WD My Passport 6TB Portable Hard Drive Review

WD My Passport 6TB: 30 Second Review

Eyepiece

Capacity: 6TB
Connector: Microbe
Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 2.0
Transfer speed: Up to 5 Gbps
Guarantee: 3-year limited warranty
Dimensions (L x W x H): 20.57mm x 19.05mm x 20.57mm
Libra: 0.21 kg

The WD My Passport is a traditional HDD, not a portable SSD. It offers massive capacity, and our review unit had 6TB, making it ideal for storing large amounts of data.

One of the cool things about this drive is that it’s portable and has such a large capacity. Western Digital has included Acronis True Image and 256-bit software as part of the purchase, which includes a free five-year license. They’ve also included 256-bit AES hardware encryption, so if you lose the drive while traveling, your data will remain safe. If you’ve been hunting for the best external hard drives, you could do a lot worse than choosing this device.

Some of the highlights of this drive include its massive capacity. While it’s a hard drive rather than an SSD, which makes it significantly slower than the latest technology, you do get the benefit of more capacity. However, unlike some of the more modern drives that use the latest USB Type-C connection, this drive uses the older USB 3.2 Gen 1 port. This allows for relatively fast data transfer speeds, at just over 100MB/s, but it’s significantly slower than what we’re used to with the latest drives.

Design-wise, it’s really nice – the casing is all plastic, but of high quality, the top has a nice texture, and the design has a bit of flair to it.

Performance-wise, speeds are relatively fast for a hard drive, coming in at just over 100MB/s. While there may be better options if you’re looking for a fast workhorse, this is absolutely perfect for backing up your data. The inclusion of Acronis True Image software also lets you back up your entire computer to the drive with just a few clicks.

The quality of the drive is excellent, although you do need to watch out for the Micro B connector, as it is a weak point. It may not be as good as the best portable SSDs, but other than that, the real-world performance of the drive is exactly what you would expect from an HDD of this style and design. The large capacity is definitely a plus and will suit anyone who wants to back up large amounts of data. The inclusion of Acronis True Image software and 256-bit AES hardware encryption provides additional peace of mind.

WD My Passport 6TB: Price and Availability

WD My Passport 6TB

(Photo credit: Alastair Jennings)

The WD My Passport drive is widely available in a variety of capacities and colors. The 6TB model can be purchased for around $180/£163. It can be purchased directly from the official Western Digital website, as well as from online retailers.

WD My Passport 6TB: Design and Build

WD My Passport 6TB

(Photo credit: Alastair Jennings)

The WD My Passport 6TB drive is designed to be highly portable, measuring 107.19mm x 74.93mm x 11.18mm and weighing just 210g. This compact size means it will easily fit into the side pocket of a backpack or laptop bag for easy transport. It also fits into a standard padded A5 envelope, making it easy to send to another location or to the office if needed.

While the outer casing is made of plastic, it’s high-quality and feels durable, providing decent protection for the internal hard drive. The design of the case is simple, with minimal detailing aside from texturing on the top and bottom, a discreet product label on the base, and a USB 3.2 Micro-B connector for the USB cable that plugs directly into your computer.

With so many devices moving to USB Type-C, the decision to use a USB Micro-B connector is a bit surprising, especially considering how delicate this type of connection can be. However, as long as you handle it with care, it should be fine. WD has provided a high-quality cable to ensure the longevity of this type of connection.

One small detail that’s easy to miss is the small status light on the back next to the connector port. It lights up when the drive is connected and in use. If you want, there’s an option to turn this light off via WD’s software.

Aesthetically, WD has opted for a two-tone look, with a few color options available. Our review unit, for example, has a black base with a red top, which looks attractive and makes it easy to find when tucked away in a bag.

WD My Passport 6TB: Features

The WD My Passport is a traditional portable hard drive, but WD has expanded its features with several software and hardware solutions. Ultimately, it’s a simple plug-and-play drive enhanced with software and hardware. In terms of capacity, there are five options from 1TB to 6TB and a choice of colors, including black, blue, red, and white.

The USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection allows for data transfer speeds of up to 5 Gbps, ensuring relatively fast data transfers. The drive is also covered by a three-year limited warranty, and a data recovery plan is available when purchased through the WD website.

Two notable features are the additional extras that come with the drive: Acronis True Image for Western Digital and 256-bit AES encryption. Acronis True Image provides a solid backup solution, while hardware encryption keeps your data safe if the drive is lost or stolen.

WD My Passport 6TB: Performance

WD My Passport 6TB

(Photo credit: Alastair Jennings)

Reference points

Reading Crystal Disk Character: 113.94 MB/s Write: 111.71 MB/s
ATTO disk test: Read: 111.18 MB/s Write: 106.33 MB/s
AS SSD: Read: 109.72 MB/s Write: 198.26 MB/s
AJA: Read: 111 MB/s Write: 109 MB/s

Getting started with the WD My Passport 6TB drive is relatively simple. First, plug it directly into a USB Type-A port on your computer. If you’re using a Mac, which is fully compatible with the drive, you’ll need an adapter to convert the USB Type-A connector to USB Type-C. Once connected, the bus-powered drive only requires a single cable, so there’s no need for an AC wall outlet. The drive is recognized immediately and comes pre-formatted in NTFS, which is compatible with PCs and encourages Mac users to install Paragon NTFS.

Once you open the drive, you’ll find options to install Western Digital software for Mac or Windows. Select the appropriate option, which will open the WD Discovery application and guide you through the setup process. It only takes a few minutes as the drive extracts the files it needs to run its key functions.

The WD My Passport 6TB offers more than just storage. It comes with Acronis True Image for Western Digital and 256-bit AES hardware encryption, available on both PC and Mac. Setup on a PC is simple: plug in the drive, open the preloaded software, and install Acronis True Image or WD Security. The backup software lets you back up your entire system, and you can password-protect the drive.

For Mac users, the process is a bit more complicated. First, you need to install the WD Discovery software. Since the drive is preformatted in NTFS, which Macs can’t read, you need to install the NTFS driver, Paragon NTFS. WD Discovery highlights this requirement and guides you through the process. Once you have the necessary drivers installed, you can install Acronis True Image and WD Security. However, macOS security requires additional permissions and extensions to be enabled, which involves restarting the computer and configuring settings, as these are deep security settings. If this is a work computer, you may need IT support to access them. Alternatively, you can format the drive to ExFat or APFS for greater compatibility.

However, once everything is installed and the drive is formatted to a Mac-compatible file system, it works flawlessly. The security features are easy to use and configure for both Mac and PC users. Acronis True Image has the added bonus of providing a solid backup solution for both systems. However, I would probably stick with Apple’s Time Machine rather than tweak the Mac’s security options.

In terms of performance, an HDD is slower than an SSD, but the massive 6TB capacity allows you to back up your entire computer to a single drive. Additional security and backup features provide peace of mind, making this drive a reliable choice for safely storing and transferring large amounts of data.

Is the WD My Passport 6TB worth buying?

The WD My Passport 6TB drive is a great choice for high-capacity storage. It comes with software that streamlines the backup process and increases data security.

It’s perfect for backing up your PC or laptop, providing a full system backup at home, or sending large amounts of data like video and image files to collaborators. While 6TB of terabytes may seem like overkill to some when it comes to the creative industry, large video files from cameras like the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K can quickly fill up space.

Having a hard drive that not only has the right capacity but also has built-in hardware security is a significant asset in the professional world.

Overall, the WD My Passport is deceptively simple and easy to use. Yet it has software and hardware features that elevate it from a basic hard drive to an invaluable tool in the professional world.

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Row 0 – Cell 0	Row 0 – Cell 1	Row 0 – Cell 2
Value	Large capacity for the price	4
Design	Compact and attractive	3
Characteristics	Comprehensive software and security	4
Efficiency	Slower than SSD, but sufficient	4
Total	Reliable and secure high-capacity drive	4

WD My Passport 6TB

(Photo credit: Alastair Jennings)

Buy if…

Don’t buy if…

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