Built to handle demanding needs, the 1TB Express 1M2 USB4 External SSD from OWC / Other World Computing is designed for photo and video professionals, DITs, prosumers, performance enthusiasts, and other creative professionals. Equipped with an 1TB OWC Aura Ultra IV PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD, the Express 1M2 delivers speeds of up to 3151 MB/s, which is fast enough for 8K raw and 4K video in slow motion as well as ProRes and other demanding codecs, plus high resolution photos in both raw and compressed formats. It comes preformatted APFS for macOS 10.13 and later, iPadOS 13 and later, and iOS 17, but may be used with Windows, Chrome, Linux, and Android with a simple reformat. It connects to your host system using a 40 Gb/s USB4 port, but is backward compatible with 10 Gb/s USB 3.2 Gen 2, which delivers real world speeds of up to 990 MB/s.

If you ever need to replace or upgrade the Express 1M2's internal storage, its one M.2 slot supports PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs with a 2230, 2242, and 2280 form factor. Its aluminum enclosure offers rugged protection, while also keeping the drive cool for improved performance. The Express 1M2 may be used as a boot drive, but only on Mac. It is plug-and-play, meaning no drivers are required for use, while bus power means that the drive is powered solely using the included USB4 cable.

1TB Storage Capacity    OWC Aura Ultra IV PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD    40 Gb/s USB4 Interface    Up to 3151 MB/s Data Transfer Speed    Bus Powered    Aluminum Enclosure    Supports M.2 2230, 2242, and 2280 SSDs    Preformatted APFS for macOS and iPadOS    Windows & Linux Compatible via Reformat    Chrome & Android Compatible via Reformat

Give yourself the ultimate in creative power by building the portable drive of your dreams or choosing an advanced technology OWC Aura SSD powered OWC Express 1M2. Whether repurposing a drive, starting with a new drive, or wanting the convenience of a ready-to-run solution, you will infuse your workflow with the highest performance and reliability with an Express 1M2.

The Express 1M2 is the fastest single portable SSD OWC offers and was purposefully built to maximize the performance capabilities of today and tomorrow's USB4 equipped Macs and Windows computers. Experience speeds up to an astonishing 3151 MB/s when you use the Express 1M2 with most PCs you own from 2020 and newer. You can also enjoy highly effective performance (yep... you can edit 4K video, no problem) and flexible compatibility with millions of yesterday's Thunderbolt and USB-C machines and devices. When used with an Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 Mac & iPad or a USB4 port or a Thunderbolt 4 on a Windows computer, the Express 1M2 will run as a 40 Gb/s USB4 device with speeds up to 3151 MB/s. When used with a Thunderbolt 3 port on an Intel Mac or Windows computer, or a 10 Gb/s USB-C port on an iPad, Mac, or Windows computer, the Express 1M2 will run as a 10 Gb/s USB 3.2 Gen 2 device with speeds of up to 990 MB/s.

Because of OWC's Thunderbolt expertise and their close work with Intel, they are familiar with details that others may overlook. While specific OWC solutions are certified for full speed on Thunderbolt, they (and everyone else) are limited to half that speed with DIY enclosures. USB4 unleashes the Express 1M2 performance capabilities so you can build the drive of your dreams. Unlike budget brand pretenders that do not follow Intel specifications—and will leave you feeling fooled and disappointed in far lower speeds—the Express 1M2's USB4 connectivity assures you of the maximum speed and reliability you count on and expect from every OWC solution.

Build your Express 1M2 with a brand new drive, or re-task an existing drive replaced during an upgrade. Or, make it simple by choosing a pre-built proven OWC reliable solution. Whatever your decision, the Express 1M2 gives you the power to make it happen.

Designed to support almost any NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSD, the Express 1M2 gives you the freedom of flexibility to use a wide variety of drives, including OWC Aura SSDs up to 8TB capacity as well as being ready for tomorrow's 16TB and future capacities without limit.

You'll never have to worry about thermal throttling because form meets function with the Express 1M2. Its solid aluminum heat sink design ensures proper heat dissipation so you can depend on consistent maximum performance. Unlike a snap together toolless enclosure, the Express 1M2 screws together to securely protect your drive inside its rugged enclosure. And when you need to share the Express 1M2, it can work cross-platform with Macs and Windows computers using OWC MacDrive software (available separately) for peace between the platforms.

Photo and video professionals wanting an affordable yet solid editing drive that can be used both to backup and edit demanding content including 8K raw video, 4K video in slow-motion, ProRes and other demanding codecs, and ultra high-resolution pictures both in raw and compressed formats.

