TLDR Review: WD My Passport 4TB External Hard Drive
Pros
- •Reliable plund-play functionality that is immediately recognized by your computer without complicated setup.
- •Large 4TB capacity provides ample room for media libraries, important documents, and ongoing projects like music albums.
- •Compact, lightweight design with a pleasing matte finish and rounded corners makes it highly portable and fingerprinesistant.
- •Improved write speeds, especially for small files, with up to 8x performance boost in random write operations compared to previous models.
- •Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux out of the box (though reformatting is recommended for noindows systems).
- •Includes password protection with 25it AES hardware encryption for enhanced data security.
- •Comes with WD’s suite of software including WD Security, WD Backup, and WD Drive Utilities to manage backups and drive health.
- •Trusted WD brand with a solid history of dependable external drives and a ear limited warranty for peace of mind.
- •USB 3.1 / USB 3.0 compatibility ensures fast transfer rates up to 5 Gbps, much faster than traditional USB 2.0 drives.
Cons
- •Backup software included has shifted from WD’s native solution to a trial version of Acronis that many users find unreliable and confusing.
- •Acronis software may falsely report successful backups but fail to locate backup images when needed, risking data loss if relied on exclusively.
- •Restoring data via the included backup software may require purchasing a full license after the free trial, creating unexpected extra costs.
- •Proprietary backup file formats limit the ability to restore files using alternative, thirarty backup programs without workarounds.
- •The included USB 3.0 cable is quite short, which can be inconvenient and may require purchasing a longer cable separately.
- •Reaorld speed improvements are mostly noticeable with smaller file operations; sequential read/write speeds show only modest gains over older models.
Bottom Line
If you want a large-capacity, portable external hard drive with solid performance, strong hardware encryption, and a trusted brand, the WD 4TB My Passport is a compelling choice. Its compact design and fast small-file transfers make it ideal for media-heavy users and ongoing projects. However, beware that the included backup software needs careful handling—it’s often unreliable and may lead to costly software purchases for restoring data. For a more dependable backup experience, consider using your own third-party backup tools alongside this drive. If software ease-of-use is a top priority, you might want to explore other backup solutions or drives with better-supported native software.
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