For example, many Macbooks only have a USB-C port. There are many different CD/DVD drives on the market, so how do you find the right one for your Mac?

How do you find the right CD/DVD drive for your Mac? An external disc drive will let you do that without a drive in your machine itself.Īnd, with CDs becoming increasingly popular again, just like the revival of the vinyl record in previous years, you could even get a new hobby out of your disc drive purchase.

Maybe you've got years of files that you need to view and access on CDs and DVDs. One of the biggest reasons is legacy data recovery. With an external drive, you can do this on your Mac without having to jump through hoops. Or watch a movie that you own on DVD and don't want to buy on streaming again. You might want to digitize your DVD or music collection, for example. It's worth having a CD drive for the times that you do need one, which can happen surprisingly often.

It may seem like the time of the disc drive is behind us, but they're actually still really useful to have around. Our team of Apple experts have years of experience testing all kinds of tech and gadgets, so you can be sure our recommendations and criticisms are accurate and helpful.