Samsung T5

When using the Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive or Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive, you may experience slow speeds.

If you think your external SSD is too slow when it comes to reading, transfer and writing, then you can check out this tutorial at Seeking Tech for some potential fixes.

Before we being, we should note that this guide is intended for all capacity versions of the Samsung T5, T7 and T7 Touch. The list should include the following model numbers:

Samsung T5:

• MU-PA250B
• MU-PA500B
• MU-PA1T0B
• MU-PA2T0B

Samsung T7:

• MU-PC500H
• MU-PC500R
• MU-PC500T
• MU-PC1T0H
• MU-PC1T0R
• MU-PC1T0T
• MU-PC2T0H
• MU-PC2T0R
• MU-PC2T0T

Samsung T7:

• MU-PC500
• MU-PC500S
• MU-PC1T0
• MU-PC1T0S
• MU-PC2T0
• MU-PC2T0S

Potential Solution #1: Using a Different USB Cable and/or USB Port.

The slowdown issues with your T5, T7 or T7 Touch could be related to the USB cable and/or USB port.

For the USB cable, we recommend that you use the same cable that came packed into the retail box of your external solid state drive.

If you don’t have the USB cable that came with your Samsung SSD, then you need to find one that is compatible with USB 3.1 Gen2 interface of the Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive or the USB 3.2 Gen2 interface of the Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive and Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive.

You should also try using another USB port on the connected device. This is because the USB port that you are currently using may be a lower USB specification (which will result in slower speed) or potentially damaged. The USB port should match the aforementioned USB interfaces, which is USB 3.2 Gen2 for the T5 or USB 3.2 Gen2 for the T7 and T7 Touch.

If using a different USB cable or USB port does not make your SSD faster, you can try using your external drive with another device as the current device you are connecting your solid state drive to may have speed bottlenecks that prevent your external SSD from reaching its full performance potential.

Potential Solution #2: Freeing Up Space

Your Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive or Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive will perform slower if they are near full capacity due to how solid state drives access data. Therefore, we recommend leaving at least 15% of free space on your SSD.

Thus, you need to delete or transfer any of the files you don’t plan on using on your external storage drive until you meet our recommended percentage of free space.

Afterwards, you can try testing the speed of your SSD again to see if it is no longer slow during reading, transferring and/or writing.

Potential Solution #3: Enabling Write Cache on Windows 10

If you are experience slow writing speeds when you connect your external Samsung storage drive on a Windows 10 computer, then you can try enabling Write Cache.

In order to enable write cache, you need to do the following:

1. Locate the icon that represents your Samsung solid state drive in Windows 10.

2. Right click the icon.

3. In the pop-up menu, select Properties.

4. Next, you need to select the Policies tab.

5. Check the box right next to Enable write caching on the device.

6. Select OK to confirm the change.

Enabling write caching should help speed up the performance of your SSD when it comes to writing data. However, you may experience corrupted and/or loss data if the writing process gets interrupted (such as during a power outage or USB cable being disconnected).

Potential Solution #4: Updating the Firmware for T5, T7 or T7 Touch

Updating the firmware for your T5, T7 or T7 Touch may also help improve performance.

You can only update the firmware of your Samsung external storage drive through the Samsung Portable SSD Software. When updating, you should make sure that your SSD isn’t busy reading, writing or transferring data.

To find out how you can upgrade the firmware for the Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive or Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive, you can check out this guide.

Potential Solution #5: Contacting Samsung

If you are still having speed issues even after trying all of the aforementioned fixes and your Samsung external drive, and you are still covered under warranty, then you can try contacting Samsung to see if they are willing to fix your problems.

Your computer or device may not recognize your T5 Portable Solid State Drive, T7 Portable Solid State Drive and T7 Portable Solid State Drive.

If you are having issues with our external Samsung SSD not properly being detected on your PC, Mac and/or other devices, then you can check out this troubleshooting tutorial from Seeking Tech.

Before we start, we should note that this guide will cover all capacity versions of the Samsung T5, T7 and T7 Touch. The list should include the following model numbers:

• MU-PA250B
• MU-PA500B
• MU-PA1T0B
• MU-PA2T0B
• MU-PC500R
• MU-PC500H
• MU-PC500T
• MU-PC1T0R
• MU-PC1T0H
• MU-PC1T0T
• MU-PC2T0R
• MU-PC2T0H
• MU-PC2T0T
• MU-PC500
• MU-PC500S
• MU-PC1T0
• MU-PC1T0S
• MU-PC2T0
• MU-PC2T0S

Using Correct File Format for T5, T7 and T7 Touch

The first step we recommend taking is to check the file format of your Samsung T5, T7 or T7 Touch.

