The best hard drives for video editing will help you get through your workload more quickly and store masses of footage in one easy-to-access place. Below, we've hand-picked the best HDDs and SSDs to help you do just that.
So what's the difference? In simple terms, SSDs (Solid State Drives) are faster and can be made more portable – making them very attractive to video editors. The downside, however, is that they're more expensive.
HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) are an older technology that uses spinning disks to write and read data. But while they're not as advanced as SSDs, they're still reliable and reasonably fast. Plus HDDs can be combined to form a multi-drive RAID (redundant array of independent disks) array, to increase speeds. Be aware, though, that they often have noisy fans.
Our top picks
Best overall
Best overall
Want an extremely portable SSD? Here's our top pick, with fast transfer speeds of up to 1050MB/s, a USB-C connection with USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, and it's small enough to slip into your pocket. There's even fingerprint recognition for security.
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Best cheap
Best cheap
There are a lot of expensive external hard drives on this list. But if you're looking for something a little more affordable, we'd recommend the Toshiba Canvio Flex range, which runs from 1TB to 4TB: plentiful capacity for video editing.
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Best for travel
Best for travel
This tiny drive weighs just 45g, so is easy to pack up and take with you wherever you're going. Capacities go from 500GB to 2TB, and realistically it's only the upper ones that video editors are going to be concerned with.
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Fastest
Fastest
Utilizing a speedy Thunderbolt 3 connection, this portable SSD can transfer data at up to 2800MB/s, which is fast enough to multi-stream 4K and 8K footage at full frame rates without issue. You also get a five-year limited warranty.
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Best capacity
Best capacity
Looking for capacity above all else? WD's Elements Desktop offers from 8TB up to a whopping 18TB of capacity. This hard drive is formatted to NTFS, so it will work with Windows by default, but also works with Macs on reformatting.
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Most durable
Most durable
Encapsulated in LaCie’s iconic orange rubber protective barrier, the hard drive is protected from drops up to 1.2m and is IP67-rated for protection against the elements such as water and dust. It's even crush resistant up to 2205lbs.
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The best hard drives for video editing in 2024
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Best overall
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Measuring just 85 x 57 x 8mm and weighing only 58g, the Samsung T7 Touch solid state drive (SSD) is perfect for slipping in your bag when you’re going to be away from home or the office and you need some storage space for your images and videos. There are now faster drives available, but it can read data at up to 1,050MB/s and write at up to 1,000MB/s, making it suitable for temporary storage or use as a working drive.
The fingerprint recognition system has a negligible impact on the price of the T7 Touch in comparison with the T7, in fact, you may find the 500GB version is a little cheaper, and it could come in handy occasionally.
Read our full Samsung T7 Touch review for more details.
Best cheap drive
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
There are a lot of expensive drives on this list, but we know that not everyone working in video editing has a huge budget. If you're looking for something a little more affordable, then we'd definitely recommend the Toshiba Canvio Flex range, which runs from 1TB to 4TB – plentiful capacity for any video user.
In our review, we were reasonably impressed by the 150 MB/s transfer speeds we achieved with this hard disk drive. Okay, that's nothing on some of the SSDs on this list, but that's also why it's so much cheaper. Bear in mind though that these speeds will slow as the cache fills up, so it's not ideal if you plan to fill it with loads of data. For storing and backing up short clips, though, it's a solid choice.
Read our full Toshiba Canvio Flex review for more details
Best for travel
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
This tiny drive weighs just 45g, so is easy to pack up and take with you wherever you're going. If you like to edit video on the go, it, therefore, merits serious consideration. Capacities go from 500GB to 2TB, and realistically it's only the upper ones that video editors are going to be concerned with.
In our review of the LaCie Mobile SSD 2TB, we liked it a lot about the drive. It achieved impressive transfer speeds, and while 2TB is on the lower end of capacities in this guide, it still equates to about 65 hours of video – which almost anyone should agree is quite a bit. We did note that while the drive is compatible with Windows and Mac, everything from its styling to its bundled software seems to have been designed with a Mac user in mind, so do bear that in mind.
Read our full LaCie Mobile SSD 2TB review for more details
Fastest drive for video editing
4. SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE Pro SSD
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Need even faster speeds? Utilizing a speedy Thunderbolt 3 connection, this portable SSD can transfer data at up to 2800MB/s, which is fast enough to multi-stream 4K and 8K footage at full frame rates without issue. You also get a five-year limited warranty on these drives for added peace of mind.
It’s both Mac and Windows compatible (after a reformat for Windows) and while there’s no waterproofing, it can withstand a three-meter drop and is crush-proof at up to 1,000lbs, which is pretty darned rugged indeed.
