RAM | 4 TB |
---|---|
Hard Drive | 4 TB Mechanical Hard Disk |
Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 1 |
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Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
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Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Amazon Warehouse
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WD 4TB Elements Portable HDD, External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 for PC & Mac, Plug and Play Ready - WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Purchase options and add-ons
Digital Storage Capacity | 4 TB |
Hard Disk Interface | USB 3.0 |
Connectivity Technology | USB |
Brand | WD |
Special Feature | Portable |
Hard Disk Form Factor | 2.5 Inches |
Hard Disk Description | Mechanical Hard Disk |
Compatible Devices | Laptop,Desktop |
Installation Type | External Hard Drive,Internal Hard Drive |
Color | Black |
About this item
- Adding extra storage for your videos, music, photos, and files.Specific uses: Personal
- Transfer data at maximum speed with USB 3.0; USB 2.0 compatible
- Improve PC performance - When your internal hard drive is almost full your PC slows down. Don’t delete files. Free up space on your internal hard drive by transferring files to your WD Elements portable hard drive and get your laptop moving again.
- Plug-and-play ready for Windows PC
- High capacity in a small enclosure – The small, lightweight design offers up to 5TB* capacity, making WD Elements portable hard drives the ideal companion for consumers on the go.
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This Item WD 4TB Elements Portable HDD, External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 for PC & Mac, Plug and Play Ready - WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
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Price | -9% $99.99$99.99 Typical: $109.99 | -10% $90.00$90.00 List: $99.99 | -7% $152.99$152.99 List: $164.99 | -20% $159.94$159.94 List: $199.99 | $139.99$139.99 | -19% $129.99$129.99 List: $159.99 |
Delivery | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3 | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3 | Get it Apr 5 - 12 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Easy to use | 4.6 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
Portability | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.1 |
Storage Capacity | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 |
Tech Support | 4.1 | 4.2 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
Durability | 4.3 | 4.4 | — | — | 4.5 | 4.5 |
Sold By | Amazon.com | 1discountstore | 212 Distributors (blue light serial #'s recorded) | Amazon.com | MINHA-NY | Amazon.com |
storage capacity | 4 TB | 4 TB | 4 TB | 2 TB | 3 TB | 6 TB |
hardware interface | usb3.0, usb2.0 | usb | usb c, thunderbolt | usb3.1 c | usb3.0 | usb2.0, usb3.0 |
compatible devices | Laptop,Desktop | Desktop, Laptop | Desktop | Laptop, Desktop, Tablet | PC, Mac | Desktop, Laptop |
form factor | 3.5-inch | Portable | Portable | Portable | 3.5-inch | Desktop |
read speed | — | — | 130 megabytes per second | 1050 megabytes per second | — | 113.5 megabytes per second |
From the manufacturer
Plug-and-play portable storage.
Connect this portable drive to your PC for an instant storage upgrade. WD Elements is the ideal companion for taking important files with you on the go.
- Available in capacities up to 5TB
- SuperSpeed USB-A cable for transfers up to 5Gbps
- 2-year limited warranty
- Comes formatted for Windows 10, 8.1, and 7.1. Compatible with Mac and other operating systems after reformatting
What's Included
Along with the portable hard drive, you get a quick install guide and a SuperSpeed USB-A cable (5Gbps) to effortlessly connect your device and transport your files.
Big capacity in a small device
Available in capacities up to 5TB, take your photos, videos, music and other files wherever you go.
Improve PC performance
Get your computer moving again by transferring files to your WD Elements drive.
USB 3.0/2.0 compatible
With USB 3.0 connectivity, transfer files to and from your WD Elements portable drive with ease.
Easy setup with fast rates
Simply connect the WD Elements Portable to your device with the included cable to start transferring your files.
