Best USB Drives for Backup

A USB flash drive is a convenient way to carry a backup of important files, but a slow drive turns a backup into an all-day job. Speed matters as much as capacity.

Speed is the hidden factor

A USB 2.0 drive writes at a crawl, making large backups painfully slow. For backups, look for a USB 3.2 drive with a write speed of at least 60 MB/s, or a backup that takes minutes becomes one that takes hours.

What to look for

• USB 3.2 or newer interface
• A stated write speed, not just capacity
• Enough capacity for the files you're backing up

Backup best practice

A flash drive is a good second copy for important documents, but it's not ideal as a primary backup because flash drives are easy to lose and can wear out. Treat it as one copy of several.

Buy a fast USB 3.2 drive for portable backups of essential files. For larger or more important backups, pair it with an external drive and a cloud copy.