everything you need to upgrade your laptop's storage. So, check if your model is upgradeable before you commit to a purchase. More importantly, the internal SSDs on the Apple silicon MacBook models are soldered to the logic board, making it impossible to upgrade the internal storage. Keep in mind that upgrading involves opening your laptop enclosure, which will void any warranty you have on your machine. For faster storage, consider getting an SSD, but that will cost you a little bit more. You might want to keep your external drive only for backups, archives, and home use. But you have to carry it with you, and it's fragile.

If you've decided to take this option, here's a head-to-head comparison between HDDs and SSDs to help you make an informed decision.īottom line: An external hard drive is a slow but cost-effective way to add a large amount of storage to your MacBook.

It also comes with USB Type C-to-C and Type C-to-A cables for convenience. We recommend getting Samsung's T7 Shield Portable SSD with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface if you need faster storage. But, whatever you buy, make sure it supports at least USB 3.0. Something basic like Western Digital's Elements USB 3.0 drive, which ships with at least 1TB of storage and tops out at 5TB, will do the trick for most external storage needs. You might use them to hold large media files that aren't part of your libraries, archived documents and project files, RAW photos, backups, and disk images.

Storing data on external drives works well in certain situations.

How to clear other storage on mac