The Ultimate Best External Hard Drive for Video Editing Guide

If you deal with huge image file libraries or audio or video creation, you must choose your external hard drive carefully.

The best external hard drive for video editing can allow you to complete your tasks faster and store large amounts of footage in one convenient place. 

Below, we've hand-picked the top external drives for video editing to help you achieve that. 

Best external hard drive for PC video editing

A Quick Overview

Best External Hard Drive for Video Editing

What is the best external hard drive for editing video you should choose? Read our detailed reviews below for more information:

SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD

The SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD is the best overall external hard drive for video editing, combining speed, durability, and portability.

SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD

It is lightweight and portable, with storage capacities ranging from 250 GB to 4 TB (depending on the model). It also features lightning-fast transfer speeds of up to 1050 MB/s and USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 connectivity.

Compact yet powerful, the Extreme Pro SSD is an excellent choice for professionals seeking top-tier performance in video editing workflows.

► Read more: Best graphics card for video editing

Samsung T7 Touch

The Samsung T7 Touch solid-state drive (SSD) measures approximately 85 x 57 x 8mm and weighs only 58g. 

Therefore, it is ideal for putting into your bag when you're heading away from home or the workplace and need some storage space for your videos and images.

Samsung T7 Touch

Although quicker drives are now available, this one can read data at up to 1,050MB/s and write at up to 1,000MB/s, making it appropriate for temporary storage or usage as a working drive.

Toshiba Canvio Flex

We highly recommend the Toshiba Canvio Flex if you are looking for the best external hard drive for video editing but on a tight budget. It runs from 1TB to 4TB, which is plentiful capacity for any video user.

Toshiba Canvio Flex

In addition, its sleek, portable design makes it a great choice for creators looking to balance cost and functionality without compromising quality.

LaCie Rugged 5TB

The LaCie Rugged 5TB is the best external drive for video editing on laptops. It combines durability with high-capacity storage. 

LaCie Rugged 5TB

Designed for portability, it features fast USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 connections, making it perfect for handling large 4K video files. 

Its rugged, shock-resistant casing protects your data during travel while ensuring seamless performance for laptop-based video editing workflows.

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE Pro SSD

Do you require even faster speeds? This portable SSD can transfer data at up to 2800 MB/s using a rapid Thunderbolt 3 connection. It is quick enough to multi-stream 4K and 8K footage at full frame rates without interruption. 

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE Pro SSD

The SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE Pro SSD also comes with a five-year limited guarantee, providing further peace of mind.

Notably, it is both Mac and Windows compatible, and while there is no waterproofing, it can endure a three-meter drop and is crush-proof at up to 1,000lbs.

LaCie 2big Dock Thunderbolt 3

This weighty device is ideal for those who demand quick backups and video transfer speeds, whether directly from the camera or from a single memory card. 

LaCie 2big Dock Thunderbolt 3

It has a large capacity range and transfer speeds of up to 550MB/s, making it one of the most adaptable systems on our list.

In addition to dual Thunderbolt 4 connectors, there is a USB 3.2 Type-A port, CFexpress Type B, CFast 2.0, and an SD card slot. It also has a DisplayPort connector for more versatility.

WD Elements Desktop

WD's Elements Desktop storage capacity ranges from 4TB to a staggering 22TB. This hard drive is formatted to NTFS, meaning it works with Windows by default but can also operate with Macs after reformatting.

So, if you are looking for the best external hard drive for video editing Mac, consider this one.

WD Elements Desktop

Nevertheless, because this is a traditional hard drive rather than an SSD, it cannot transfer video as rapidly, and as a desktop hard drive, it will require its independent power source from a wall outlet.

► Read more: Best MacBook for video editing

How to Select the Best External Hard Drive for Video Editing?

Before deciding on what is the best external hard drive for video editing, you should consider the following factors:

Type of hard drive

One important factor to consider is whether to choose an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Look at this table for the pros and cons of each type:

Consider the hard drive types

Capacity

Most regular consumer hard drives these days range from 500GB to 4TB. Video files are large; thus, a video editor will need a hard disk with enough capacity. 

Of course, larger hard drives are more expensive, so it's all about obtaining the most capacity for your money. Generally, you should go with 1TB. Anything less will simply fill up too quickly to be practical.

USB versions

Different USB models have varying maximum transfer speeds. USB 2.0 is the slowest option (about 60 MB/s) and is not suitable for video editing. 

Meanwhile, USB 3.0 (also known as USB 3.1 Gen 1) is increasingly prevalent and provides high speeds (up to 500 MB/s) appropriate for video editing. 

The latest standard is USB 3.2 Gen 2, which is significantly faster (up to 1000 MB/s) and perfect for high-performance editing. 

Things to consider when choosing external drives for video editing

Security

Security features such as password protection and fingerprint recognition can keep your valuable data safe if your drive falls into the wrong hands. 

In fact, several portable hard drives and SSDs have been built to withstand drops and impacts and are water resistant.