The best drive for storage capacity
5. WD Elements Desktop
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Looking for capacity above all else? WD's Elements Desktop offers from 8TB up to a whopping 18TB of capacity. This hard drive is formatted to NTFS, so it will work with Windows by default, but also works with Macs on reformatting. Best in terms of cost-per-gigabyte, this hard drive represents excellent value. On the downside, this is a conventional hard drive rather than an SSD, so won't transfer video quite so quickly, and it doesn't offer to weatherproof.
Most durable
6. LaCie Rugged USB-C 4TB External Hard Drive
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Another traditional spinning disk hard drive, this storage device is built to withstand anything you can throw at it. Encapsulated in LaCie’s iconic orange rubber protective barrier, the hard drive is protected from drops up to 1.2m and is IP67-rated for protection against the elements such as water and dust. It's even crush resistant up to 2205lbs.
It’s fast enough to transfer 8K full frame video, but topping out at 130Mb/s it likely will struggle with any kind of multi-streaming without dropping in resolution or bit depth. This drive is best used as a storage device for single camera shoots or for backing up video data on-the-fly.
Most versatile
7. LaCie 2big Dock Thunderbolt 3
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Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
For users that require fast backups and quick video transfer speeds – whether straight from the camera or from a standalone memory card – this hefty device has you covered. Three Thunderbolt 2 connectors are complemented by a USB 3.1, USB 3.0, SD, and CF card ports. It also offers a DisplayPort connection for more versatility, too.
This is certainly a device destined for a desktop, as it’s large and heavy. But a huge capacity range and fast transfer speeds of up to 440MB/s make it one of the most flexible systems on this list. Just steer clear of dust and water, as that stylish metal housing isn't weatherproof.
Best for desktop
8. SanDisk Professional G-RAID 2 8TB 2-Bay RAID Array
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Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
This dual-drive hard drive is ideal for home or in-studio use since it’s rather large and has no weatherproofing to protect it from the elements outdoors. It’s both RAID 0, RAID 1, and JBOD compatible which makes it effortlessly flexible to a range of users whether the priority is fast transfer, important instant backups, or extra storage space.
Daisy-chain up to five additional devices using the onboard connections and connect up monitors using the in-built HDMI port. A fast transfer speed of 500MB/s (limited to 360MB/s in the 8TB model) can handle multi-stream 8K videos. There’s also a huge 8TB to 36TB capacity range to choose from, though things do get predictably pricey as you move higher up that storage scale.
Best for big projects
9. SanDisk Professional G-RAID Shuttle 4 48TB 4-Bay Thunderbolt 3 RAID Array (4 x 12TB)
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
Destined for heavy workloads and professionals, this storage device doesn’t come cheap. However, it does boast some very impressive specs and performance stats. Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports allow daisy chaining of up to five additional devices, while up to 85W of charging power is delivered via the USB-C connection for compatible MacBook or MacBook Pro devices.
Sustained maximum read/write speeds of up to 1000MB/s and 1100MB/s respectively mean it’ll handle almost anything you throw at it. Though its 7,200 RPM hard disk drives aren’t technically the fastest you can get, all four are removable for a quick workflow switch-up. It comes set to RAID 5 as default but it’s also reconfigurable to RAID 0, 1, and 10 for maximum flexibility.
FAQs
Should I get a single large drive or multiple smaller drives?
The choice between a single large drive or multiple smaller ones for video editing depends on your budget, workflow, and how comfortable you are with potential data loss.
A single large drive offers a lower overall cost per gigabyte and a simpler setup. However, if the drive fails, you risk losing all your data at once.
Multiple smaller drives provide more redundancy. If one drive fails, you might only lose the data on that specific drive. This approach also offers more flexibility to add storage as your needs grow. The downside is a higher initial cost and the need to manage multiple drives within your workflow.
For beginners, a single large drive might be a good starting point. As your needs evolve and your data becomes more critical, you can consider adding multiple drives for a more robust storage solution.
Which type of hard drive is better for video editing, SSD or HDD?
When considering SSD vs HDD for video editing, the main question revolves around their performance and cost. Solid State Drives (SSDs) offer significant advantages such as faster speeds, enhancing editing processes like scrubbing through footage and loading previews. They are also more durable due to lacking moving parts, thus less prone to damage from impacts. However, SSDs tend to be more expensive on a per-gigabyte basis.
On the other hand, Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) are slower, potentially causing lags and stutters during editing, especially with high-resolution footage. They are also less durable, being more susceptible to physical damage. Nonetheless, HDDs are more affordable, making them suitable for large storage needs.
In the context of video editing, SSDs are generally recommended for their performance benefits. However, HDDs can serve as a cost-effective secondary option, particularly for archiving finished projects.
What's the difference between USB versions (eg, USB 3.0 vs 3.2)?
