Hard Drive Name Generator

Names for external drives, SSDs and USB sticks

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Generate hard drive names for an external hard disk, SSD, USB flash drive, NAS volume or partition: storage metaphors like The Vault and Junk Drawer, backup jokes like Plan B and Backup Betty, puns like Terabyte Me, and short labels like ARCHIVE and PHOTOS.

About hard drive names

Every external hard drive, SSD and USB stick shows up with a name, and the factory one is rarely worth keeping. A good name tells you what is on the drive, or at least makes you smile when it mounts. This list has 500 name suggestions for any kind of storage: a hard disk in a desktop, a portable drive, a flash drive on a keychain, a NAS volume or a single partition.

The largest group is storage metaphors, places where things get kept: The Vault, Junk Drawer, The Attic, Shoebox of Photos, Cold Storage. Backup drives get their own jokes (Plan B, Backup Betty, Just in Case, Future Me Says Thanks), and there are hoard names, puns on bytes, disks and files (Terabyte Me, Lord of the Files, Cache and Carry), and wordplay for thumb drives, solid state drives and RAID boxes, from Thumbelina to Raiders of the Lost Archive. A small slice borrows famous fictional containers such as Pensieve and Bag of Holding.

About one name in seven is a short all-caps label of 11 characters or fewer, the plain style many drives carry: ARCHIVE, PHOTOS, MEDIA_01. Label rules for length, case and symbols depend on how a drive is formatted, so check what yours accepts before you rename it.

How to choose hard drive names

  • Name the drive for its job. PHOTOS, FOOTAGE or Backup Betty tells you what you are holding when three identical drives are sitting in a drawer, and a pun alone will not.
  • Give a backup pair matching names. Evil Twin and Doppelganger, or Plan B and Plan C, make it obvious which drives belong together and which one is the copy.
  • Keep it short if the drive moves between devices. A long joke name can be cut off or refused by a TV, a car stereo or a camera, while a short plain label usually shows in full. Check what your device accepts.
  • Write the same name on the case. A strip of tape or a sticker on the enclosure that matches the name on screen saves you from plugging in every drive to find the right one.
  • Leave personal details out. A drive can be lost or lent, so skip your full name, address or account names and choose something that says nothing about you.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good name for an external hard drive?

Storage metaphors are the classic choice: The Vault, The Attic, Junk Drawer, Treasure Chest and Black Box. For a backup drive, try Plan B, Safety Net or Just in Case, and for a plain working drive a short label such as ARCHIVE or PROJECTS is hard to beat.

What should I name a USB stick or flash drive?

Small drives suit small jokes. Thumb drive puns like Thumbelina, Tom Thumb and Rule of Thumb, stick puns like Glue Stick and Joystick, and flash puns like Flash Mob and News Flash are all on the list. If the stick has one job, a label such as BOOT_USB, INSTALLER or TRANSFER is clearer.

Can a drive name have spaces, lowercase letters or symbols?

It depends on how the drive is formatted and on the device reading it. Some setups accept long mixed-case names with spaces, and others take only short labels in capital letters. That is why the list has both kinds. Try your favorite, and if it is refused or shortened, try a shorter, plainer one.

How do I rename a hard drive?

On most computers you select the drive in the file manager and choose Rename, or open its properties and type a new name. Renaming changes only the label, not the files on the drive, though shortcuts or backup software that point to the old name may need updating. Close anything that is using the drive first.

