How To Connect External Hard Drive To Android Tablet? Guide
Post Disclaimer
We independently review everything we recommend. The information is provided by How To Connect External Hard Drive To Android Tablet? Guide and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we may earn a commission if you buy something through links on our post. Learn more
Despite its convenience and portability, many users find that tablets have a restricted storage capacity that is difficult to work with. Adding an SD card to a tablet isn’t possible on all of them. However, we know that an external hard drive can be handy even when using computers or laptops, which have more significant storage space than tablets. So, How To Connect External Hard Drive To Android Tablet?
A tablet can be used with an External Hard Drive. You’ll need iOS 13 or later on your iPad, as well as an adapter, to connect your hard drive to your tablet. If your tablet doesn’t have USB-C, you’ll need to use an OTG cable to attach an external hard drive.
If you frequently use your tablet for work or school and have a lot of files and documents to store, an external storage device can be a godsend. The fact that you may take your files from one computer to another with you on an external hard drive makes them an excellent all-purpose storage device. Having an external drive connected to your tablet is a smart option because of this.
How To Connect External Hard Drive To Android Tablet?
- Your Android device should be connected to a USB storage device.
- Open Files by Google on your Android device.
- Tap Browse at the bottom…
- To open a storage device, tap it. Allow.
- Scroll to “Storage devices” and tap your USB storage device to find files.

Are External Hard Drives Compatible With Tablets?
It’s hard to deny that tablets and other mobile smart gadgets, such as smartphones, have become indispensable in today’s fast-paced world. Besides, they are far more practical and lightweight than laptops. As a result, an increasing number of people are choosing to work while on the road on their tablets.
However, many tablet users complain about the limited storage space available on their devices. Depending on the model, there is a wide range of storage options for tablets, from 16 GB to 512 GB.
No one wants to shell out for tablets with laptop-like storage capacities. As a result, more tablet users are opting for devices with 32 GB or less of storage capacity, which isn’t enough for many people who have a lot of files, images, and movies on their devices.
More and more people are questioning if it is possible to connect external storage devices like hard drives to their tablet computers. For those who have a tablet, you can use external memory devices like hard drives.
Because tablet computers couldn’t access external hard drives without rooting, this was something that couldn’t have been done in the past (in the case of Android). Earlier models of the iPad couldn’t do this at all. When we need more storage capacity, we can now attach external storage drives to our tablets thanks to improvements in tablet connectivity.
To put it another way, if you already have an external hard drive for your computer, you may utilize it to store files on your tablet without re-formatting them (which the system would coerce you into deleting all of your data).
There’s a good chance that you’ll be able to save larger files on your tablet because of this, making it even easier for you to utilize your tablet in the future. Because external hard drives are lightweight and portable, you won’t be adding much weight and bulk to your luggage when you’re on the trip, making them ideal for those on the go.
Connect External Hard Drive With Android Tablet
For Android tablet users, the good news is that most tablets can now read external hard drives out of the box without the need for a rooting process. To determine what kind of OTG or connector you’ll need, you’ll need to look at your tablet’s port.
As a result, here is how to connect an external drive to your Android Smartphone or tablet.
- Make sure you have the proper OTG adapter or cable. You should utilize an OTG adapter if you are using a smartphone with a micro-USB connector. The charging port is critical because external hard drives use more power than USB flash drives. With a cable that has a USB-A port on one end and a USB-C port on the other, you can use a tablet with a USB-C port without the OTG.
- A USB-A cable should be connected to the other end of the OTG adapter after it has been plugged into your tablet’s USB port. Next, attach your external hard drive using the USB-A cable. Connect the suitable cable to your tablet and hard drive when using a USB-C tablet. You may use your tablet’s File Manager app to browse the storage on your hard drive from this point on.
Does The Tablet Support An External Hard Disk?
The good news is that your notepad can utilize hard drives and other external storage devices.
Can You Connect The External Hard Drive To The Tablet?
A tablet can indeed be connected to an external hard drive. You need an adapter to connect your iPad to your hard drive and iOS 13 or later for iPads. You cannot connect your external hard drive to an Android tablet that lacks USB-C without first connecting it to an OTG device.
How Do I Access My External Hard Drive On Android?
- Link a USB drive to your Android gadget.
- Launch Google’s mobile file manager, Files by Google, on your Android device.
- Scroll down and select Browse.
- Simply select the desired storage medium by tapping on it. Allow.
- Go to “Storage devices” and your USB drive to access your data.
Conclusion
That’s all about How To Connect External Hard Drive To Android Tablet? Even while “OTG” is supported by many Android smartphones nowadays, it isn’t always as straightforward to connect a wide variety of external devices.
It’s possible that even a USB Thumb Drive won’t operate with a smartphone due to a lack of power and an incorrect file system. SATA to USB2.0 adapters can connect HDDs to tablets that lack SATA ports.
To control the HDD, you may need an external USB hub if the HDD draws more than 500mA, which USB2.0 adapters cannot deliver. In my opinion, this configuration isn’t worth it unless you need to use an external hard drive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to use an external hard drive with Android?
The Android app from Paragon allows you to connect virtually any external hard drive to your phone or tablet through a USB cable. Users of Android devices that support USB storage can now mount a Mac or PC-formatted hard drive using Paragon’s NTFS and HFS+ Android software.
Is an external hard drive compatible with a tablet?
When utilizing an external hard drive with an Android tablet, make sure the external hard drive is formatted as FAT16 or FAT32. You may require a micro-USB to USB adapter to make it work, but there will not be enough power to keep the device running in many cases.
Is it possible to connect a USB flash drive to my Android tablet?
Most recent Android smartphones support conventional USB drives, so you can connect a flash drive to them the same way you would to a computer.
How can I use an OTG cable with my Android phone?
An OTG or On the Go adapter (often called an OTG cable or OTG connector) allows you to connect a full-sized USB flash drive or USB A cable to your phone or tablet using the Micro USB or USB-C charging socket.