16 best laptop bags that look stylish and keep your tech safe

Whether you lug your laptop to work every day or take it with you when you jet off on holiday, it’s time you show your tech a little more love by investing in one of the best laptop bags on the market. With everything from important documents to precious photos stored on our laptops, we don’t want to risk damaging, or even scratching, these essential, pricey pieces of kit while we’re out and about. However, help is at hand, as the best laptop bags are specially designed to keep your device safe and protect it from sudden downpours during your commute.

These bags usually have a padded pocket for the machine itself and sometimes have room to store extras, including cables and chargers. Laptop bags come in all shapes and sizes, so you won’t always need to look like you’re on your way to a meeting, either. With everything from smart leather messenger bags to casual backpacks and roomy totes available, think about whether you’ll need to cram your gym kit or a bottle of water in the same bag, or even if you’ll want the bag to double up as luggage during a weekend away.

Most importantly, check the size of the laptop the bag will fit before parting with your cash. While it needs to be large enough to hold your device, it’s also not a good idea to choose a bag far bigger than your machine, as having it move around too much could risk it being damaged.

How we tested the best laptop bags

We stashed our own laptop inside every bag we tested and carried each to meetings, on public transport and even on work trips away. We considered how much protection each bag gave our device and what else we could carry inside the bag at the same time. We also looked at how sturdy the zips were, if the bags were waterproof, how practical they would be for long-term use and whether it looked good enough to use every day.

The best laptop bags for 2024 are: