Unlike an internal drive, which is nestled firmly inside your computer, an external hard drive is a device that you plug into a computer port. An external hard drive gives you more storage space to keep your data. ... You can use an external hard drive to store files that you don't access very frequently.

What is a external hard drive in simple terms?

An external hard drive is a portable storage device that can be attached to a computer through a USB or FireWire connection, or wirelessly. External hard drives typically have high storage capacities and are often used to back up computers or serve as a network drive.

Is an external hard drive the same as storage?

This is when external storage comes in. The purpose of an internal drive differs from the purpose of an external drive. Internal drives are designed to store all of your data, files and media within your computer. However, these files can become corrupted by a virus, or accidentally deleted.