MacTakeAwayData Rank – 7.5 stars out of 10
Your Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable external drive is not just for a Windows PC.
And you as a MacBook Pro. MacBook Air. Or iMac user can use it perfectly well on your Mac.
Canvio Basics on Mac Pros
Canvio Basics on Mac Cons
Canvio Basics on Mac Verdict
The Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB portable hard drive is one of the best-selling drives on the marketplace.
And for good reason.
You buy a Canvio Basics when you don’t need those frills that make for a higher priced hard drive. And you buy a Basics when you’re not bothered about having jazzy colors for your hard drive. You just want reliable storage at a good price.
*Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. And at no extra cost to you this site earns a commission through image links, Amazon button and text links should you buy.
Toshiba Canvio Basics YouTube Video
It’s always interesting to take a sneak peek at what’s in the box before you buy. And this is exactly what this 2 minutes 35 seconds YouTube unboxing video shows you.
Click the play button on the video to enjoy it.
Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable External Hard Drive
Video Credit: SuperFjordmannen
Your Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Mac Review Features Run Down
You probably think that the Basics Toshiba external hard drive is only for a Microsoft Windows based computer.
But you’d be wrong.
You’ll find out here that your Toshiba Basics drive has plenty to offer you as a Mac owner.
Particularly when you’re out there searching for external storage at an affordable price.
Here are your 9 advantage points when you choose this drive for your Mac.
1. Toshiba Basics 1TB Plugging Into Your Mac.
Your Toshiba Canvio Basics USB is USB 3.0.
What does this mean?
USB is an word wide standard for connecting external gadgets. And it’s a standard that your Mac uses.
Your Toshiba Basics takes its power from your Mac’s USB port when you plug in your USB cable.
The cable shipped with your Toshiba Basics has a Type A USB connection at the end that plug into your Mac. And type Micro B USB at the end that plugs into the Canvio Basics drive.
What About Plugging In A Canvio Basics 1TB Into My Mac With A USB-C Port?
Because of backwards compatibility. Even though the USB-C and the USB A ports are physically different.
As long as you have an adaptor plug. Or you buy yourself a USB C to USB Micro B adaptor.
You can plug your Toshiba Canvio Basic right into your Mac.
There is no extra power cable for you to worry about and remember.
This makes things oh so simple when you’re taking this drive with you.
As long as your Mac has enough battery power. Or you plug your Mac into a power outlet you’ll be set.
Want to compare? You can Click here to check out the latest Toshiba Canvio Advance Review
2. Your Older Mac With USB 2.0 Ports
The USB 3.0 standard allows for backwards compatibility with USB 2.0.
But Apple Macs conform strictly to the USB 2.0 port standards on power draw.
And there are a few reports of the Canvio Basics hard drive failing to power up on older Macs with USB 2.0 only ports.
Do you have an older Mac?
You can get around this by connecting up your Basics drive using a separately powered USB hub. A hub with its own power supply with USB 3.0 ports on it would be fine.
Or take a look at a USB C hub for your MacBook. Handy when you’ve only 1 or 2 USB C ports. And lots of USB gadgets to attach.
The Satechi USB C hub is one to consider. You can take a look at this review on the site by clicking on the link.
3. What About The Canvio Basics NTFS Formatting On Mac?
Yes, your Toshiba Canvio Basics is formatted as NTFS.
Your MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or iMac can read any files on the drive. But can’t put new files onto a NTFS formatted Toshiba Canvio Basics. Or update any files on there.
This means that for you to fully use your Canvio Basics on your Mac you need to change its format.
You can pay for a software driver that leaves the drive in the same format. But allows your Mac to read and write to your NTFS Basics external hard drive.
You can find out about software options in the post link here.
4. Change The Basics Canvio Drive Format To A Mac Format
Or you spend 5 minutes using the standard software on your Mac called Disk Utility.
Know that formatting wipes anything that is on the drive. If you have files already on there from a Windows PC then copy those files off first.
But when you’ve bought your Basics drive to use on your Mac. Then that’s not a concern.
You’ll find an article on the site that tells you how to format your Toshiba Canvio Basics drive. Take a look.
Or if you’re interested in learning how to make your Canvio Basics an ExFAT drive. And share between a Mac and Windows computer. Take a look at my article about setting up a Toshiba hard drive to share with a Mac and PC.
5. Toshiba Canvio Basic Design And Capacity
You’ll find its name gives the game away. The Toshiba Canvio Basics is just what it says.
It’s a basic hard drive with nothing extra added.
The Canvio Basics hard disk comes in matt black. With the raised words Toshiba imprinted on the drive in a darker shade of black.
There are no fancy colors here.
If you’re looking for fancy colors then you’ll need to step up to the Canvio Advanced.
There’s an LED that tells you when your Canvio Basics has power and is working.
Your model numbers and the external hard drives storage space are:
- 1 TB – Toshiba HDTB410XK3AA
- 2 TB – Toshiba HDTB420XK3AA
- 4 TB – Toshiba HDTB330XK3CA
You’ll find the Basics external hard drives have plenty of storage options. Use for your growing collection of photos, videos and movies.
6. Toshiba Canvio Basics Size And Weight
You’ll find the Basics is a portable hard drive and fits easily in your hand.
You have external drives in handy sizes that measure;
- 4.3 x 3.1 x 0.55 inches, for the 1 TB and 2 TB Canvio Basics and
- 4.7 x 3.1 x 0.77 in for the 4 TB Canvio Basics drive
And you won’t find the basics portable hard drive heavy.
- At 5.3 ounces for the 1 TB and 2 TB drive and
- 7.7 ounces for the 4 TB external hard drive.
They won’t add much weight to your purse or backpack.
You can Click here to check out the Best External Hard Drive Review
7. Check Out User Reviews/Opinions On The Canvio Basics
It’s easy for you to take a look at the thoughts of the buyers of the Canvio Basics on Amazon.
The majority are happy with their Toshiba Basics external drive.
There are some disappointed Mac users. But their views seem to stem from not knowing that;
Both situations are easily fixed with the documents I’ve referred you to in this article.
To format your Toshiba Basics you look here.
To make your Toshiba shareable between a Mac and PC. Look at my article: ‘External Hard Drive for Mac and PC with Data Interchangeable‘.
You can click through and look at the Amazon Reviews on the Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB yourself.
By using the button below. (Commissions Earned)
Scroll down to the bottom of the Amazon sales page to view the latest Amazon reviews.
8. Toshiba Canvio Basics Speed On Mac
Testing the Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB read/write speed using the Blackmagic speed test software.
The speed test was done on a MacBook Pro 1.4 Ghz Quad-Core Intel i5. With 16 MB of memory.
The Canvio Basics performed with 132.4 MB/s maximum read speed. And 128.2 MB/s max write speed.
Which is pretty reasonable for a basic external hard drive.
9. Your Canvio Basics Warranty
You get one year’s warranty on the Basics external hard drive.
Which is ok but a bit low in the marketplace.
I would have liked to see 2 year’s warranty offered.
In Closing The Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Mac Review
Did you enjoy this article Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Review?
Toshiba has a good reputation for reliable products. And should you invest in this drive. It should do a good job for you and for your important files for a few years to come.
Related Documents
Toshiba Canvio Basics Mac Compatible [Can You And How To]
Toshiba Canvio Basics Mac Setup [Turn On And Put To Use]
Toshiba Canvio Basics Mac [Or MacBook Prepped]
Toshiba Canvio Connect II vs Canvio Basics vs Advance On Mac
Toshiba Canvio Connect II on Mac? (Review)
How to Use Toshiba External Hard Drive on Mac [Solved]
Format Toshiba Hard Drive for Mac, 5 Minute Guide
Toshiba External Hard Drive Not Working On Mac (13 Fixes 4U)
