4 Best USB Drives for Backup & Create Auto Backup to USB

Are USB Flash Drives Good for Backup?

USB flash drives can be used for backup purposes, but they may not always be the best choice depending on your backup needs and the amount of data you want to back up. There are other data backup options like backing up to network drive, cloud storage, etc. Here are some advantages of using USB flash drives for backups:

• Portability: USB flash drives are small, lightweight, and highly portable. You can easily carry them in your pocket or bag, convenient for transferring and storing data on the go.
• No Internet Connection Required: Unlike cloud backup solutions, USB flash drives do not rely on an internet connection, beneficial in situations where there is no reliable internet connection.
• Data Security: USB flash drives provide a level of physical security since they can be disconnected and stored separately from computer. You can also encrypt data on USB to enhance security.

However, there are some pitfalls of USB drives that need to be mentioned like smaller storage capacity than external drives or NAS devices, susceptibility to theft or virus attacks, limited lifespan, and so on. If you are looking for the best USB drive for backup, you have landed in the right place. The following 4 options are our top picks for every need and budget.

What is the best USB Drive for Backup?

After testing and comparing their data transfer speeds, the top 4 best USB flash drives for backup are listed in the following. Whether you want to the best portable backup drive for important files, need a way to carry your movie collection with you when you travel, or want the fastest USB flash drive for data storage, we can help you find the perfect solution.

Samsung Fit Plus USB

Samsung Fit Plus USB Flash Drive stands out as a dependable and premium option to boost your storage capacity. Its compact design ensures portability, making it the best flash drive for computer backup. With sizes ranging from 32GB to 256GB, it caters to diverse needs and offers lightning-fast data transfer speeds of up to 300 MBps through USB 3.1 connectivity, outpacing many other USB memory stick options.

What’s more, it ensures your data's safety with its water, shock, magnet, temperature, and X-ray resistance, allowing you to take it virtually anywhere without worrying about data damage. Nonetheless, its relatively higher cost might not be the ideal choice for budget-conscious individuals.

Kingston DataTraveler Max USB

Kingston DataTraveler Max is blazingly one of the best flash drives for backing up computers, boasting rapid backup speeds. This lightweight plastic drive features a convenient ridged top, facilitating easy insertion and removal of the USB-C plug. Additionally, its small loop at the top enables effortless attachment to a keyring for added convenience.

This USB flash drive offers 256GB, 512GB, and 1 TB storage options. What’s more, Kingston offers a limited five-year warranty on the drive.

SanDisk Extreme ProUSB

SanDisk's Extreme Pro is one of the most reliable USB flash drives. However, be prepared to make a substantial investment to acquire it.

The drive starts at 128GB of storage capacity and reaches an impressive 1TB, delivering USB 3.2 connectivity to ensure fast data transfer speeds. SanDisk claims this memory stick can achieve exceptional read speeds of up to 420 MBps and write speeds of up to 380 MBps, which makes the Extreme Pro one of the best USB drives for backup.

PNY Turbo USB

PNY's popular Turbo flash drive combines a rugged design with generous storage, making it an ideal choice for someone who often travels and prioritizes data security. This USB 3.0 device delivers transfer speeds that are up to tenfold faster than those found in comparable USB 2.0 drives. With a capacious 256GB storage, it accommodates nearly 40,000 photos, ensuring effortless storage and rapid transfers.

This best USB for photo storage features a convenient sliding-collar design that protects the connector when not in use. But it could be a little pricey and not enough for people who need to backup a lot of data.

Easiest Way to Create Auto Computer Backup to USB Drive

After knowing what is the best USB drives for backup, you may be curious about how to back up to a USB drive easily. Although it is easy to manually upload files to USB drive by drag-and-drop, it is not convenient, especially for users who need to create data backups every day. Relying on professional backup software like AOMEI Backupper, you can create auto PC backup to USB drive effortlessly.

This tool provides multiple auto backup options, including Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Event triggers, and USB plug in. The last option enables you to automatically copy files when USB drive connected to computer.

How to backup computer files to USB flash drive automatically? You can download and install this freeware on your computer, and go on with the steps below. (PS: Please connect the USB flash drive to your computer beforehand)

Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper software, then click Backup and File Backup.

🌟Note: If you want to backup your Windows system, like creating Windows 10 system image on USB flash drive, you can choose the System Backup options on the Backup page instead.

Step 2. Click Add Folder or Add File to choose the specific items you want to back up.

Step 3. Then, click on the second bar to designate the destination path. Choose Select a local path, click This PC on the left, and pick the connected USB drive.

Step 4. Tap on Schedule Backup to configure how often you want to auto backup data to USB drive.

Step 5. Finally, click Start Backup to create auto computer backups to USB drive now.

★Useful Tips:

In addition to backing up data to USB flash drive, you can also choose your USB drive data as the source to backup USB flash drive files to another disk and other locations.

By default, this software utilizes Incremental Backup to backup only changed files. You can switch to Full Backup or Differential Backup under Backup Scheme. (Differential Backup is available in Pro edition)

To prevent your backup disk full, you can choose to remove old backup images automatically with its automatic backup cleanup. Three options are provided: By quality, By time, and By daily/weekly/monthly. (This feature is accessible in the Pro edition).

Conclusion

Speaking of the best USB drive for backup, there are 4 products for you. Besides, if you want to automatically backup computer data to a USB flash drive, the AOMEI Backupper offers multiple auto backup options.

Except for backing up files to USB drive, you can also use this tool to create Windows system images, perform disk backup, sync local folder to Google Drive and other clouds, clone hard drive to HDD/SSD, etc.

If you want to protect unlimited computers within your company, you can opt for AOMEI Backupper Technician. With its inbuilt AOMEI Image Deploy tool, you can deploy and restore system image files from server-side computer to multiple client-side computers over network.