Be default, the T5, T7 and T7 Touch SSDs are pre-formatted using the exFAT file system. This format is recognized by Mac and Windows operating systems for reading and writing data.

If you changed the file system to NTFS, then your Windows device should still be able to read and write data. For Mac, you can only read off of your external drive for NTFS.

For the HFS file system, Windows will not be able to recognize your SSD. For Mac, you can read and write data with HFS.

So, for best compatibility across multiple devices, we recommend using the exFAT format for your Samsung T5 Portable SSD, Samsung T7 Portable SSD or Samsung T7 Portable SSD.

Check Your USB connections

The next step we recommend taking is to check your USB connections.

Make sure that the USB connectors and ports aren’t dirty. You should also check to see if the cables to fully connected.

Furthermore, you can try using different cables. We recommend using the USB cables that came with your external drive as other cables could lead to compatibility issues.

It is also important to note that the connected device may not be able to detect your T5, T7 or T7 Touch if you are using an USB 2.0 port and the electrical current exceeds the 500 mA maximum limit.

How to fix “No Samsung Portable SSD is connected” error on Mac

If you see the “No Samsung Portable SSD is connected” error message when using the Samsung Portable SSD software on a Mac, then it is due to a security feature that was introduced in the macOS High Sierra 10.13.

This feature basically requires your approvals for installations of third-party software that aren’t directly distributed by Apple.

To fix this issue, close the Samsung Portable SSD Software. Afterwards, select “Security & Privacy” from the “System Preferences” menu. Locate the “System software from developer Samsung Electronics was blocked from loading” message and then click the “Allow” option.

Disconnect and then reconnect your T5, T7 or T7 Touch and then open the Samsung Portable SSD Software.

How to fix detection issues with T5, T7 or T7 Touch on M1 and macOS Big Sur

If your new Mac, which comes equipped the Apple M1 chip and macOS Big Sur, is having issues detecting your T5, T7 or T7 or T7 Touch, then it is likely due to same aforementioned policy where a user approval is required for installing third-party software that aren’t directly distributed by Apple.

To resolve this issue on your Mac, you need to go to Utilities and then Startup Security Utility. Afterwards, you need to select “Security Policy” and then “Reduced Security.” Here, you need to make sure that the box is checked for “Allow user management of kernel extensions from identified developers.”

After checking the aforementioned box, restart your Mac.

Download and then install “Portable SSD Software 1.0 for Mac (The macOS Big Sur user’s only)” from the Samsung official website. Make sure that you are downloading the right version of the program as there are multiple versions.

How to resolve conflicts between Samsung Portable SSD Driver and SAT SMART Driver

If you are using your T5, T7 or T7 Touch on a mac OS X that has the SAT SMART Driver, then you may run into issues with your SSD not showing up in some products.

To resolve this issue, you need to delete the Samsung Portable SSD Driver. To do so, first disconnect your solid state drive from your Mac.

Next, you need to use osascript with the CleanupAll.scpt file located in the directory of the Samsung Portable SSD software (which you can find at Home > Library > Application Support > PortableSSD).

Keep in mind that, by removing the Samsung Portable SSD Driver, you won’t be able to use the security mode of your T5, T7 or T7 Touch.

Game Consoles

If your PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, PS5 Digital Edition, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Seies S and/or Xbox Series X don’t recognize the external Samsung SSD, then you need to disable the security mode on your drive. This is because the security mode will require a password in order to unlock the solid state drive.

To see how you can remove password protection, you can check out this tutorial.

Contacting Samsung

If the connected device still can’t find your SSD even after you follow all of the aforementioned potential fixes, and you are still under warranty, then we recommend contacting Samsung support as you may have a defective storage drive.

Improperly ejecting, removing and unmounting an external solid state drive from Samsung may end up causing issues. You can check out this tutorial at Seeking Tech to see how you can safely disconnect the T5 Portable SSD, T7 Portable SSD and T7 Touch Portable SSD.

This guide is going to cover all capacities of the Samsung T5, T7 and T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drives. You can find the model numbers for each product below:

Samsung T5 Portable:

• MU-PA250B
• MU-PA500B
• MU-PA1T0B
• MU-PA2T0B

Samsung T7 Portable:

• MU-PC500R
• MU-PC500H
• MU-PC500T
• MU-PC1T0R
• MU-PC1T0H
• MU-PC1T0T
• MU-PC2T0R
• MU-PC2T0H
• MU-PC2T0T

Samsung T7 Touch Portable:

• MU-PC500
• MU-PC500S
• MU-PC1T0
• MU-PC1T0S
• MU-PC2T0
• MU-PC2T0S

What happens if you do not safely eject, remove or unmount the T5, T7 and T7 Touch?