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All 500 hard drive names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 6 names

  • Acorn Cache
  • Air RAID
  • Aladdin's Cave
  • Ancient History
  • ARCHIVE
  • Archive Archie

B: 48 names

  • B-Roll
  • Back Catalog
  • Backpack
  • BACKUP
  • Backup Betty
  • Backup Dancer
  • Backup of the Backup
  • Backup Quarterback
  • Backup Singer
  • Bad Sector
  • Bag of Holding
  • Bait Bucket
  • Bank Vault
  • BASEMENT
  • Batcave
  • Bay Watch
  • Belt and Suspenders
  • Bento Box
  • Better Safe Than Sorry
  • BIG_DISK
  • Bill's PC
  • Biscuit Tin
  • Bit Barn
  • Bit by Bit
  • Bits and Bytes
  • Black Box
  • Black Hole
  • Blind Data
  • Body Double
  • Bookshelf
  • Boot Hill
  • BOOT_USB
  • Bootstrap
  • Bottom Drawer
  • Bottomless Pit
  • Bowerbird Bower
  • Box of Negatives
  • Boxcar
  • Brain Attic
  • Breadbox
  • Breadstick
  • Break Glass
  • Bridge to Terabytia
  • Broom Closet
  • Buried Treasure
  • Button Tin
  • Byte Club
  • Byte Sized

C: 34 names

  • Cache and Carry
  • Cache Me Outside
  • Cache Register
  • Caddy Shack
  • Camel Hump
  • Camera Roll
  • CAMERA_A
  • Canopic Jar
  • Canteen
  • Captain's Log
  • Cargo Hold
  • Cartridge Slot
  • Cave of Wonders
  • Cedar Chest
  • Chest Freezer
  • Chipmunk Cheeks
  • Chunky
  • CLONE
  • Coat Check
  • Coat Closet
  • Cold Hard Cache
  • Cold Spare
  • Cold Storage
  • Collector's Edition
  • Complete Collection
  • Compost Heap
  • Compressed Feelings
  • Copy That
  • Core Sample
  • Corn Crib
  • Crown Jewels
  • Ctrl S
  • Cubbyhole
  • Cutting Room Floor

D: 36 names

  • Das Boot
  • DASHCAM
  • DATA
  • Data and Confused
  • Data Dungeon
  • Data Lake House
  • Data McDataface
  • Data Mine
  • Data Night
  • Data Silo
  • Datapalooza
  • Davy Jones' Locker
  • Deep Freeze
  • Digital Hoarder
  • Disk Is the Remix
  • Disk Jockey
  • Disk-o Ball
  • Disk-o Inferno
  • Ditto
  • Do Over
  • DO_NOT_WIPE
  • Docking Bay
  • DOCUMENTS
  • Doggy Bag
  • Dongle Bells
  • Doppelganger
  • Dragon's Hoard
  • Drive Me Crazy
  • Drive Time Radio
  • Drive-In Theater
  • Drivey McDriveface
  • Driving Miss Data
  • DRONE
  • Drumstick
  • Duffel Bag
  • Dwarven Vault

E: 14 names

  • East Wing
  • EBOOKS
  • EDITS
  • Eject Button
  • El Dorado
  • Elephant Memory
  • Emergency Exit
  • Enclosure Act
  • Ender Chest
  • Endless Hallway
  • Escape Pod
  • Evil Twin
  • Exa Marks the Spot
  • EXPORTS

F: 24 names

  • FAMILY
  • Fanny Pack
  • FIELDNOTES
  • File Hotel
  • File Mignon
  • Filing Cabinet
  • Film Vault
  • FINAL_FINAL
  • Fire Extinguisher
  • FIRMWARE
  • First Aid Kit
  • Flash Card
  • Flash Dance
  • Flash Flood
  • Flash in the Pan
  • Flash Mob
  • Flight Recorder
  • FOOTAGE
  • Footlocker
  • Fort Knox
  • Fortress of Solitude
  • FRAGILE
  • Fragment of Imagination
  • Future Me Says Thanks

G: 17 names

  • GAMELIB
  • Giga Bites
  • Gigabyte Garage
  • Glove Compartment
  • Glue Stick
  • Goblin Vault
  • Gold Mine
  • Grain Silo
  • Grand Canyon
  • Grandfather Father Son
  • GRANDKIDS
  • Greased Lightning
  • Great Divide
  • Greatest Hits
  • Green Thumb
  • Gringotts
  • Gym Locker

