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Article ID : 00198184 / Last Modified : 10/02/2018

Can I Use a USB Hard Disk Drive on My Android TV?

Applicable Products and Categories of This Article

Your USB Hard Disk Drives (HDD) must meet the following specifications for use on your Android TV™ device. We can't guarantee operation with all HDDs.

Supported File System and Maximum Drive Size

Check the maximum drive size according to the supported file system:

  • FAT16
    • 2GB of playback (videos, photos, and music)
    • 2GB for storage
  • FAT32
    • 2TB of playback (videos, photos, and music)
      • The maximum file size that you can save on the HDD is 4GB.
    • 256GB for storage
  • exFAT and NTFS
    • 16TB for playback (videos, photos, and music)
    • 256GB for storage

Note: Format the HDD on your TV before use. This feature is available for TVs with Android™ 6.0 Marshmallow operating system (OS) and later.

  • Use 256GB HDDs or smaller for TVs with Android 6.0 OS.
  • Use 256GB HDD or larger for TVs with Android 7.0 Nougat OS.
    • You can only use 256GB for storage.

USB Port Type and Maximum Power Output

  • USB 3.1 Gen 1
    • 900 mA Max.
    • Port label on TV

      USB 3.1 Label

    • Port image
      • USB port is blue.

      USB 3.1

  • USB 2.0
    • 500 mA Max.
    • Port label on TV

      USB 2.0 Label

    • Port image

      USB 2.0

Revolutions per Minute (RPM) and Read/Write Speed

No conditions.

*Android and Android TV are trademarks of Google LLC.