Using an SSD as an external hard drive - these are your options

Just like normal HDDs, you can also use SSDs as external hard drives. If you would like to convert an SSD into an external hard drive yourself, you will need the appropriate accessories. Find out here what options you have to turn an SSD into an external hard drive.

How to use an SSD as an external hard drive

If you want to turn an SSD into an external hard drive, you will need either a suitable enclosure or an appropriate adapter. If there is no important data on the disk, you should format it in advance. SSDs usually have a size of 2.5 inches and have two ports, a power port and a SATA port for data transfer.

• If you want to use the disk as an external storage medium, this works, for example, with the help of a standard 2.5-inch hard drive housing. There you can install the SSD and then connect via USB cable to the computer.
• Alternatively to a housing use an adapter cable. The adapter usually consists of a SATA and power connector, which is combined in a USB 3.0 connector. The adapter is plugged directly into the disk. Über den USB 3.0 Stecker können Sie dann die SSD mit Ihrem Rechner verbinden, sodass diese mit Strom versorgt wird und Daten ausgetauscht werden können.
• Einige Adapter verfügen zusätzlich zum USB 3.0 Stecker noch über einen zweiten USB 2.0 Stecker, der zur Stromzufuhr genutzt wird. Das erlaubt es, auch herkömmliche HDDs über den Adapter anzuschließen.