What is the difference between an internal drive and an external drive?

The main difference between an internal and external drive is ultimately down to location. An external hard drive is a device which is plugged into your machine to give almost-immediate storage space, without the need to open your computer’s internal storage and make upgrades. External drives are portable storage devices typically used to store data such as photos, videos, and documents.

Whereas internal hard drives, on the other hand, are needed for all computers to operate as operating systems and important software are usually pre-installed on them. Although it is possible to remove the internal drive to replace it, it is easier for users to invest in a portable external hard drive to increase the capacity on their laptop or computer.

The main thing to remember is that an internal drive is built-in to your computer, whereas external drives are not.