External HD recommendations for new M1 MacBookpro: This is my first mac. I purchased an external hard drive that said it was set up for Mac. When I installed it it recognized it but...

indemand77 Loc: Fridley, MN

This is my first mac. I purchased an external hard drive that said it was set up for Mac. When I installed it it recognized it but when I tried to drop files into it it would not allow me to. I found out that the m1 is particular on what kind of drives will work with it. Have any of you had experience with this and if so what successes have you had in adding an external hard drive. Thank you.

morkie Loc: Simi Valley CA

indemand77 wrote:

This is my first mac. I purchased an external hard drive that said it was set up for Mac. When I installed it it recognized it but when I tried to drop files into it it would not allow me to. I found out that the m1 is particular on what kind of drives will work with it. Have any of you had experience with this and if so what successes have you had in adding an external hard drive. Thank you.

You might try reformatting the drive. Use Disk Utilities and Erase tab. Suggest you google ‘how to’ if this is first Mac. New macs require a specific file type format.

Bfree2 Loc: Grants Pass, Or

LeCie

Labtrainer

If you purchased this from a store they usually have tech support. I am using a nmve card in a enclosure. You can use any memory side card. I did a format on my windows PC and had no problems moving files back and forth. I did get the app commander one pro which gives you better control than finder. With this setup my transfer speeds approach 1gbs. I can easily move photos back and forth. I use this setup to backup when I travel.

Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

I have 5 older external drives that I have used with my new M1. They have all worked. Although sometimes it takes a few disconnect and reconnect attempts for them to show up. But one thing that I have noticed is that working with an external spinner drive instead of SSD really slows down the M1.

Also, I should note that I bought a Mac Mini instead of a MacBook so that I would get the older USB A port in addition to the USB C. I am connecting these older drives to the USB A port. There can be compatibility issues with USB C adapters on the M1 chip machines.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Make your drive work with the M1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FImJJUFvuWw

Buy a different drive.
https://www.techietech.tech/best-external-hard-drive-for-m1-macbook-pro-and-air/
https://dotesports.com/hardware/news/best-macbook-m1-pro-and-macbook-pro-m1-max-external-hard-drives
https://www.apple.com/shop/mac/accessories/storage?fh=3783%2B8a4b3a
https://progameguides.com/hardware/best-m1-pro-and-m1-max-external-hard-drives/

An alternative would be to use an M.2 drive in an enclosure.

jsimp3 Loc: Tennessee

I’ve been using the Lacie Rugged drives for years and now on a M1 chip MacBook Pro with no issues. You will have to properly format before using. Also whichever drive you choose make sure it has the USB-C connection. The M1 chip Macs doesn’t work well with adapters.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

G-Tech pick the size you'd like.
--Bob

indemand77 wrote:

This is my first mac. I purchased an external hard drive that said it was set up for Mac. When I installed it it recognized it but when I tried to drop files into it it would not allow me to. I found out that the m1 is particular on what kind of drives will work with it. Have any of you had experience with this and if so what successes have you had in adding an external hard drive. Thank you.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Speaking of drives, I'd like to see a durability test between a good drive, like the G-Tech, and the cheapest drive available. I don't mean throwing it across the room - just using it for writing and reading. My external drives don't go anywhere. They just sit in boxes here and there.

bweber Loc: Newton, MA

Some reformatted external drives are formatted in as EXFAT when you purchase them. This format will connect to most MSDOS computers and apple computers. It cannot be read by Time Machine and some apple computers. You should reformat the drive as APFS. It will connect to your computer and if it appears on your desktop it will be backed up by Time Machine. You can reformat the drive by going to Utilities under the "Go menu" and then The Disk Utilities App. Identify the disk and then go to erase disk. It will ask you to name the disk and there will be a drop down menu for you to select the format type. Select APFS and start the process. I would go back the the place you purchased the disk and ask for help if the disk will not even appear on your desk top.

ChristianHJensen

I am very happy with these

https://www.costco.com/sandisk-nvme-4tb-extreme-portable-ssd.product.100793882.html @ $400
or
https://www.costco.com/sandisk-nvme-2tb-extreme-portable-ssd.product.100705384.html @ $200

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

indemand77 wrote:

This is my first mac. I purchased an external hard drive that said it was set up for Mac. When I installed it it recognized it but when I tried to drop files into it it would not allow me to. I found out that the m1 is particular on what kind of drives will work with it. Have any of you had experience with this and if so what successes have you had in adding an external hard drive. Thank you.

Just fire up Apple Disk Utility (find it in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder). Format the drive either as APFS (for INTERNAL SSD drives) or as HFS+, better known as MacOS Extended (Journaled), for removable drives.

DO NOT USE EXFAT unless you are using a thumb drive or SDXC card. Macs can READ Windows NTFS drives, but cannot write to them. Windows cannot see MacOS Extended or APFS drives.

https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/80813-picking-the-right-drive-format/

indemand77 Loc: Fridley, MN

Thanks to all for the great support and info. I believe I should be able to make an informed decision with what you have provided. 🤟👍😎🙏☮️📷

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

indemand77 wrote:

This is my first mac. I purchased an external hard drive that said it was set up for Mac. When I installed it it recognized it but when I tried to drop files into it it would not allow me to. I found out that the m1 is particular on what kind of drives will work with it. Have any of you had experience with this and if so what successes have you had in adding an external hard drive. Thank you.

Avoid any drive with less than a 5 yr warranty, regardless of mfgr. Even if it means you buy a bare drive and an enclosure and take the 90 seconds required to install the drive in the case. The cheaper slower drives will disappoint when you least expect it.