Explore WD HDDs
WD Elements Portable | WD Elements Desktop | WD My Book Desktop | My Passport HDD | My Passport Ultra HDD | |
Customer Reviews
|
4.7 out of 5 stars
269,801
|
4.6 out of 5 stars
21,301
|
4.4 out of 5 stars
12,083
|
4.6 out of 5 stars
100,621
|
4.5 out of 5 stars
17,305
|
Capacity Up To
| 5TB | 22TB | 22TB | 5TB | 5TB |
Backup Software
| ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Great for
| Plug-and-play storage | Plug-and-play storage | Secure back up | Secure back up | Secure back up |
Interface
| SuperSpeed USB 3.0/2.0 | SuperSpeed USB 3.0/2.0 | SuperSpeed USB 3.0/2.0 | SuperSpeed USB 3.0/2.0 | USB-C and USB 3.1 compatible |
Compatibility
| Windows; Mac w/Reformat | Windows; Mac w/Reformat | Windows; Mac w/Reformat | Windows; Mac w/Reformat | Windows; Mac w/Reformat |
Hardware Encryption
| ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Password Protection
| ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Will this drive [Elements Portable] work with my Xbox or PS4? What about my Mac or PC?
Yes, however, it’s best suited for PC or Mac. For the best gaming experience, we recommend the WD_BLACK P10, which is designed for optimal compatibility with Xbox/PS5/PS4.
I'm not computer savvy, is the set-up easy?
Setup is simple! Plug the drive into a USB Type-A 3.0 or 2.0 port using the included USB Type-A cable and open your device’s file manager, such as File Explorer or Finder.
Do you need a battery for the drive to work?
The drive is powered by your PC. There is no battery or battery replacement to worry about.
What needs to be done to format this device for mac?
To easily reformat to Mac, plug in the drive, open your Mac’s Disk Utility application, and follow the steps from there. Please note, this will erase any data on the drive.
Product guides and documents
What's in the box
Videos
Videos for this product
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WD Elements 4TB HDD (Review + Mac Formatting)
✅ Kova Tech
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The Best External Hard Drives for Video #thisorthat
Nakisha
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Comparing Seagate vs WD Elements Hard Drives #thisorthat
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Product information
Technical Details
Brand | WD |
---|---|
Series | WD Elements Portable |
Item model number | WDBU6Y0040BBK-WESN |
Hardware Platform | PC, Mac |
Operating System | PC; Mac |
Item Weight | 0.317 ounces |
Product Dimensions | 4.4 x 3.2 x 0.83 inches |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 4.4 x 3.2 x 0.83 inches |
Color | Black |
Flash Memory Size | 256 |
Hard Drive Interface | USB 3.0 |
Batteries | 1 Unknown batteries required. |
Manufacturer | Western Digital Technologies, Inc. |
ASIN | B0713WPGLL |
Country of Origin | Thailand |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | May 15, 2017 |
Additional Information
Customer Reviews |
4.7 out of 5 stars |
---|---|
Best Sellers Rank | #15 in External Hard Drives |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
Product Description
WD Elements portable hard drives offer reliable, high-capacity storage, fast data transfer rates and universal connectivity with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 devices to back up your photos, videos and files on the go.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the value, ease of setup, and size of the external hard drive. For example, they mention it's easy to transport, fits perfectly under their computer, and is small enough to hide behind their PS5. Customers are also impresseded with the speed, saying it'll keep their laptop running quicker. That said, opinions are mixed on quality and performance.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the value of the computer drive. They say it's a good value for money, it'll save you money, and it'd be worth the purchase. Customers also say that the 2TB capacity makes it an excellent choice for those on the go.
"...An outstanding and proven product at an outstanding price. It was a "win - win" decision for me...." Read more
"...Definitely worth the purchase." Read more
"...design, combined with an impressive 2TB capacity, makes it an excellent choice for those on the go...." Read more
"This is a nice little portable hard drive. solid transfer speeds and fair price...." Read more
Customers find the setup of the computer drive to be easy. They mention that it works in seconds, has no external power supply, and is simple to plug and use. Customers also appreciate the user-friendliness, saying that it's not complicated to connect, drag and drop, load, or download onto. They say the formatting process is not difficult and that it takes no more than a few minutes to get it set up.
"...Reformatting is a very easy task as always, and it takes no more than a few minutes to get the external drive ready for your Mac...." Read more
"...Its simple plug n use, runs fine if you're looking to use it on a *nix machine...." Read more
"...reaffirming its robust build quality. For those seeking a straightforward, high-capacity external hard drive, the Western Digital 2TB..." Read more
"...It seamlessly integrates with my devices, offering a hassle-free experience for storing and accessing files on the go...." Read more
Customers are satisfied with the storage space provided by the hard drive. They mention that it offers a huge amount of storage for a reasonable amount of money. Some say that the drive is easy to use and can store all their tv shows. Overall, most are happy with their purchase and recommend it to others.
