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’s not the fastest, but it is very small and cheap, and also comes in 16- or 32-gigabyte options. ★ Another Alternative: The Verbatim Dual ($21 for 64 GB) is a tiny drive with a USB-C connector at one end and a lanyard-connected cap you can remove to reveal a USB-A at the other (both USB 3.2 Gen 1). It sports a Lightning port on one end and a USB-A plug on the other.Ĭonnector: USB Type-C 3.1 and Apple Lightning

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.

Lock flash drive