External Cd Drives For Mac

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External hard drives, thumb drives, USB drives, Flash memory cards, and devices like iPod are examples of storage devices that you can connect to your Mac using Thunderbolt, USB, or FireWire cables, or connect wirelessly using Bluetooth. Storage devices (such as external hard drives. LG Electronics Ultra Slim DVD Drive. What We Liked: Good value for money. Browse external+cd+drive on sale, by desired features, or by customer ratings. Disc Drive & Burner Read Speed. Verbatim 98938 External DVD and CD Writer w/M-Disc for PC and MAC. Free Next-Day Delivery by Monday, Oct 19.

  1. External Cd Drive For Mac Mini
  2. External Cd Drive For Mac Desktop
  3. External Cd Drive For Macbook Air
  4. Apple External Dvd Cd Drive

Sharing discs

If your Mac doesn't have a built-in optical drive and you need to use a CD or DVD, you can connect an external drive like the Apple USB SuperDrive. You can also share discs from the optical drive of another Mac, or from a Windows computer that has DVD or CD Sharing Setup installed. DVD or CD sharing allows you to access documents stored on these discs, and allows you to install some software.

DVD or CD sharing isn't designed for some kinds of optical media. Connect a compatible optical drive directly to your Mac if you need to use one of these discs:

  • Audio CDs
  • Blu-ray or DVD movies
  • Copy protected discs (such as some game discs)
  • Recordable CDs or DVDs that you want to burn or erase
  • Microsoft Windows installation discs

If you have a Microsoft Windows install disc that you want to use with Boot Camp, you can create a disc image of this disc and copy it to a USB flash drive for installation instead.

Setting up a Mac to share discs

To share discs from a Mac that has a built-in or external optical drive, use these steps:

  1. On the Mac that has an optical drive, choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
  2. Click the Sharing icon in the System Preferences window.
  3. Make sure you've entered a name that you can easily recognize in the Computer Name field.
  4. Enable the checkbox for DVD or CD Sharing.
  5. You can also restrict who has access to your optical drive by selecting 'Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive.'

Setting up a Windows PC to share discs

To share discs from a Windows PC that has a built-in or external optical drive, use these steps:

  1. Download and install DVD or CD Sharing Update 1.0 for Windows.
  2. From Control Panel, open 'Hardware and Sound'
  3. Click 'DVD or CD Sharing Options.'
  4. Select the checkbox for DVD or CD Sharing.
  5. You can also restrict who has access to your optical drive by selecting 'Ask me before allowing others to use my DVD drive.'

If you're sharing discs from a Windows computer and your PC has firewall software enabled, be sure to allow access to the following programs from your firewall:

  • ODSAgent
  • RemoteInstallMacOSX

Use a shared DVD or CD

After you've enabled DVD or CD Sharing, you can use that computer's optical drive at any time. Insert a disc in the optical drive of the computer that's being shared. The disc should then be available on any Mac that's connected to the same network.

  1. On the Mac that doesn't have an optical drive, open a Finder window.
  2. Select Remote Disc in the Devices section of the sidebar. You should see the computer that has DVD or CD Sharing enabled.
  3. Double-click the computer's icon, then click Connect to see the contents of the CD or DVD available from that computer.

If you can't use a shared disc

If your Mac already has a built-in optical drive, or an external optical drive connected, you won't see the Remote Disc feature appear in the Finder or other apps.

If you're using a compatible disc and you don't see it from Remote Disc, make sure the sharing computer is turned on, is connected to the same network as your Mac, and has a compatible CD or DVD in its optical drive. If you've enabled the option to ask for permission before using the drive, click Accept on the computer that is sharing its optical drive.

Apple has begun to stop installing CD/DVD drives since the introduction of MacBook Air in January 2008. Later Apple discontinued manufacturing MacBook and iMac with optical drives in 2016 and mid-2011 respectively. With your new Mac devices, you are not able to run CDs or DVDs. For this purpose, you need to rely on external CD/DVD drives. Moreover, you need an external drive to import movies and music to iTunes. If you have got the latest MacBook or iMac (released after 2012 and 2016), you need to buy the best external CD/DVD drives.

Quick access:

#1. Apple USB SuperDrive

Apple claims that its USB SuperDrive has everything you need in an optical drive. With simplicity, this external drive has state-of-the-art technology. You can connect this SuperDrive with your MacBook Pro with Retina display, MacBook Air, iMac, or Mac mini with a single USB Type A cable, which is built into this SuperDrive.

The design of this drive is compact as it is slightly bigger than a CD case. You can carry this SuperDrive anywhere in your travel bag or laptop bag. Use this drive on your desk or tray table. Check out the compatible devices.

