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While many of us rely on cloud storage these days for backing up photos, videos, and other files, every iPhone that can run iOS 17 also supports external storage devices: thats every iPhone back to 2018, so it includes the iPhone XR, the iPhone XS, and the iPhone XS Max.

Maybe you would rather manage file backups manually than via iCloud. (Its always worth remembering that cloud storage isnt completely infallible.) Maybe you need to access photos taken with a DSLR on your iPhone. Or maybe someone has given you a drive with files that youd like to move to your phone. There are a few reasons youd want to save files via an external storage device, and its not difficult to do.

With the arrival of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, theres a new reason: you can record video on these handsets using Apples high-definition ProRes video format at 4K resolution and 120 frames per second but only if an external storage device is attached. If you want the best video quality, you need an external drive.

Heres what you need to know about which external drives you can plug into your iPhone and what happens when you do.

How to choose an external drive

The good news is that Apple isnt too picky when it comes to which drives will work with your iPhone. Most flash drives, portable SSDs, external HDDs, and memory card readers are going to function okay, but there are caveats: you need to make sure youve got the right cable in place, and you need to make sure the drive is sufficiently powered.

As a general rule of thumb, if a device doesnt need an external power source when its connected to a laptop, it wont need one with your iPhone but if it does have its own power cable (like large-capacity HDD drives do), then youll also need this when connecting it to your iPhone. Just bear in mind that if a drive isnt powered separately, its going to drain power from your iPhone in order to run.

You then need the right connecting cable: whatever the external device uses at one end, and then Lightning or USB-C at the other end. If you cant find the right cable (some external drives use proprietary connectors, for example), then an adapter might be needed, but this shouldnt affect the functionality of the device.

When it comes to drive formats, you do have to be specific. There must only be one partition on the drive, and it must be formatted as APFS, APFS (encrypted), macOS Extended (HFS Plus), exFAT (FAT64), FAT32, or FAT in order to work. If the drive or memory card youve got isnt in one of these formats, then youll need to reformat it via a computer.

When it comes to recording 4K resolution, 60fps ProRes video, external drives need to offer write speeds of at least 220MB per second and have a maximum power draw of 4.5W, so be sure to check the specs carefully. Ideally, get yourself a drive thats advertised for this purpose or that you know other users have had success with.

How to use an external drive

Assuming youve taken all of the above considerations into account, you should find that your phone shows up under Locations in the Browse tab of the Files app in iOS when you connect it to the external drive. If it doesnt, its not been identified it might be underpowered or set to an incompatible file format.

External drives will show up under the Locations heading.

Press and hold on any file or folder to bring up some options.

To access files on the external device:

The same options you get in Files for local iPhone storage are available for external storage too. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner, and youll be able to create a new folder, for example. Long-press on a file or folder, and you can duplicate or rename it.

To copy and move files from the external device:

You can select multiple files for copying or moving.

Photos and videos can be sent straight over to the Photos app.

Note that if your external device is set to read only, you can only copy files. If you try and move them, youll see Copy rather than Move on the final step.

For photos and videos, likely to be something a lot of people are working with in these scenarios, you can tap on the file to open it, then tap its file name (at the top) and choose Save to Photos to copy it over to your iPhones main gallery.

Its all relatively straightforward, and if youre already comfortable with the ins and outs of the Files app, you shouldnt have any trouble working with external devices, too.

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How to use an external storage device with your iPhone - The Verge