H: 21 names

  • Hall Locker
  • Hammerspace
  • Hamster Pouch
  • HANDLE_CARE
  • Handy Haversack
  • Hard Disk Cafe
  • Hard Knock Drive
  • Hat Box
  • Hay Loft
  • Head Crash Helmet
  • Hippocampus
  • Hoard Mode
  • Holocron
  • Home Sweet Home Folder
  • Home Sweet NAS
  • HOME_VIDEO
  • Hope Chest
  • Horcrux
  • Hot Spare
  • Hot Swap
  • Hyperdrive

I: 7 names

  • Ice Core
  • Infinite Shelf
  • Inode What You Did
  • INSTALLER
  • Insurance Policy
  • Inventory Screen
  • Island of Misfit Files

J: 6 names

  • Jedi Archives
  • Jewelry Box
  • Joystick
  • JUNK
  • Junk Drawer
  • Just in Case

K: 9 names

  • Kangaroo Pocket
  • Keep Everything
  • KEEP_SAFE
  • Keepsake Box
  • Key Fob
  • KEYCHAIN
  • KIDS_PICS
  • King's Ransom
  • Kitchen Drawer

L: 19 names

  • Land of Lost Files
  • Lanyard Legend
  • Last Known Good
  • Last Tuesday
  • Laundry Basket
  • Left Luggage
  • LIBRARY
  • Library of Alexandria
  • Library of Babel
  • Life Raft
  • Lifeboat
  • Little Buddy
  • Long Drive Home
  • Long Term Memory
  • Loot Bag
  • Lord of the Files
  • Lossless Cause
  • Lucky Cluster
  • Lunchbox

M: 32 names

  • Magpie Nest
  • Mail Room
  • Mariana Trench
  • Mason Jar
  • Matchstick
  • MEDIA
  • MEDIA_01
  • Megabite Sandwich
  • Megabyte Motel
  • Memory Alpha
  • Memory Box
  • Memory Lane
  • Message in a Bottle
  • Microfiche Drawer
  • Midnight RAID
  • Might Need It Someday
  • Milk Crate
  • Mind Palace
  • Mine Shaft
  • Mines of Moria
  • MIRROR
  • Mirror Image
  • Mirror Mirror
  • Mixtape
  • Money Bin
  • Mother Lode
  • Mount Point Everest
  • MOVIES
  • Moving Van
  • Mulligan
  • MUSIC
  • Music Box

N: 11 names

  • NAS and Furious
  • NASferatu
  • NAStalgia
  • Never Delete Anything
  • NEW_DRIVE
  • News Flash
  • Nibble
  • Nightly Ned
  • Nine Lives
  • No Moving Parts
  • Not a Floppy

O: 6 names

  • OFFSITE
  • Offsite Otto
  • OLD_LAPTOP
  • OLD_STUFF
  • Oops Insurance
  • Overdrive

P: 31 names

  • Pack Rat
  • Pandora's Box
  • Parity Party
  • Partition Impossible
  • Pelican Pouch
  • Pen Pal
  • Pensieve
  • Peta Bread
  • Peta Pan
  • Petty Cache
  • Photo Album
  • Photo Bunker
  • PHOTOS
  • Pickle Jar
  • Picnic Basket
  • Pieces of Eight
  • Pixel Pantry
  • Plan B
  • Plan C
  • Platter Chatter
  • PLAYGROUND
  • Plug and Pray
  • PO Box
  • Pocket Dimension
  • PODCAST
  • Port Authority
  • Portable Hole
  • Pot of Gold
  • PRINTS_3D
  • Projection Booth
  • PROJECTS

Q: 2 names

  • Quest Log
  • Quicksilver

R: 29 names

  • Raccoon Den
  • RAID Night
  • RAID Party
  • Raiders of the Lost Archive
  • Rank and File
  • Rare Books Room
  • RAW_PHOTOS
  • Read Write Repeat
  • READ_ONLY
  • Record Crate
  • RECOVERY
  • Redundant Rita
  • Reel to Reel
  • Reference Desk
  • Regret Prevention
  • Reliquary
  • RENDERS
  • RESCUE
  • Restore Point
  • Risky Disk-ness
  • ROADTRIP
  • Rock Solid
  • Roof Rack
  • Room of Requirement
  • Root Cellar
  • Royal Treasury
  • Rucksack
  • Rule of Thumb
  • Rusty Platters

