In my experience, however, external drives requiring their own independent power source are falling out of favor. An example of such an option, sometimes called a desktop drive, is SanDisk’s G-DRIVE. How to select an external hard drive for macOS Time Machine backups Form factorĪmong the first questions to address is whether you need a full-size external hard drive that requires its own power source. Here’s how to select the best external hard drive for Time Machine backups.

I’ve found using a docking station, both at work and at home, solved those problems.īut just what external hard drive should you use to collect the Time Machine backups? While numerous options exist, some will work better than others depending upon your preferences. The only catches are you need a hard drive or two and must remember to physically connect an external drive to your Mac.

Time Machine is a tried-and-true macOS backup solution. But just what hard drives should you pair with macOS' integrated backup app? Here's how to select the best backup disk for your needs. Time Machine backups are a reliable option for backing up your Mac. The steps to test your external hard drive speed are as follows:Ī) Download and install the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test free app from App Store.How to select an external hard drive for macOS Time Machine backups The app is free to download and is easy-to-use. You can open App Store on your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, or Mac mini and search for the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test application. Know the Speed of Your Mac External Hard Drive Using App Using such an app can ascertain whether your external hard drive performance is up to the mark. App Store has a couple of applications that can help you test the speed of your external or internal hard drive on Mac. But you can use third-party software to perform the same task.

MacOS doesn’t have any native method to measure the speed of an external hard drive. If required, back up the drive or replace it with a new one. And, if the speed turns out to be slow or abysmal, act appropriately to fix the issue. In this blog, we’ll share a free software method that can help you perform the task efficiently on an external hard drive. Summary: Yes, you can check the read and write speed of your external hard drive on Mac.

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