“Can you physically move an HDD external hard drive while it’s plugged in?”

Yes, if you’re careful.

The main thing to remember is that a spinning hard drive acts like a gyroscope, and will resist any movement from its original plane. Move too much/too fast, and you’ll hear it in whining drive bearings or — worst case — the awful scraping sound of a head crash.

But if you really need to move an active, spinning drive, you can: Be slow, steady, and gentle. Avoid any jolts, bumps or sudden movement. Try to keep the drive in as close to its original orientation as possible. (I.E. If the drive is lying horizontal, keep it horizontal as you slowly move it; if it’s standing vertically, move it on in that same orientation.)

If you’re careful and don’t move it any further than you have to; and no more often than you have to; and retain the drive’s original orientation as much as possible; you should be able to move it without damage.

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