Have your USB hard drives suddenly become extremely slow when transferring files, opening folders, or being recognized by your computer? If you're noticing that multiple external drives are affected—not just one—there may be a deeper issue affecting your system. Sluggish USB HDD performance can be frustrating, especially when you rely on these drives for backups, media storage, or work-related tasks.
In this article, we’ll explore the common reasons why various USB HDD are now super slow, and provide step-by-step solutions to help restore normal performance.
Common Symptoms of Slow USB HDDs
External drive takes a long time to show up after plugging in
Video or audio playback lagging when opened from the drive
System freezing or lagging when accessing the drive
Top Reasons Why Your USB HDDs Are Sluggish
1. USB Port or Hub Issues
If all your drives are suddenly slow, the problem might be with the USB port, hub, or even your motherboard. USB 3.0 or USB-C ports provide faster speeds than older USB 2.0 ports. Using an underpowered USB hub can also bottleneck multiple devices.
Solution:
Try connecting the drive directly to your PC, bypassing any hub.
Use a different USB port, preferably a blue-colored USB 3.0 port.
Check for dust or loose connections in the ports.
2. Outdated or Corrupt USB Drivers
USB controller drivers allow your system to properly interact with external drives. If drivers are outdated or corrupt, data transfer performance can drop significantly.
Solution:
Go to Device Manager (Windows)
Expand “Universal Serial Bus controllers”
Right-click each entry and choose “Update driver”
Restart your computer after updating
3. File System Corruption
Corruption in the drive's file system (NTFS, exFAT, etc.) can slow down how quickly your computer can read or write files.
Solution:
Right-click the drive in File Explorer
Click “Properties” > “Tools” > “Check”
Run the error-checking utility
4. Hard Drive Health Issues
If your USB HDD is failing mechanically or has bad sectors, it can drastically slow down performance or freeze during data access.
Solution:
Download tools like CrystalDiskInfo (Windows) or DriveDx (Mac)
Check the S.M.A.R.T. status of the drive
If health is poor, back up your data immediately and replace the drive
5. Too Many Devices or Power Limitations
Running too many USB devices at once can overwhelm your system’s power delivery or data bus, especially on laptops or older PCs.
Solution:
Disconnect unnecessary USB devices
Use a powered USB hub if needed
Plug high-power devices (like drives) directly into your PC
6. Fragmentation and Too Many Small Files
On traditional spinning HDDs, especially if they’re almost full, fragmentation can slow things down significantly.
Solution:
Use a built-in defragmentation tool on Windows
For Mac users, fragmentation is generally managed automatically, but a nearly full drive can still affect speed—consider freeing up space
7. Antivirus or Backup Software Interference
Real-time scanning or automatic backups can slow down file access significantly, especially with large or complex file structures.
Solution:
Temporarily disable antivirus and test the drive
Exclude external drives from real-time scanning (if safe to do so)
Check for active backup jobs running in the background
Final Tips
Use high-quality USB cables (shorter is better for speed and stability)
Format the drive to a modern file system if it's outdated (after backing up your data)
Keep your OS and USB chipset drivers up to date
Conclusion
If your USB external hard drives are now super slow, it’s often due to software conflicts, connection issues, or aging hardware. By following the troubleshooting steps above, you can isolate the problem and often restore normal speed without losing your data. Always back up your files regularly and monitor your drive’s health to avoid permanent loss.