S: 77 names

  • Saddlebag
  • Safe Deposit Box
  • Safely Removed
  • Safety Net
  • Salvage Yard
  • SAMPLES
  • SANDBOX
  • Sarcophagus
  • Save Ferris
  • Save File
  • Save the Date
  • Saved by the Bell
  • Savey Jones
  • Saving Grace
  • SCANS
  • SCHOOL
  • Scrapbook
  • SCRATCH
  • Scratch Pad
  • Scroll Case
  • Sea Chest
  • Seatbelt
  • Second Brain
  • Second Chance
  • Sediment Layer
  • Seed Vault
  • Seek and Ye Shall Find
  • Seek Time
  • Selfie Stick
  • Send in the Clones
  • Sewing Kit
  • Ship's Log
  • Shipping Container
  • Shoebox
  • Shoebox of Photos
  • Shulker Box
  • SHUTTLE
  • Silent Partner

S, continued

  • Single File
  • Sir Saves-a-Lot
  • Slash Home
  • Sled Dog
  • Smaug's Hoard
  • Smoke Detector
  • SNAPSHOT
  • Snapshot Sally
  • SNEAKERNET
  • Sneakernet Express
  • Solid Citizen
  • Solid State of Mind
  • Spare Me
  • Spare Tire
  • Special Collections
  • Speed Demon
  • Spice Rack
  • Spin Doctor
  • Spinning Rust
  • Spitting Image
  • Squirrel Cache
  • State of the Art
  • Steamer Trunk
  • Stick Figure
  • Stick in the Mud
  • Stick With Me
  • STORAGE
  • Storage Closet
  • Storage Shed
  • Storage Unit B
  • Stripe Hype
  • Strongbox
  • STUFF
  • Stunt Double
  • Suitcase
  • Sunday Drive
  • Sunken Galleon
  • Supply Closet
  • Swap Meet

T: 49 names

  • Tackle Box
  • Tarball
  • TARDIS
  • Tera Firma
  • Tera Incognita
  • Tera Nova
  • Terabyte Me
  • Terabyte Terrace
  • Test Drive
  • The Abyss
  • The Annex
  • The Ark
  • The Attic
  • The Before Times
  • The Boneyard
  • The Cinema
  • The Darkroom
  • The Icebox
  • The Landfill
  • The Larder
  • The Ledger
  • The Monolith
  • The Obelisk
  • The Other Backup
  • The Other Half
  • The Pantry
  • The Quiet One
  • The Shed
  • The Stacks
  • The Stockroom
  • The Understudy
  • The Vault
  • The Whole Enchilada
  • Three Two One Rule
  • THUMB
  • Thumbelina
  • Thumbs Up
  • Time Vault
  • TIMELAPSE
  • TINY_USB
  • Tom Thumb
  • Total Recall
  • Toy Chest
  • TRANSFER
  • Treasure Chest
  • Treasure Island
  • Tree Rings
  • Trunk Space
  • Twice Is Nice

U: 2 names

  • Undo Button
  • Unmounted Police

V: 6 names

  • VACATION
  • Version History
  • Video Store
  • Vinyl Shelf
  • VOICEOVER
  • Volume Knob

W: 10 names

  • Walk-In Cooler
  • Wardrobe to Narnia
  • WEDDING
  • Weekly Wanda
  • West Wing
  • Where Files Go to Nap
  • Whoops Proof
  • Winter Stores
  • WORK
  • WRITE_ONCE

X: 1 name

  • X Marks the Spot

Y: 2 names

  • Yesterday's Copy
  • You'll Thank Me Later

Z: 1 name

  • Zip It