Best External Storage Options for MacBook Air (for Videos & Photos) ?

trarob on 13/11/2025 - 22:38
Last edited 14/11/2025 - 17:43 by 1 other user

Hey OzBargainers, I’m looking to get some extra storage for my MacBook Air to store videos and photos. My internal drive is filling up fast, so I’m considering getting an external hard drive or SSD but I’m not sure what’s best for Mac users these days.

Would you recommend going for an SSD or HDD? I mainly need it for storing and transferring videos and photos, but I might also edit off it occasionally. Ideally something reliable, compact, and not too expensive.

Any suggestions or brands you’ve had good experiences with (SanDisk, Samsung, WD, etc.)? Also, are there any formatting or compatibility issues I should watch out for on macOS?

Thanks in advance!

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  AustriaBargain on 14/11/2025 - 07:23

  +1

  Definitely SSD. They are so cheap now. iirc MacBook Air has Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, so you'll want external storage/enclosure with that ideally.

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  JamesTC on 14/11/2025 - 07:54

  Most common external disk brands/models are interchangeable between Mac/Windows/Linux etc.
  Anything that says “works with Mac” is just marketing so don’t overpay for a disk just because it has that label. The spec that is important is the connection/cable type. Just need to make sure it is compatible with your Mac model.
  Once the disk is connected to the Mac it can be formatted to the your preferred compatible format. For modern Macs with external SSD, use APFS format.

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  bargaino on 14/11/2025 - 11:47

  +1

  It sounds like you have multiple needs. Consider 2 or solutions:

  • a smaller portable SSD, that you can travel with.

  • a home "NAS" that connects automatically whenever you are on the home wifi, and will be used by Macos Time Machine for continuous backups.
    Magnetics hard drives are much cheaper for the same capacity, more reliable for archival storage.

  The NAS can be just a $90- refurb mini-PC with a few TB HDD added. Tons of space for backups and media archives. Easy to set up by following a few instructions, esp with AI guide.

  • 

    nuchalis on 14/11/2025 - 15:13

    $90- refurb mini-PC

    Do you have a link to this?

    I'm completely unfamiliar with mini-PCs, but I like the idea of this…

    • 

      bargaino on 14/11/2025 - 15:49

      +1

      Something like an Optiplex 7040 micro. Or Lenovo m700. HP also do them. Ex-lease gov't or corporate
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/7040%20micro

      But prices seem to have gone up, not many around.
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/930461

      Anything from 8th gen on will sell for more, as can do windows 11. But you don't need that
      16GB ram is nice for a NAS though. And will let you do more like virtual machines if so inclined.

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  TrdiK89 on 14/11/2025 - 15:53

  your own dock so you can dock 2 or more drives with usb-c or thunderbolt option