Copying files to an external hard drive is a simple process that can be completed with just a few steps. First, you need to make sure that both the computer and the external hard drive are turned on and connected via USB or other compatible connection interface.
Step 1: Locate and open the folder where your files are stored on your computer. You can do this by opening File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
Step 2: Find the external hard drive in your list of drives. This can be found in the left sidebar of File Explorer or Finder. When using a USB connection, the external hard drive will usually appear as a “Removable Disk”.
Step 3: Open the external hard drive folder. This will be labeled something like “My Passport” or “WD MyBook”. It should look similar to the folders on your computer.
Step 4: Select the files you wish to copy to the external hard drive. This can be done by selecting files one-by-one or selecting multiple files at once. To select multiple files, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or Command key (Mac) while selecting the desired files.
Step 5: Copy your selected files. This can be done by right clicking the selected files and selecting “Copy” (Windows) or by pressing the Command + C keys (Mac).
Step 6: Navigate back to your external hard drive.
Step 7: Paste the copied files onto the external hard drive. This can be done by right clicking on the external hard drive folder and selecting “Paste” (Windows) or by pressing the Command + V keys (Mac).
Congratulations! Your files have now been successfully copied to your external hard drive. If you wish to keep your internal and external hard drives organized, you may want to create a new folder for the copied files within the external hard drive.
If you have more than 2000 files to copy, it’s important to note that you may need to repeat the steps above multiple times, as some external hard drives have a limit as to how many files they can hold. Additionally, larger files may take longer to copy and may require more time to complete the process.
Copying files to an external hard drive is a simple process that can save you time, space, and hassle when dealing with large amounts of data or when you need to free up space on your computer’s internal hard drive. With these few steps, you can easily copy files and folders to your external storage device.