"...to toss the cable it comes with (because they fail) and enjoy a huge amount of storage for a reasonable amount of money...." Read more
"...The WD external drive works great. It is a really great value for 2TBs of storage, and it is a very small and lightweight drive...." Read more
"...quality. For those seeking a straightforward, high-capacity external hard drive, the Western Digital 2TB Elements Portable HDD is a solid..." Read more
"...It has four non-slip dots on the bottom.Pros: Huge storage for the price, powered through USB only, NTFS formatted, small...." Read more
Customers like the speed of the hard drive. For example, they say it's bizarrely fast, fast enough to transfer files around, and fast enough for full 1080p videos. The read/write speed is decent, and it keeps their laptop running quicker. That said, some say the USB 3.0 connection ensures fast data transfer, and the plug-and-play feature makes it incredibly easy to use. Overall, most are satisfied with the performance of the drive.
"...Pro’s: 5TB of storage for <$100. Quiet, fast and gets the job done. It’s a disk drive, it’s not there to be exciting...." Read more
"...Everything loads fast and there are no issues whatsoever...." Read more
"...It's definitely fast enough to watch full 1080p videos off of, I haven't tried any higher resolution but it shouldn't be different...." Read more
"...Initial load times might be slower than a built in solid state drive, sure. But so what? This is 5Tb. Portable. For under 120...." Read more
Customers like the size of the external drive. For example, they say it's a compact size, easy to transport, and fits perfectly under their computer. Some say it can hide behind their PS5 so they often forget the games. Overall, most are satisfied with the size and portability of the product.
"...The WD external drive is a nice and compact size and high quality product...." Read more
"...It is a really great value for 2TBs of storage, and it is a very small and lightweight drive...." Read more
"...Its compact design, combined with an impressive 2TB capacity, makes it an excellent choice for those on the go...." Read more
"...Description: I purchased a black one. As I said, it is wallet-sized. It has one port for the cable, and a small status light...." Read more
Customers like the portability of the hard drive. For example, they say it's a huge plus, allowing them to carry it anywhere for quick access, and it'll store their music collection. It's also great for traveling bags and a convenient option for both PC and Mac users. Customers also mention that it'd be easy to set up, operate, and move project files between computers.
"...great value for 2TBs of storage, and it is a very small and lightweight drive...." Read more
"...It has become an essential part of my digital life, offering convenience and peace of mind for all my storage needs. Highly recommended!" Read more
"...But so what? This is 5Tb. Portable. For under 120. It could also be used for beginner-level production...." Read more
"...This feature adds to the portability...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the computer drive. Some mention that it works well, is easy to set up, operate, and has no problems at all. However, others say that it stops working and is unusable for their purposes.
"...It worked perfectly and flawlessly on my Windows 10 laptop computer...." Read more
"...Pro’s: 5TB of storage for <$100. Quiet, fast and gets the job done. It’s a disk drive, it’s not there to be exciting...." Read more
"...this for a year now and it seems that’s all it lasts since it’s not working anymore and it freezes up my computer...." Read more
"Worked Great on a brand new 2022 MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro Chip. It's amazing how cheap HDDs are now...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the quality of the computer drive. Some mention it's a high quality product, well built, and reliable. However, others say that it completely locked up with a critical failure and can no longer be accessed. Some customers also mention that the drive is corrupt and seems to have read errors.
"...The WD external drive is a nice and compact size and high quality product...." Read more
"...When the drive is spinning, you can feel a humming purr, barely audible. The casing is plastic, but solid and sleek looking...." Read more
"...Final Thoughts:It's WD quality, besides the physical drive itself, it's capable and it should definitely be fine suited for anyone doing..." Read more
"...with it is plugging the cord into it feels like over time it could wear out because it sticks out...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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You’ve probably read a ton of reviews on external drives and have arrived here. I’ve been in the tech biz over 44 years and was there when 128Kbyte 8” floppy disks were considered advanced. I’ve used a LOT of different drives.