Different USB versions offer different maximum transfer speeds. USB 2.0 is the slowest option (around 60 MB/s), and not recommended for video editing. USB 3.0 (also called USB 3.1 Gen 1) is more common, and offers good speeds (up to 500 MB/s) that are suitable for video editing. The latest standard is USB 3.2 Gen 2, which is even faster (up to 1000 MB/s); ideal for high-performance editing.
How to choose the best hard drive for video editing
Picking out the best hard drives for video editors is a different matter from picking out the best hard drives for anyone else, or even the best hard drives for photographers. The speed and storage needs of those working in the video are much greater than most other creative disciplines, simply because the video is so data-intensive.
Below, we've listed the main criteria we looked at when selecting our favorite hard drives for video editing. If you're relatively new to hard drive shopping, this is a good primer on the key features you should be looking out for.
Capacity: The headline feature of any hard drive is its capacity – the amount of data it's capable of storing. Most average consumer hard drives these days sit somewhere between 500GB and 4TB, though you can get ones with a lot less or a lot more storage if you prefer.
Video files are big, so a video editor will want a hard drive with as much storage as possible. Of course, bigger hard drives are pricier, so it's a matter of getting as much storage as you can for your buck. In general, though, we'd recommend video editors get a minimum of 1TB. Anything less than that will simply fill up too fast to be useful.
Speed: Hard drive write and read speeds refer to how quickly data can be transferred on and off the drive. Ideally, you want to get speeds as snappy as possible – not just so you don't have to spend half your life in front of the computer waiting for files to copy across (though that is a factor), but also so that you can play and edit your files directly off the drive without any stuttering.
An SSD is the faster drive type, though these come at a cost premium compared to HDDs. Another solution is a RAID array, which is essentially a rig that spreads data across multiple hard drives, improving capacity and performance and adding a layer of redundancy in case of drive failure. It's big, and once again expensive.
Interface: As well as the drive's own read speed, the interface it uses to connect to the computer will affect how fast you can access the data. Different drives will offer different connections – USB-C and USB 3 are good, but Thunderbolt is better, and having a drive/computer combination with Thunderbolt 3 or 4 compatibility will see a marked improvement in transfer speeds.
Portability and toughness: There are all sorts of reasons you may want to transfer your data from place to place on a drive – to edit on the go, to bring it to a client, or to create an offline, off-site copy, for example. As such, you may want to think about how easy a drive is to carry around. Again, solid-state drives have the edge here, as they can be built smaller.
Also, some drives are equipped with layers of physical protection against impacts, heat, water, and other nasty things that can damage them. If you're buying a drive for data protection or backup purposes, this could be worth thinking about for the sake of peace of mind.
How we test the best hard drive for video editing
Our testing involves simulating real-world editing tasks. We transfer large video files and measure read/write speeds. We use benchmarking software to gague throughput, then perform edits with high-resolution footage, scrubbing through timelines and monitoring for lag or stuttering. This exposes any bottlenecks that could slow down editors. Finally, we assess sustained performance over time, copying large files repeatedly to identify potential overheating or slowdowns under heavy use.
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7. LaCie 2big 2-Bay 8TB
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
LaCie's two-drive variant of its Big RAID solution isn't the cheapest for its capacity, but it is packed with high-end features. Available in 4TB, 8TB, 16TB, and 28TB capacities, we recon the 8TB option is the best value, as prices rise sharply for the larger models.
For your money, you get a pair of enterprise-class Seagate IronWolf Pro 7200RPM hard drives that deliver both reliability and speed, with an up-to-date USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C connection ensuring the drive speed won't be bottlenecked. The drives can be configured in a RAID 0 array where they team up to give you max file transfer speed, or as a RAID 1 array for auto file duplication in case, one drive should fail.
If you need even more storage capacity and protection against drive failure, LaCie also offers 6big and 12big versions of the Big, containing six and twelve individual hard drives respectively. That's enough for up to 168TB of total capacity, in a drive case that looks more like a filing cabinet!
7. LaCie 2big 2-Bay 8TB
Specifications
Reasons to buy
Reasons to avoid
LaCie's two-drive variant of its Big RAID solution isn't the cheapest for its capacity, but it is packed with high-end features. Available in 4TB, 8TB, 16TB, and 28TB capacities, we recon the 8TB option is the best value, as prices rise sharply for the larger models.
For your money, you get a pair of enterprise-class Seagate IronWolf Pro 7200RPM hard drives that deliver both reliability and speed, with an up-to-date USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C connection ensuring the drive speed won't be bottlenecked. The drives can be configured in a RAID 0 array where they team up to give you max file transfer speed, or as a RAID 1 array for auto file duplication in case, one drive should fail.
If you need even more storage capacity and protection against drive failure, LaCie also offers 6big and 12big versions of the Big, containing six and twelve individual hard drives respectively. That's enough for up to 168TB of total capacity, in a drive case that looks more like a filing cabinet!