Tusk is a Mac app that automatically backs up your project folders to multiple locations and tracks where every file lives — even when your drives aren't connected.
The right external drive for Mac backup depends on what you're backing up and how fast you need it back. A photographer archiving finished weddings has different needs than a video editor offloading 500GB of ProRes after every shoot.
Storage prices jumped sharply since 2024, driven by NAND and hard-drive supply constraints. A 2TB portable SSD that sold for around $100 in 2023 now commonly runs $140-210. Prices have stayed elevated through 2026, so plan your capacity around what drives cost today rather than waiting for a drop.
TL;DR: For most Mac creatives: Samsung T7 Shield 2TB (~$140-210) for portable backup and SD card offloads. Seagate Expansion Desktop 8-16TB (~$140-220) for cheap archive per TB. OWC Envoy Pro FX if you need Thunderbolt speeds for 4K editing. Format as APFS for Mac-only workflows, exFAT if you share with Windows.
SSD vs HDD: Which Do You Need?
Portable SSDs (NVMe inside a USB enclosure) are the default for working drives and backup destinations you plug in regularly. Speeds of 1,000-2,000 MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2. Silent, compact, no moving parts. Price per TB is higher.
Desktop HDDs (3.5" drives in a powered enclosure) are the default for archive. Speeds of 150-250 MB/s. Much cheaper per TB. Larger capacities (8TB, 12TB, 16TB, 20TB). Need external power, not bus-powered.
Portable HDDs (2.5" bus-powered) sit in between. Fine for occasional backups, too slow for active video editing. A 2TB portable HDD at $70 is a budget option, not a working drive.
For the 3-2-1 backup workflow: fast SSD for daily backup destinations, large HDD for archive and offsite rotation.
Best Portable SSDs for Mac Backup (2026)
Samsung T7 Shield 2TB
Price: ~$140-210 (street price varies; often near $140 on sale)
Speed: 1,050 MB/s read, 1,000 MB/s write (USB 3.2 Gen 2)
Why it wins: IP65 dust and water resistance, hardware AES encryption, compact, works with Mac, iPhone 15+, and Android. The most recommended portable SSD for photographers who toss drives in a bag. Samsung's sustained write speeds hold up better than some competitors under heavy loads.
Best for: SD card offloads, daily backup destination, travel shoots.
Samsung T9 2TB
Price: ~$189-235
Speed: 2,000 MB/s (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, requires 20 Gbps port)
Why consider it: Twice the speed of T7 Shield, but only if your Mac has a 20 Gbps USB-C port (2021+ MacBook Pro, Mac Studio). On older USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (10 Gbps), you won't see the full speed. Save $50 and buy T7 Shield unless your machine supports Gen 2x2.
Best for: 4K editing directly from the drive on a current MacBook Pro.
Crucial X10 Pro 2TB
Price: ~$149-250
Speed: 2,100 MB/s rated (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2)
Why consider it: Often the best $/TB among fast SSDs. Good sustained write performance for large video files. IP55 rating (less rugged than T7 Shield's IP65).
Best for: Video editors who want speed without paying Samsung's premium.
SanDisk Extreme Portable V2 2TB
Price: ~$129-195
Speed: 1,050 MB/s (USB 3.2 Gen 2)
Why consider it: IP55 dust and water resistance, carabiner loop, competitive price. Some users report lower sustained write speeds than the T7 Shield under extended heavy writes. Fine for photo workflows; test with your specific video codec before trusting it for all-day 4K offloads.
Best for: Photographers and lighter video workloads.
LaCie Rugged SSD 2TB
Price: ~$200-280
Speed: 1,050 MB/s (USB 3.2 Gen 2)
Why consider it: Ships pre-formatted for Mac, includes Rescue Data Recovery Services (one attempt). The orange rubber bumper is iconic. Heavier than T7 Shield.
Best for: Mac users who want plug-and-play formatting and recovery insurance.
Best Desktop HDDs for Mac Archive (2026)
Seagate Expansion Desktop 16TB
Price: ~$220-280
Speed: ~160-200 MB/s (USB 3.0)
Why it wins: Among the cheapest $/TB for archive storage. 16TB in a single powered enclosure. Not fast, not rugged, but the math works for footage you access monthly, not daily.
