You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.
I have a new iMac 24 with the four ports on the back. I am a new Apple user as well.
I am looking for a recommendation on an external hard drive plus any adaptors required in order to transfer data from Onedrive to Icloud. Not worried about speed of transfer. Just want to be able to hook up an external hard with the correct adaptors. I have a hard time equating the terms Thunderbird, USB-C, USB 3.0 and USB 4.0 with the external drive specs.
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro is an excellent solution, it uses a USB 3 connection. You will need an adapter like a https://www.amazon.com/Syntech-Adapter-Compatible-MacBook-Thunderbolt/dp/B09H2TJCQG/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=GX6K6Z8WI200&keywords=usb+3+to+usb+c+adapter&qid=1650637548&sprefix=usb+3+to+usb+c+adapte%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A2I5JJEQDH98QL&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExQVk5MUVBT1AyNlhKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDAxMzExMVJFOUpRVTdXQ1ExRCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDA1MDM3MktNWVJSMFBSQ0RBVSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= which you can find on Amazon for about $10.00 for it to work.
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro is an excellent solution, it uses a USB 3 connection. You will need an adapter like a https://www.amazon.com/Syntech-Adapter-Compatible-MacBook-Thunderbolt/dp/B09H2TJCQG/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=GX6K6Z8WI200&keywords=usb+3+to+usb+c+adapter&qid=1650637548&sprefix=usb+3+to+usb+c+adapte%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A2I5JJEQDH98QL&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExQVk5MUVBT1AyNlhKJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDAxMzExMVJFOUpRVTdXQ1ExRCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDA1MDM3MktNWVJSMFBSQ0RBVSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= which you can find on Amazon for about $10.00 for it to work.
Simply put, there are many fine external drives available out there. Here are some thoughts which may be useful. Most will be connected via a USB cable which is often provided by the drive's vendor. The drive may need to be reformatted to match the computer's HD. If it comes with its own 'maintenance' software, do not use it. It is unnecessary and is likely to cause problems. I would simply put it into the Trash and empty it. When using a drive for backups it is a good idea to have one that is at least twice the size of your computer's HD. Your access to iCloud is provided via the internet which is connected via an Ethernet cable connected to the modem. The thing about USB is that your cable needs to have the proper connecters on each end to be able to connect to the external drive and to the computer. This should not be a problem in your case.
+1
You can also get a dock which will let you use pretty much *any* drive out there.
Keith makes a good point. I would add that I would only recommend a self powered dock. Otherwise, sometimes some externals will not work which are connected to it.
The Toshibas https://storage.toshiba.com/consumer-hdd are excellent value for money. No adapters/enclosures/over-the-top specs, they just work. Back by a 3 year warranty, can recommend.
I like this one:
https://www.owcdigital.com/products/thunderbolt-3-dock-14-port
Thank you
Imac 24 and External hard Drive
