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. On a newer MacBook, you'll probably need a USB-C adapter too. You also have to carry them with you, and they occupy one of the few USB ports your MacBook has. External hard drives don't stand up well to drops. Hard disk drives still use an arm-and-platter arrangement, which means they need time to 'spin up' and are prone to mechanical failure. While the physical size and price of external storage has shrunk over the years, these drives are still fragile and slow. Plus, most no longer require separate power supplies. These relatively cheap storage accessories offer high capacities and are much smaller than they once were. They're handy for backing up your Mac using Time Machine, but you can also partition your backup disk and use it as a regular drive too. You may already have an external hard drive. We'll show you both cheap and elaborate options for adding more storage to your MacBook. Fortunately, you don't need to buy a whole new computer to add more storage.Īpple hardware is built to last-there's a good chance your MacBook has many years left in it. You thought you could save some money on your MacBook by opting for a model with less storage, and now you're regretting that decision.