Best for: Long-term project archive, second copy in a 3-2-1 setup.
WD Elements Desktop 12TB
Price: ~$180-230
Speed: ~150-180 MB/s
Why consider it: Similar value to Seagate Expansion. WD's drive reliability stats are publicly tracked via Backblaze's drive stats reports.
Best for: Budget archive alongside a faster SSD for active work.
OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 (empty enclosure)
Price: ~$400+ (drives extra)
Speed: Depends on drives installed; Thunderbolt 3 up to 2,800 MB/s with NVMe
Why consider it: Mac-native Thunderbolt RAID enclosure. Fill with HDDs for archive or SSDs for speed. OWC is a Mac-focused brand with good support.
Best for: Mac Studio or MacBook Pro users who want a Thunderbolt RAID on the desk.
Formatting for Mac Backup
APFS if the drive is Mac-only. Best performance, supports Time Machine, native to macOS.
exFAT if you share the drive with Windows or cameras. Works everywhere, no journaling advantages.
Mac OS Extended (HFS+) is legacy. Use APFS on macOS High Sierra and later unless you have a specific reason not to.
Format via Disk Utility before loading data. A drive formatted for Windows (NTFS) is read-only on Mac without third-party drivers.
How Many Drives Do You Actually Need?
At minimum, two external drives per active project: one working copy, one backup. For a full creative setup, most photographers and video editors end up with:
- 1-2 fast portable SSDs (daily offload and backup)
- 1-2 large desktop HDDs (archive)
- 1 cloud destination (B2, Backblaze Personal, or iDrive)
The storage calculator guide helps estimate capacity based on your shoot volume.
Label every drive. Seriously. "Archive_2024", "Backup_A", "Client_Wedding_June". Future you will not remember.
Drives and Backup Software
A drive is only as good as the backup workflow behind it. Copying folders manually works until you forget. For automatic verified backup across multiple drives, see the photographer and filmmaker workflow guides.
Tusk tracks files across all your drives (including ones in a drawer) and verifies every transfer with BLAKE3 checksums. The drive gets the bits. The software tells you whether those bits are actually safe.
FAQ
The Samsung T7 Shield 2TB is the best all-around pick for most Mac creatives. It offers 1,050 MB/s speeds, IP65 ruggedness, hardware encryption, and broad device compatibility at roughly $140-210 depending on sales. For faster transfers on a Mac with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps), the Samsung T9 or Crucial X10 Pro at ~2,000 MB/s are worth the premium. For pure archive where speed doesn't matter, a desktop HDD like the Seagate Expansion 16TB gives you far more capacity per dollar.
APFS if the drive is Mac-only. It gives you native macOS performance, supports Time Machine, and handles the file system features macOS expects. exFAT if you need to plug the drive into Windows machines, cameras, or other devices. exFAT works everywhere but lacks journaling and Mac-specific optimizations. For backup drives that stay on your desk and only connect to your Mac, APFS is the better choice.
A single day of 4K ProRes shooting can generate 200-500GB. A year of active freelance work often lands at 10-30TB of raw footage plus project files. Start with at least 2TB of fast SSD for daily offloads and 8-16TB of HDD for archive. The [storage calculator](/blog/how-much-backup-storage-do-i-need) walks through the math based on your resolution, codec, and shoot frequency.
Modern NVMe-based portable SSDs from Samsung, Crucial, SanDisk, and WD are reliable for backup when paired with a proper workflow. No single drive is immune to failure. That's why the 3-2-1 rule exists: two separate drives, not one drive you pray about. SSDs have no moving parts, which helps with drops and travel. Desktop HDDs are equally reliable for archive but more vulnerable to physical shock. Always maintain at least two copies of irreplaceable data.
You can partition a drive: one APFS partition for Time Machine, another for project files. But splitting a 2TB drive means less space for each purpose. Most creatives use separate drives: one for Time Machine (internal Mac backup) and dedicated SSDs/HDDs for project files and footage. Time Machine doesn't back up external drives by default, so your project backup workflow needs its own tool regardless.