If you did not safely eject, remove or unmount your Samsung external drive, then you risk losing data and potential damaging the SSD hardware.

Unfortunately, Samsung is not liable to cover the loss of data and/or hardware damages caused by unplugging the external storage drive incorrectly.

How to safely remove T5, T7 and T7 Touch on Windows PC

In order to safely eject the T5, T7 or T7 Touch when it is connected to a Windows PC, you need to take the following steps:

1. First off, you need to make sure that your SSD is not currently not reading, writing or transferring any data.

2. On Windows, you should need to select the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon on the taskbar. If you don’t see it, select “Show hidden icons” on the taskbar and you should find it on the pop-up menu.

3. Identify and then select your T5, T7 or T7 Touch.

4. On the pop-up menu, you will find the option to eject your external solid state drive.

5. If you can’t find the “Safely Remove Hardware” icon, then you can go to Start > Settings > Devices. You should be able to find your SSD here.

6. Click on your solid state drive and then select the “Remove device” option.

6. After ejecting your external drive, you can now safely disconnect the SSD without having to worry about potentially losing data or damaging your external drive.

How to safely eject T5, T7 and T7 Touch on Mac

If you want to safely unmount your Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive and Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive on a Macintosh, then you need to do the following:

1. Make sure that your external SSD is currently not reading, writing or transferring data. If it is, then you should wait until it is done with its tasks before continuing.

2. On Mac, you can then do one of the following:

Drag the icon that represents your Samsung SSD into the Trash.

Select the icon that represents your external drive. Afterwards, select “File” and then “Eject.”

Select the Finder sidebar, locate your SSD and then select the “Eject” button.

3. After ejecting the T5, T7 or T7 Touch, you should be able to remove it from your Mac without causing any harm.

How to safely remove T5, T7 and T7 Touch on consoles

In order to safely eject the Samsung T5, T7 or T7 Touch from a home console (such as the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, Xbox One, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X), you can do the following:

1. As always, make sure that your solid state drive aren’t currently being used. If you are playing a game directly off of it, make sure you close the game. If you are downloading or transferring using the external storage drive, wait until the tasks are completed before ejecting it.

2. Once the coast is clear, you can simply turn off the console. You should make sure that your system is completely powered down and not in rest mode.

3. Once your system is turned off, wait for a little bit in order to give some time for your external Samsung SSD to powered down as well.

4. After the wait, you should be able to safely disconnect your T5, T7 or T7 Touch without causing any issues.

You can also eject your external Samsung SSD while your PS5 is turned on. To find out how to do so, you can check out this guide.

The Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive and Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive, all feature upgradeable firmware.

You can check out this tutorial from Seeking Tech to see how can update to the latest firmware versions of these SSDs.

This guide will be covering all capacity sizes of the T5, T7 and T7 Touch. The list includes the following model numbers:

Samsung T5 Portable SSD:

• 250 GB: MU-PA250B
• 500 GB: MU-PA500B
• 1 TB: MU-PA1T0B
• 2 TB: MU-PA2T0B

Samsung T7 Portable SSD:

• 500 GB: MU-PC500R, MU-PC500H and MU-PC500T
• 1 TB: MU-PC1T0R, MU-PC1T0H and MU-PC1T0T
• 2 TB: MU-PC2T0R, MU-PC2T0H and MU-PC2T0T

Samsung T7 Touch Portable SSD:

• 500 GB: MU-PC500 and MU-PC500S
• 1 TB: MU-PC1T0 and MU-PC1T0S
• 2 TB: MU-PC2T0 and MU-PC2T0S

Requirements

You can only update the firmware of the Samsung T5, T7 or T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive by using the Samsung Portable SSD Software.

If you don’t have this program already installed on your Mac or Windows PC, then you can download it from the official Samsung website. After you finished downloading the file, make sure you install the Samsung Portable SSD Software on your computer.

How to update firmware for T5, T7 and T7 Touch

To update the firmware for your Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive or Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive, you need to take the following steps:

1. Connect your solid state drive to the USB Type-A port or USB Type-C port of the computer that have the Samsung Portable SSD Software.

2. If the Samsung Portable SSD Software doesn’t automatically launch, make sure you manually open the program.

3. If you turned on the Security Mode for your T5 or T7, then you will need to input your password in order to unlock the solid state drive.

If you turned on the Security Mode for your T7 Touch, then you need to input your password and/or use your fingerprint to unlock the solid state drive.

If you can’t unlock your SSD, then you won’t be able to update its firmware. To find out how you can unlock your T5, T7 or T7 Touch without using a password or fingerprint, you can check out this tutorial.

