WD My Passportchat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Multiple users report drives dying within months, replacements also failing, health metrics dropping drastically, or corruption occurring after minimal use, with one calling it 'the worst WD product.'

@guiforrom9335

i tried this. i was able to transfer files but when I did it on 2nd time the had drive cant be read and when I connected it to my android , it says corrupted. \n\ngood thing i can still recover all my deleted photos in my iphonelaunch

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March 28, 2026

@bojangles4071

Mine died after 6 months, then the replacement unit died again after 6 months. Completing the 12 month lifespan of this 2 awful drive. The last one died right after the warranty expires.launch

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January 2, 2026

@akannigames809

I bought this Hard drive WD My Passport 5tb in Nigeria for #54,000 yesterday ( 20-04-2022 ) but in the process of using it to copy software today ( 21-04-2022 ) I see that the hard is not working so I use Hard Disk sentinel to test it, then I discovered that the Heat of Hard as Reduce from 100% to 9% I try to return it to the seller but the seller did not collect it from melaunch

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April 20, 2022

@Darkyodee1

This is the worst WD product. All my drives are WD however if I knew the amount of time that I would spend trying to fix the issues straight out of the box I would not have bought the product. The first one failed and I exchanged it then the replacement one suffered the same issues. If you are looking for something reliable do not but this product. It appears to be luck of the draw who gets one that works and who doesn't. WD appear to know that this is an issue and offer no real solutions except to replace it until I guess you get one that actually works like it should. None of their trouble shooting solutions work. PC/Apple cannot see the drive, wireless function is dead, and all the WD support pages do not help any of these issues. It is unfortunate as this would be a good product to have in your bag. Sorry to say the product is a dud.launch

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June 10, 2020

Several users reported the install process getting stuck at 18% for hours, with one leaving it overnight before it finally completed and another still stuck after 8 hours unsure whether to return it.

@markfalina9160

Something is wrong with my My Passport. When I hooked it up and opened the drive as shown in the video, it was completely blank; the 3 files shown in the video were not there. Who knows what other differences exist. How do I go about fixing this so it works and is not just a waste of money?launch

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July 4, 2024

@pinknpurple42

So i got the 4TB at Best Buy.....good price, sale $99. And yep, 18% is the stopping point. So i left it alone for 8 hours, still at 18%. Not sure to return or be a bit patient, till morning.launch

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March 6, 2022

@homeedconnect

Yep! Like you and others, mine was stuck at 18% forever. I tried 3 times. Finally, just left it plugged in. After a couple hours, I came back and, weird, it was installed. What?! I'm surprised My Passport hasn't fixed or addressed this issue. Anyway, now it's working and seems pretty cool.launch

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January 31, 2022

Multiple users struggled with the drive being read-only on iPhones because it was formatted NTFS instead of exFAT, requiring manual reformatting via File Explorer to fix file transfer issues.

@maia6321

After endlessly googling on why I could'nt save anything onto the hard drive. Make sure the hard drive is formatted to \"exFAT\" you can go onto \"File Explorer\" on your desktop, right click the hard drive and click Format. If its set to NTFS, turns out it will be in \"read only\" mode. Hence why I couldnt save anything. Everything is working now thank god thank you so much for this videolaunch

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May 7, 2024

@avitmc1357

It also helps if the external hard drive is formatted in \"exFAT\". If the external hard drive is set to NTFS, or some other format, the iPhone will recognize it, but it will only be in \"Read-Only\" mode. You can access files, but you can't transfer or copy from the iPhone.launch

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October 3, 2023

Users found WD's documentation lacking, with hidden settings like 'Share Info' required just to proceed past installation errors, and confusion between copying files versus using the backup app.

@CaptainJess1994

Mine wouldn't install unless I selected to share. \n\nOther than that, thank you for the tutorial, man. Just what I needed!launch

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June 29, 2021

@dkrusee

Helpful info, especially when any sort of decent documentation is non-existent from WD. I installed today and found that I had to click Share Info in the Product Development modal to actually get to the install part. If you say Do Not Share you'll get an error (you can later remove the 'Share' setting). Also, I found the difference between copying over files vs. backing them up confusing until downloading the WD Backup App when then lets you set up a backup plan.launch

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May 29, 2021

Some users found the drive not being recognized by PCs, PS4s, or laptops at all, sometimes suspecting insufficient USB power, resulting in an unusable device after purchase.

@JOVANNEMUSIC

Hey my wd is not connecting they the USB cable to my laptop..maybe is not getting enough power? I am very sad...my external hard drive is not even turning on when I plug in into my laptop pls help!!launch

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April 12, 2023

@tamamatu6395

I got my mine and immediately used it on my ps4 and formatted it. I could download games on it on ps4 but tried it on my pc for the first time now but nothing appears just the little disconnect icon on bottom right. And now it can't store my games too rip $150launch

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May 4, 2021

The Wireless Pro struggled to stream 4K video smoothly over WiFi, and the My Cloud app had trouble with SD card/USB recognition on some Android phones and lacked promised wireless transfer features.

@johnhuron5989

I have run into a snag with my WD My Passport Wireless Pro. As far as a storage device all is well. BUT, when I try and play/view 4K video files over WiFi on my 2nd Gen iPad Pro 12.9 they stutter and sputter. If I download the same file to the iPad the video plays fine. Is the “Write” speed not up to 4K? Any help would be most appreciated.launch

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July 22, 2019

@jeodee

Thank you for the review. I just received this HD the other day and I have to be honest, I did so in order to avoid having to connect it to my laptop. I downloaded the WD My Cloud app and I was hoping I would just be able to plug a USB flash drive into the HD and transfer information but it doesn’t seem to work, although that does seem to be a feature on the app. Also, via WiFi, I was hoping to transfer information from my phone wirelessly and that doesn’t seem to work either. I also tried to delete photos and videos that are preloaded onto the HD but to no avail, that seems tricky too. I was really hoping the HD would make data transfer so easy but I’m really finding it difficult. It appears it’s really suited for SSD card transfer, but I haven’t tried that yet. Again, I just received it so I’m learning. I just wish it was easier. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.launch

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May 1, 2019

One user's backup completed in under a minute claiming 'Done' despite nothing actually being backed up, both through the WD software and Windows Backup, leaving them stuck without a fix.

@sl2608

Just installed it but is NOT backing up on my Windows 10! What the heck??? I followed your instructions, started the backup and within one minute the backup said \"DONE\", Huh??? NOTHING was backed up! I tried it going through the Win 10 Backup app and nothing backed up there either! It seems to just stall and not backup anything! What do I need to do to fix this????launch

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July 15, 2021

Users noted transfer speeds were slower than expected with no progress bar to estimate completion time, making the process feel uncertain.

@PogueSquadron

I think I finally got this to work thanks to your help! Transfer speed is pretty slow, but this is a good test. I only wish that there was some sort of progress bar to indicate how long a transfer will take.launch

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August 18, 2022