DITs looking to assemble the NVMe of their choice while also getting maximum offload speeds (faster than Thunderbolt) and thermal stability.

Prosumers/performance enthusiasts seeking an external enclosure to clone data from an internal drive at blazingly fast speeds.

OWC products are loved around the world for It Just Works ease-of-use and reliability. To provide the highest performance, reliability, and ready-to-run convenience available, your solution comes formatted in the native APFS macOS and iPadOS file system. With OWC, you don't have to worry about reformatting hassles or confusion like other solutions, just plug your drive into your Mac or iPad and you're good to go.

Anyone can put a bunch of components in a housing and call it an enclosure or a drive. OWC is not just anyone. They're a group of filmmakers, musicians, designers, content creators, and parents, just like you, wanting to capture and preserve that irreplaceable moment. Their data storage products go through countless hours of ongoing development testing and certification processes. OWC then subjects them to extreme real-world abuses. The priority for some drives is to be a mass-produced, lowest price commodity. They do it differently because the reliability of your data and the longevity of an OWC product is priority #1.

• macOS 10.13 High Sierra
• macOS 10.14 Mojave
• macOS 10.15 Catalina
• macOS 11.x Big Sur
• macOS 12.x Monterey
• macOS 13.x Ventura
• macOS 14.x Sonoma

• Windows 10 (32-Bit)
• Windows 10 (64-Bit)
• Windows Server 2016
• Windows 11

• Yes

• iPadOS 13
• iPadOS 14
• iPadOS 15
• iPadOS 16
• iPadOS 17
• iOS 17
• Android 13.x

• ChromeOS version 102 and later

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. is this compatible with the newer 16inch macbook pro?

A: Yes, the OWC Express 4M2 4-Slot M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure BH #OWTB3EX4M2SL is compatible with a 16'' Macbook Pro. It supports any device that has a Thunderbolt 3 port.

Q: 2. Is it compatible with the "Corsair 8TB MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 Internal SSD" ?

A: Yes, the OWC Express 1M2 USB4 External SSD Enclosure will be compatible with your Corsair 8TB MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 Internal SSD, however, potential transfer speeds of the drive will be bottle necked by the enclosure.

Q: 3. Is it compatible with Crucial 2TB P3 NVMe PCIe 3.0 M.2 Internal SSD?

A: Yes, this OWC Express 4M2 4-Slot M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure is compatible with the Crucial 2TB P3 NVMe PCIe 3.0 M.2 Internal SSD.

Q: 4. Hello. Is this compatible with MZ-JPV2560/0A4 Samsung 256GB MLC PCI Express 3.0 x4 M.2 2280? Former HD of an MacBookPro. I am trying to understand which case-specs I have to look for...

A: No, this enclosure is for standard M.2 NVMe blades. OWC does have enclosures for SSD's that come from MacBook Pro's, but I would need to know which model to point you to the correct one.

Q: 5. Is the fan thermostatically controlled, or does it run constantly?

A: The fan in the ADATA Technology 4TB SE920 USB4 External SSD is not thermostatically controlled—it operates at a constant speed. The fan can be activated or deactivated by pressing on the case of the SSD.

Q: 6. Will this work with Apple iPad Pro?

A: Yes, the OWC Envoy Express Thunderbolt 3 M.2 NVME SSD Enclosure BH #OWTB3ENVXP00 would work with an iPad Pro that has USB C or Thunderbolt 3/4.

Q: 7. what are the read/write speeds of nvme m.2 ssds when placed inside this enclosure? does it allow for full 40gb/s Thunderbolt 3 bandwidth?

A: The limiting factor would be the drives selected. Even nvme drives are still around 2500 MBs still are no where near 40gb/s on the Thunderbolt 3 connection.

Q: 8. Do the drives need heat sinks?

A: The OWC Express 4M2 4-Slot M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure BH #OWTB3EX4M2SL does not need heatsinks for the SSD.

Q: 9. Is a re-format required if switching between mac and pc. If so, I suppose that means data deletion each time?

A: To switch from using a Mac device to a PC device using the OWC 4TB Express 1M2 USB4 External SSD, you will need to reformat the Mac-formatted OWC device over that operating system to begin use.

Q: 10. Will this work with the Apple TB3 to TB2 adapter?

A: The OWC Envoy Express Thunderbolt 3 M.2 NVME SSD Enclosure is compatible with the Apple TB 3 to TB 2 adapter.