The benefits of a flash drive are as endless as the names the technology goes by. Often referred to as a memory stick or thumb drive, an USB flash drive is a small, versatile component that stores and transfers your files. Whether used as the primary source of file and data storage or as a back-up, a flash drive is, quite literally, there to help you in a flash. The plug-and-play design of a USB memory stick negates the need for cables, cords or batteries. Store data like photos, videos or documents on something as small as your thumb. USB flash drives plug directly into a USB port that’s part of your internal hard drive on your laptop or computer, or it can plug into the USB port on any external hard drive, making the flash drive a super flexible computer accessory you can take and access anywhere.

A jump drive is a great solution if your job keeps you on-the-go and you quickly need your data and documents at your fingertips. A jump drive is great for personal travel, too, so you can keep all of your documents in one small, secure place. You can install operating systems directly on a thumb drive as well, saving storage capacity on your hard drive.

The best flash drive will largely depend on how much storage capacity you need. If you’re using the USB stick as your primary source of storage, you’ll want more capacity. Flash drive capacity is measured in gigabytes (GB) so the high number of GBs the memory stick has, the more you’ll be able to store. A 128 GB flash drive and 256 GB flash drive are both popular among thumb drive fans who need to back up file formats like word documents or photos, and even some videos depending on their file size. A 512 GB flash drive has the storage capacity to back up your entire hard drive, able to store and transfer 4K and HD videos and high-resolution files more quickly than flash drives with less gigabytes.

USB flash drives are great because they’re small, but that can also mean memory sticks are easy to lose. A proactive way to prevent this worry is to look for a password protected USB; that way, if the thumb drive falls into the wrong hands, the data that’s stored will be kept safe. USB hubs and cables are a great way to get more ports for your flash drives if your hard drive is limited to just a few outputs. All 3.0 USB flash drives are backward compatible with 2.0 USBs.