^{To ensure this information isn't stolen as well, having a locked flash drive can keep anyone from viewing your files should the drive fall into the wrong hands. Tiny and portable, they easily slip into a pants or coat pocket, in a computer bag or purse, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. External keypads add an additional level of security to portable memory, meaning a viewer must first input a numerical code to gain access to files. These in turn can be encrypted and password protected, deterring serious threats to personal security.}
^ Also known as a thumb drive, pen drive, gig stick, flash stick, jump drive, disk key, disk on key (after the original M-Systems DiskOnKey drive from 2000),[1] flash-drive, memory stick (not to be confused with the Sony Memory Stick), USB key, USB stick or USB memory. For an incomplete list of alternative names, see the list of redirects to this article.

Particularly with the advent of USB, external hard disks have become widely available and inexpensive. External hard disk drives currently cost less per gigabyte than flash drives and are available in larger capacities. Some hard drives support alternative and faster interfaces than USB 2.0 (e.g., Thunderbolt, FireWire and eSATA). For consecutive sector writes and reads (for example, from an unfragmented file), most hard drives can provide a much higher sustained data rate than current NAND flash memory, though mechanical latencies seriously impact hard drive performance.

^{We are specialists, when it comes to producing a custom flash drives to your specifications. Personalized USB drives are great for promotion of your favorite team, non for profit organization, or business. Important marketing information can be loaded on flash drives. You can imprint USB drives with logos for your school, or use it as a gift to employees, or guests at the wedding.}
“The Samsung BAR is incredibly small and easily portable, measuring just under 2-inches long,” our tester said. He added, “It's also extremely durable: waterproof, shockproof, as well as x-rays and magnets [proof].” The included key ring adds to its portability, according to our reviewer. On the flip side, he called the transfer speeds “decent but mostly unremarkable.” Our tester concluded, “Most of the BAR's problems are due to Samsung releasing a newer, cheaper model, the BAR Plus.”
The 32GB capacity of this SanDisk Ultra SDCZ48-032G-A46 flash drive provides ample room to store photos, music, videos and other files. The USB 3.0 interface and up to 80MB/sec. read speed make it easy to transfer files to and from your computer. (Ten times faster than USB 2.0 drives. Write speeds up to 10 times faster than Cruzer USB 2.0 drive.)* *USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device.
Bulk USB purchases save money, its that simple. By planning ahead and knowing what your promotional flash drive needs will be through the year, you can save on run charges, artwork setup, and shipping. Over the course of the year, this can add up. With bulk USB orders, we can lower the per unit cost. Beyond the cost, by having a quantity of USBs in stock, you lower the risk of running out of your promo item. Take advantage of bulk USB purchasing. You can even order Bulk 256GB USB Flash Drives through iPromo now.
The SanDisk PRO gives you blistering speeds, offering 420 MB/s on the reading front and 380 MB/s on the writing end, which is 3–4x faster than what a standard USB 3.0 drive will offer. The sleek, aluminum casing is both super durable and very eye-catching, so you can bring it with you to your business meetings and look professional as well. The onboard AES, 128-bit file encryption gives you top-of-the-line security for your sensitive files. That USB 3.0 connection is also backward compatible with USB 2.0, so you won’t hit any snags with an older computer. SanDisk is so confident in the functionality of this little drive, that they’ve even backed it with a full lifetime warranty in case any issues befall it. Finally, there’s a file backup system you can download called RescuePRO that will let you recover lost files if needed.
Digital audio files can be transported from one computer to another like any other file, and played on a compatible media player (with caveats for DRM-locked files). In addition, many home Hi-Fi and car stereo head units are now equipped with a USB port. This allows a USB flash drive containing media files in a variety of formats to be played directly on devices which support the format. Some LCD monitors for consumer HDTV viewing have a dedicated USB port through which music and video files can also be played without use of a personal computer.
^{We are specialists, when it comes to producing a custom flash drives to your specifications. Personalized USB drives are great for promotion of your favorite team, non for profit organization, or business. Important marketing information can be loaded on flash drives. You can imprint USB drives with logos for your school, or use it as a gift to employees, or guests at the wedding.}

Quickly transfer files to and from your laptop or desktop using this SanDisk Ultra SDCZ48-064G-A46 USB 3.0 flash drive that features a read speed of up to 80MB/sec. The 64GB capacity offers ample storage space. (Ten times faster than USB 2.0 drives. Write speeds up to 10 times faster than Cruzer USB 2.0 drive.)* *USB 3.0 port required. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device.

Macbooks require a USB Type-C device, which is where this swivel dual flash drive from Silicon Power comes in handy. It features a dual interface with USB Type-C and USB Type-A 3.0 ports on opposite ends of a compact device. The 360-degree swivel cap protects whichever connector is not in use and attaches easily to keychains. The C80 doesn’t require any special drivers or software to work; just plug it into the port and it is ready to go. But it has an optional file management app, which is a free and simple automatic file categorization that puts your work in the appropriate folders. Expect fast read and write speeds and 64 GB of storage to hold all your photos and files.
_{Most USB flash drives weigh less than 30 g (1 oz).[31] While some manufacturers are competing for the smallest size[32] with the biggest memory,[33] some manufacturers differentiate their products by using elaborate housings, which are often bulky and make the drive difficult to connect to the USB port. Because the USB port connectors on a computer housing are often closely spaced, plugging a flash drive into a USB port may block an adjacent port. Such devices may carry the USB logo only if sold with a separate extension cable. Such cables are USB-compatible but do not conform to the USB standard.[34][35]}

We are specialists, when it comes to producing a custom flash drives to your specifications. Personalized USB drives are great for promotion of your favorite team, non for profit organization, or business. Important marketing information can be loaded on flash drives. You can imprint USB drives with logos for your school, or use it as a gift to employees, or guests at the wedding.

Floppy disk hardware emulators exist which effectively utilize the internal connections and physical attributes of a floppy disk drive to utilize a device where a USB flash drive emulates the storage space of a floppy disk in a solid state form, and can be divided into a number of individual virtual floppy disk images using individual data channels.