---
id: external-drives.can-i-daisy-chain-thunderbolt-drives
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/can-i-daisy-chain-thunderbolt-drives
category: "External drives"
subcategory: "Speed, cables and hardware"
question: "Can I daisy-chain external drives on a Mac?"
alt_questions:
  - "Daisy chain Thunderbolt drives Mac"
  - "Connect one drive through another"
  - "Thunderbolt passthrough port drive"
  - "can USB drives be daisy chained?"
short_answer: "Thunderbolt drives with two Thunderbolt ports can be chained so several devices share one Mac port; plain USB drives can't — use a hub instead. A chain shares bandwidth, and unplugging the first device disconnects everything after it."
tags: ["thunderbolt", "daisy chain", "ports"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/does-it-matter-which-port-i-use", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/thunderbolt-or-usb-c-for-an-external-ssd", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/should-i-plug-the-drive-into-a-hub-or-directly"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Can I daisy-chain external drives on a Mac?

Thunderbolt drives with two Thunderbolt ports can be daisy-chained: the second device plugs into the first, and both reach the Mac through one port. Ordinary USB drives can't be chained — for those you use a hub or dock instead.

Everything in a chain shares one connection to the Mac, so a fast drive copying alongside others will slow down, and unplugging the first device disconnects everything after it. Eject the drives further down the chain before unplugging the first one.

For a drive Storage Studio moves things to, a direct connection is the simplest and most reliable — see [whether the port matters](https://storagestudio.us/faq/external-drives/does-it-matter-which-port-i-use).