USP: Compact design
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#2. VersionTECH

VersionTECH is one of the leading brands in manufacturing high-quality CD/DVD drives for Mac. The most useful feature on this drive is that there is no eject button. And you are not supposed to use any driver program or extra power supply as it can be powered by the USB port.

VersionTECH has created a stylish design that features a durable metal finish with an elegant silver lid. The ultra-slim drive is convenient to carry anywhere. Among other notable features, this drive boasts are embedded cable, premium wire drawing material, low noise, and high durability.

USP: Ultra-thin design
Check out on Amazon

External cd drive for mac not working

#3. LG

LG is a renowned brand in the world of electronics. The brand has also manufactured top-notch accessories like power banks, Bluetooth headphones, keyboards, stylus and more. For your Mac, LG brings an ultra-slim DVD external drive. With its 8X DVD-R writing speed, you can quickly transfer data from your DVD or CD to your MacBook or iMac.

During the style evolution, LG’s optical drive has achieved a new status from slimmer to the slimmest. The product occupies little space on your desk and delivers the best performance every time you insert a CD or DVD.

USP: Superior data protection
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#4. Cocopa

With its high-speed interface of USB 3.0, Cocopa can quickly transmit your data at the maximum speed of 5GBPS. This makes Cocopa an excellent choice of marketing executives, who have to make presentations in offices. The strong fault tolerance gives a stable performance.

For fashion-forward users, Cocopa has used brushed texture shell that gives you a good touch feeling. With its small size, you can carry this portable DVD drive with your laptop anywhere.

USP: Stable performance
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#5. Gipow

Beating USB 2.0 and USB 1.0, Gipow has designed a USB 3.0 external drive for your Mac. Whether it is your movies, videos, or audio contents, you can quickly transfer everything to your Mac. If you don’t want to transfer audio/visual contents, you can watch or listen to the contents directly from the drive.

This CD/DVD drive is compatible with multiple operating systems, apart from macOS. It’s a plug-and-play drive you can install and use without any software or driver.

USP: Fashionable design
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#6. Rioddas

When I opened the package, I wondered there was no cable attached to this drive. Then I realized that the cable is smartly embedded at the bottom of this drive. This intelligent design can impress any user. This is the best portable drive for Mac owners, who have to travel extensively. The drive doesn’t occupy space in your travel bag or laptop bag.

For better stability on any glossy surface, Rioddas has put a non-slip pad on the bottom. This non-slip pad prevents your drive from falling off your table or desk. The multi-functional CD/DVD drive can burn movies and music.

USP: Embedded cable design
Check out on Amazon

#7. ISKE

External Cd Drive For Mac Mini

Unlike other external CD/DVD drives that show eject button, ISKE doesn’t have that eject button. When you want to eject a CD or DVD from the drive, you can perform this action from your Mac.

External cd drive for macbook

ISKE’s external drive boasts intelligent design as it offers embedded cable design; users should not underrate this feature as it can protect the cable and makes your drive more portable.

USP: No eject button
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#8. Botee

Botee has come up with a unique feature: voltage stabilization system. This system avoids high or low voltage lead. Thus, it can protect your computer from any damage. Bootee offers you free lifetime product warranty, 30-day product replacement or refund.

Universal compatibility of this drive enables it to work with multiple operating systems aside from macOS. This means you can smoothly transfer your data from Windows computer to Mac or vice versa.

USP: Voltage stabilization
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#9. ivkey

ivkey presents unique design in its external CD drive that works with USB 3.0 high-speed interface. For faster data transmission speed, use this product and achieve a maximum speed of up to 5GBPS. Along with speed, you get stable performance and strong fault tolerance.

Ivkey has unparalleled intelligent burning technology and brand new chip to correct the errors. You can play your audio/visual contents without any log or distortion.

USP: Intelligent burning technology
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#10. VicTsing

VicTsing brings a multi-function external CD/DVD drive with which you can watch DVD movies, burn files, music, videos to another CD or DVD. You can also install software and create backup discs etc.

VicTsing offers robust anti-shock and noise-reduction technology. The drive consumes low power, and it can be powered by the USB port; you are not supposed to use any external adapter. Don’t miss its slim and lightweight design, which provides a stylish appearance.

USP: Error-correction ability
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That’s all!

Summing up…

For smooth, hassle-free, fast, and secure transmission of your data, external CD/DVD drive is the best solution for your Mac. Note that you can buy any CD or DVD with maximum data storage capacity and then transfer your data from one computer to another.

You may also like to refer:

External Cd Drive For Mac Desktop

Which external CD/DVD drive would you like to buy for your Mac?

External Cd Drive For Macbook Air

Jignesh Padhiyar is the co-founder of iGeeksBlog.com who has a keen eye for news, rumors and all the unusual stuff that happens around Apple products. During his tight schedule, Jignesh finds some moments of respite to share side-splitting contents on social media.

Apple External Dvd Cd Drive

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