Let’s put this drive into perspective: it is NOT a “portable drive”, it’s an external drive that you can choose to move from place to place. AS WITH ALL SUCH DRIVES, it contains precision moving parts; if you drop it, it will likely break. If you move it around when it’s operating, it probably won’t like it. If you drop your laptop, it will likely break. If you want an external drive that you can really move around, get an SSD.
I purchased one of these drives for cloud-storage and archival purposes. Simply put, I needed somewhere to dump large data collections for essentially read-only access as well as having a buffer area for cloud storage synchronization purposes (lots of r/w access to the drive). It worked so well I purchased another and might even get a 3rd.
Cloud storage is great for frequently accessed data, but for your video collection, your vast music collection or the 130GB of pictures your spouse took last month, you might want off-line storage. This is a great choice.
Is it fast? Slower than an SSD but faster than many external hard drives out there. If you want speed, use the local SSD in your device or get an external SSD drive. If you don’t want that expense, this is still a great drive.
In operation the drive is whisper quiet and runs slightly warm. You may have read about the “click of death”, well, yeah, it happened to me too. It won’t run on an overloaded unpowered USB hub (click, click due to lack of power). The cable it comes with is frankly troublesome and honestly you should invest in a replacement. Yup, click, click, click because the cable failed (fortunately I had another to hand, doesn’t everyone?). All that will happen with other drives too, so it’s nothing unusual.
My system: Win10 Pro and Win10 Home on Lenovo, Surface Books and Surface Pro; works out of the box just fine.
For those complaining that the drive doesn’t work with some backup software; that’s not the drives fault. For those complaining about the speed for gaming purposes, that’s not the drives’ fault either, you should have purchased an SSD.
Yes, it will work with Onedrive; just create a junction from your Onedrive folder to the required folder in the external drive.
mklink /J srcFolder destFolder
Since you have a large capacity drive for large data sets, robocopy (part of Windows) will be your friend as well as mklink to create junctions from your main drive to connection points in external drives filesystems.
What happens if the drive goes down? As with any other drive, you might have lost your data. The solution is to (gasp) purchase two drives and sync one with the other.
Pro’s: 5TB of storage for <$100. Quiet, fast and gets the job done. It’s a disk drive, it’s not there to be exciting.
Con’s: I didn’t like the cable; invest $6 on a better one. As with ALL DRIVES, you need to treat it nicely.
As always, with external drives used to do backups on Mac computers, you must reformat the disk before doing the backup and this WD is no different. Reformatting is a very easy task as always, and it takes no more than a few minutes to get the external drive ready for your Mac.
However, I ran into some issues with Time Machine on the newest version of Monterey (the one that came installed in the laptop). It seems like it no matter what format you choose when reformatting the external drive, Time Machine automatically reformats the drive on its own to the new Apple File System (APFS) when you do your first backup. Not only that, but once Time Machine reformats the drive to APFS and completes the backup, then it blocks the HDD and you cannot use it to save anything else in it, drop files, etc. It basically locks the drive for backups only. Oh, and with the APFS format you cannot use the drive to backup older Apple computers. I NEVER had this happened in any of my Apple computers before.
I tried a few other HDDs from other brands to ensure this was not an issue of the WD brand. They all did the same, so I knew it was an Apple software glitch issue. It took several calls to Apple to figure out that yes, Time Machine does this. The only way around this issue is to create a "new volume" in the external HDD. Then you can use the separate volume to save other things, drop files, etc. You could create as many volumes as you can, and the APFS makes it very easy. When you plug the HDD, the volume for the backup pops on your desktop (Time Machine color), along with any other volumes you created (yellow color).
Hope this saves somebody out there a lot of frustration and aggravation trying to figure out what the issue with Time Machine and external drives using the newest Monterey version. I also hope Apple fixes this problem. It makes no sense that you select a specific reformat option but then Time Machine ignores it and reformats to APFS against your wish and block the drive in the process.
The WD external drive works great. It is a really great value for 2TBs of storage, and it is a very small and lightweight drive. All the issues mentioned are specific to the Apple operating system that would happen with any HDD of any brand.
Top reviews from other countries
Resistente.