4. You should also make sure that your SSD isn’t being used when you are updating its firmware. If your drive is copying, deleting or formatting at the same time as it is being updated, then this may cause damage to the T5, T7 or T7 Touch.

So, you should wait until your Samsung SSD finished all of its tasks before starting the update.

5. With your solid state drive unlocked, you should see the “Update” option on the lower left side of the menu in the Samsung Portable SSD Software. Select that option.

6. In the Update menu, you will see the options to update the Samsung Portable SSD Software and the solid state drive hardware. Select the option to update the software first if there is a new version available.

7. Once the Samsung Portable SSD Software has done updating, select the refresh option in the Update menu to see the latest updated firmware information for the software.

8. Once the software’s firmware is up to date, you can then update the firmware for your T5, T7 or T7 Touch in the same Update menu. During the update process, make sure you don’t disconnect the SSD from your computer as doing so may cause damage.

9. Once you installed the new firmware version of your SSD hardware, select the refresh option from the Update menu once again to view the latest updated firmware version of the hardware.

10. If you want to enable the option to automatically update to the latest available firmware version when you connect your T5, T7 or T7 Touch to your computer, you can enable that setting by turning on the “Check for Update Automatically” option located in the aforementioned Update menu.

The Samsung T5, T7 and T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drives feature a password protection security mode that you can use to locked data stored on the SSD in order to prevent others from assessing.

You can check out this tutorial from Seeking Tech to seek how you can change, remove and recover the password that you used on your T5, T7 or T7 Touch.

Model Numbers

This guide will cover all capacities of the Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive and Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive.

You can find the model numbers of the products we will be covering in this tutorial below:

Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive:

• MU-PA250B
• MU-PA500B
• MU-PA1T0B
• MU-PA2T0B

Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive:

• MU-PC500R
• MU-PC500H
• MU-PC500T
• MU-PC1T0R
• MU-PC1T0H
• MU-PC1T0T
• MU-PC2T0R
• MU-PC2T0H
• MU-PC2T0T

Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive:

• MU-PC500
• MU-PC500S
• MU-PC1T0
• MU-PC1T0S
• MU-PC2T0
• MU-PC2T0S

Samsung Portable SSD Software

You can change your password for your T5, T7 or T7 Touch through the Samsung Portable SSD Software.

So, if you haven’t done so already, you can download the program for Windows PC or Mac with this link.

How to change password for Samsung T5, T7 and T7 Touch

In order to change the password for your Samsung T5 Portable SSD, Samsung T7 Portable SSD or Samsung T7 Touch Portable SSD, you need to take the following steps:

1. Connect your external storage drive to the Windows PC or Mac that have the aforementioned Samsung Portable SSD Software installed.

2. Once your computer detects your external SSD, you should see the password screen from the Samsung Portable SSD Software program.

3. Enter the password you have previously set for your solid state drive and then click the “Unlock” option located underneath.

4. With your external drive fully unlocked, select the Settings option from the main menu of the Samsung Portable SSD Software.

5. In the Settings menu, Select the Change option to the right of Password.

6. In the next screen, you need to input your current password, the new password and repeat the new password again.

For your password, you can input anywhere between 4 to 16 characters. Spaces aren’t accepted as characters.

7. Once you are done inputting the password fields, click on the Save button located on the bottom to confirm your password change.

How to remove password protection for Samsung T5, T7 and T7 Touch

If you no longer want to use password protection for your Samsung T5, Samsung T7 or Samsung T7 Touch, then you need to do the following:

1. Connect your external Samsung SSD to a Windows PC or Mac with the Samsung Portable SSD Software installed.

2. In the Samsung Portable SSD Software program, enter your password and then click the Unlock option in order to fully unlock the external drive.

3. In the main menu of the Samsung Portable SSD Software, select the Settings option.

5. In the Settings menu, you should see the Security Mode. You need to set the Security Mode setting to OFF in order to remove the password protection for your external drive.

How to recover password for Samsung T5, T7 and T7 Touch

Unfortunately, you can’t recover a password with the Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive or Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive.

If you want to access any files you have stored on the external drive, then you will be out of luck unless you can remember the password you previously set.

If you don’t mind losing all of the data currently stored on your external Samsung drive in order to remove its password protection, then you can do a factory reset. In order to reset your SSD to its factory settings, you will need to do so through an online service by a Samsung Service Center.

If you want to know what are the major differences between the Samsung T5 Portable Solid State Drive, Samsung T7 Portable Solid State Drive and Samsung T7 Touch Portable Solid State Drive, then you can take a look at our comparison guide.