10 Best Portable Hard Drives UK 2024 | Toshiba, SanDisk and More

Combining the best of portability, affordability, and reliability, the Canvio Basics Portable from Toshiba is the best budget portable hard drive available online. It has one of the smallest form factors on our list while also being one of the lightest.

Toshiba is one of the world's leading manufacturers of electronic devices, meaning you shouldn't have any concerns regarding the product's quality. With 1TB of space and 3.2 Gen 1 USB connectivity, this represents excellent value for money.

Whether you're looking for some additional space for a games console or find yourself splitting work between a desktop and laptop, your files are secure on this external hard drive from Seagate. It also comes with two years of rescue recovery service, in case of failure or corruption, for added peace of mind.

The drive is relatively compact considering the 4TB of storage space, and it's also one of the cheapest options on our list at this capacity. It has instant plug-and-play compatibility with Windows and works perfectly with PlayStation and Xbox, too.

This 5TB hard drive from LaCie is a little different from the other options on our list because it's water, dust, and shock-resistant. There aren't many better options out there for protecting your files as it also features AES 256-bit encryption and automatic backup software.

If that wasn't enough, it's worth noting the two-year limited warranty, two years of rescue recovery services, and a month's subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan. Oh, did we forget to mention that it can also survive being crushed by the weight of a 1-tonne car?

Available in a variety of colours and designs, My Passport from Western Digital has a built-in 256-bit AES hardware encryption that is password protected and has a three-year limited warranty. It also features USB 3.2 Gen 1 for the highest transfer speeds possible.

My Passport includes automated backup software, meaning you can schedule a time for all the important files on your laptop or PC to be copied to the hard drive. If you're looking for a secure and reliable way to back up your photos and files, the My Passport is well worth picking up.

The WD Elements Portable is a fantastic option when you're working on the road, as its sleek design is perfect for travelling. It's the lightest portable hard drive on our list and one of the smallest, meaning you can easily pop it in a pocket or laptop bag.

This is one of the best options to combine with a Chromebook, notebook, or other low-capacity portable laptops to add much-needed storage space for photos, videos, and other large files. Available at an affordable price point, this is well worth the investment if you find yourself travelling a lot for work.

With a whopping 12TB capacity, the My Book Desktop HDD will have more than enough space for any files you need to back up or store. It's no exaggeration to say that you could back up a whole family's worth of PCs, laptops, and other devices with this one hard drive.

We may be stretching the definition of portable as it's not quite pocket size, but you will be able to pop it in a bag to take with you to a remote office. However, it does require a plug socket to run, meaning that it's not suited for all environments, but for backup and storage, its capacity is unbeatable. 

Just like the 1TB version, the WD Elements Portable 4TB is a sleek and slim hard drive designed for working remotely with a laptop. If you're on location working with video footage, this is an excellent option for backing up your work.

It's not quite as light as the 1TB model, which is to be expected, and there are cheaper 4TB models if you're looking for home storage. But, if you need the capacity on the road, this is a fantastic choice for photography and filmography.

One of the biggest problems with modern game consoles is the lack of internal storage space as games get larger and larger in size. While replacing an internal hard drive is difficult, connecting up an external HDD via USB is quick and easy. 

The WD_BLACK is designed for use with Xbox and PlayStation and even comes with a month's membership of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It is a little pricy for what it is, with a lot of that extra cost being purely aesthetic, but it looks excellent when sitting next to a console!

For those who are fans of the Apple Mac aesthetic, the 1TB Mobile Hard Drive looks great when sitting next to a MacBook or MacBook Air and is both Windows and Mac ready. It comes with two years of rescue recovery services, a warranty, and a complimentary subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud All-Access Program.

Depending on how you use the subscription services, this may not represent the best value for money, considering it's only a 1TB drive. Aesthetically it's fantastic, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty, it's a little expensive for what it is

In a professional environment, SanDisk's G-DRIVE is one of the best portable hard drives around. It features an Enterprise-Class Ultrastar drive and an all-aluminium enclosure for stylish durability. Plus, it features USB power delivery to charge compatible laptops.

However, outside of a professional environment, the G-DRIVE represents a very serious investment. If you're happy to splash your cash on the best, you may want to consider this, but at this price point, you'd be better opting for an SSD.