Back to school season is almost upon us. To get the job done inside and outside the classroom, you need the best laptop for college students. Plus, you need laptop accessories to get the most out of your device. That's where we come in.

Below we have listed nine of the most essential laptop accessories. These include items such as carrying cases, chargers, and external storage. We have also selected affordable, yet high quality items.

For more back-to-school products, see our Ultimate Back-to-School Buying Guide.

Without further ado, here are 9 of the best back-to-school laptop accessories.

The main reason to buy a laptop is so you can work anywhere. You need to get out of your dorm room, but you may not want people looking over your shoulder to see what you are doing. If you plan to use your laptop outdoors, you need a reliable privacy screen.

Because laptops come in a wide range of screen sizes, you will need to find a privacy filter that fits your specific display; companies like SightPro (opens in new tab) have highly rated filters for 13-inch MacBooks, and 3M (opens in new tab) offers filters in a variety of sizes for almost any laptop. Choosing the best screen privacy filter can be difficult, so user reviews are recommended.

If most of your school work is writing, a laptop with about 256 GB of storage may be fine. However, if you are working on video or audio projects, you will need extra storage, even if your laptop has more than 1TB of space.

This is why the best external hard drive is an important accessory for your laptop. An external hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD) makes it easy to transfer large files between your laptop and external storage. Another great thing about external drives is that they can be found small enough to easily carry in a backpack.

One of our recommendations is the WD My Book. With hardware-based 256-bit AES encryption and WD Backup software, you can get about 4 TB of HDD capacity for about $100. Additionally, up to 18 TB of capacity is available.

To be honest, college dorms and campuses are very noisy. Even the libraries are not entirely free of noise. If you want to work in silence, it's worth investing in noise-canceling headphones.

The best noise-canceling headphones can almost completely obliterate the world around you. Some also have an ambient sound setting if you want to hear ambient sounds around you.

We recommend Sony's WH-1000XM5, which uses two processors to control eight microphones, whereas the XM4 used one processor to control four. However, Sony's overall quality would make the XM5 our #1 choice even if it were not.

While laptops allow you to work from anywhere, they are not necessarily good for your back, as you often hunch over. If you want to maintain good posture, a laptop stand is a must-have. Laptop stands can also help keep your device cool, as they can float the device off the surface in any position.

The Soundance Laptop Stand (opens in new tab) is a highly rated product on Amazon; it is suitable for laptops from 10" to 16" and raises the machine 6". Being made of aluminum, the frame is sturdy and durable. Besides, this product can be disassembled and reassembled in case you need to take it with you on a trip.

If you often work outside, it is important to ensure that your laptop is protected in case it is lost or stolen. For this reason, it is wise to invest in a reliable laptop lock.

The Kensington K64637WW ClickSafe Keyed Laptop Lock (opens in new tab) is a relatively affordable product that is favorably reviewed on Amazon. This lock has a carbon steel cable that prevents someone from disconnecting it. Its durable lock is built to withstand blunt force and is resistant to lock-picking.

Obviously, you will need a backpack for school, but one that is suitable for carrying a laptop computer in addition to your books. There are also many "high-tech" backpacks for carrying electronics and electronic peripherals. These are a great way to keep your electronics and other items safe.

The Matein Travel Laptop Backpack is a product we see all the time on Amazon. This bag can hold up to a 15.6" laptop, because it has plenty of compartments for other items you want to carry. There is also a USB charger on the outside of the backpack and a charging cable built into the inside of the backpack, making it easy to charge electronic devices while on the move. In addition, the backpack is made of water-resistant, durable polyester fabric.

Even if you often carry your laptop in a book bag, it is worth purchasing a carrying sleeve. Not only will a carrying sleeve protect your laptop from dust and debris when not in use, but it will also prevent it from being scratched by whatever you have in your book bag.

The Incase Designs Slim carrying sleeve is best marketed for laptops like the MacBook, but it will hold any 13-inch laptop. Not only is this sleeve slim and stylish, but the soft padding and fur-lined interior should protect your laptop from shocks and scratches.

Even if your laptop has an all-day long battery life, you want to have a portable charger in case the battery runs out. There are thousands of chargers available, but generally you want one that is at least 10,000 mAh and has lots of ports.

We recommend the INIU 20W 20,000mAh power bank, which not only has a 20,000mAh capacity, but also has two USB-A ports and one USB-C port. Some of the best portable chargers and power banks do not have USB-C ports, but the latter is necessary for many modern devices.

Many modern laptops, such as the MacBook Air M2 and Dell XPS Plus, tend to lack an abundance of ports. This is inconvenient if one wants to use additional wired devices such as a keyboard, mouse, external hard drive, or charger. To get extra ports when you need them, you need a USB-C hub.

The EZQuest USB-C Multimedia Hub is an excellent overall product. This device offers 100W of power and a multitude of ports. This includes three USB-A ports, USB-C, HDMI, and Ethernet ports; there are also SDHC and micro SDHC card readers. In addition, this USB-C hub is small and light enough to carry in a backpack.

These are our top recommendations. With a few accessories like these in your backpack, you'll be ready for whatever the new school year brings.