Ensure no data transfer is in progress before you pull it. On an iPhone or iPad: There is no eject option. On an Android device: You can open and expand the USB notification to find an Eject option. On a Chromebook: Open Files and right-click on your drive, then select Eject device. On a Mac: You will see an eject icon listed next to the drive name in Finder, or you can simply drag the flash drive image on your desktop to the trash. Expand Disk Drives and right-click on your USB flash drive, choose Properties, Policies, and set to Quick Removal. If you prefer not to have to eject, type Device Manager into the search bar and click to open. On a Windows computer: You can click the Safely Remove Hardware notification icon in the taskbar and choose the Eject option. But there’s a genuine risk your data will be corrupted, so here's how to do it properly: You're probably familiar with warnings about removing a drive without ejecting it first. On a Chromebook: Open Files and right-click on your drive to choose Format device. Select your drive from the list and click Erase at the top. On a Mac: Type Disk Utility into the Search, or find it via Applications > Utilities. On a Windows computer: Open File Explorer and look for your drive under This PC. If you format a flash drive, it will completely wipe everything stored on it. Almost every device will recognize the FAT32 format, but it limits the individual file size to 4 GB. You'll usually be asked what format you want to use. It's a good idea to format your drive before you start using it. It also comes in 16- or 32-gigabyte options. There is a cover for the USB-A and a wee strap you can attach, but this drive is almost too small, and it proved awkward to insert and remove. Verbatim Dual (64GB) for $21: This teeny drive is cheap and has both USB-A and USB-C plugs, but I found write speeds were variable (60 MB/s for USB-C and 90 MB/s for USB-A) and read speeds were around 150 MB/s for both. But Samsung’s drive is also substantially bigger and more expensive, though it does have a handy loop for a keychain. Samsung FIT Plus (256 GB) for $33: It is better-looking than our best tiny drive pick, with a metallic body and performance to match (up to 400 MB/s read for 128-GB or 256-GB drives). On the downside, it is expensive, the keypad is fiddly, and 10 wrong entries wipes the drive. Kingston IronKey Keypad 200 (8GB) for $75: If you need a secure drive, Kingston’s IronKey boasts FIPS 140-3 certification, XTS-AES 256-bit encryption, and a special epoxy on its circuitry to make it impossible to remove components. Here are a few that might be worth considering for some folks. We have tested many other USB flash drives that did not make the cut. SanDisk offers a two-year limited warranty on these drives.Ĭonnector: USB Type-C 3.1 and Apple Lightning It sports a Lightning port on one end and a USB-A plug on the other. Don't have a USB-C port on your laptop? Then the very similar iXpand Go ($40) is the way to go. Handily, you can configure the app to automatically back up photos when you insert the drive. Backing up photos from my wife’s iPhone took a couple of hours the first time. It works well, but it’s not the fastest drive (90 MB/s read, 35 MB/s write). If you want to use this drive with an iPhone or iPad, you must install the iXpand app (not required for Android devices). Storage options top out at 256 gigabytes. This design means that one plug is always exposed, and while SanDisk includes a separate plastic cover that slots on, I fear I'll inevitably lose it. It has a metal casing with a loop for a keychain, and it is very slim. It has a Lightning plug for iPhones and iPads at one end and flips to reveal a USB-C plug at the other, so you can transfer files to or from Android devices and laptops. If you want a flash drive to back up and copy photos and other files from your smartphone, I like the iXpand Luxe. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. com and our print magazine (if you'd like). Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). Updated June 2023: We added drives from PNY and Kingston, and updated prices throughout. And don't forget to back up your digital life. If you need more than 1 terabyte of storage, check out our guide to the Best Portable Storage Drives. They are affordable, small enough to fit on a keychain, and boast ever-increasing capacities and data transfer speeds.Īfter testing many, we've found these to be the best USB flash drives for various purposes and budgets. Also known as thumb drives or memory sticks, flash drives provide storage to back up precious photos, play movies on the big screen, or copy files from one phone or laptop to another. Once ubiquitous, USB flash drives have declined in popularity with the advent of the cloud, but these portable devices have a lot to offer.
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