Wd My Passport External Hard-drive Set Up Guide For Mac

This article explains how to physically connect, disconnect, and install a WD external / easystore drive to a computer running Windows or Mac PC.END This article explains how to physically connect, disconnect, and install a WD external / easystore drive to a computer running Windows10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP or macOS. Choose an operating system from the table below for specific instructions: If problems with disconnecting the drive occur, please see for more information. Operating System Instructions Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP (instructions will appear below this table) macOS (instructions will appear below this table) Unix/Linux ( not supported by WD) (instructions will appear below this table). Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Important information for all Operating Systems:.

1. Wd My Passport External Hard Drive Setup Guide For Mac

Windows, Vista, 7, 8 and 10 have all the necessary drivers for installing most Western Digital / easystore external hard drives. Consequently, Western Digital does not have, nor provides, drivers for the majority of external hard drives. If the OS reports that it cannot find a driver for the drive please see:. Newer WD external hard drives ship with either Windows NTFS or Mac HFS+ filesystems. Upon connecting to the computer, the external hard drive should be recognized and ready for use. If the drive is not immediately recognized (or appears to be read only on a Mac), it is likely formatted for Windows PC. If this is the case it's best to reformat the drive.

See for assistance in reformatting your drive. Some drives ship formatted in ExFAT in order to be compatible on both Windows and Mac computers. In most cases, simply connect the external hard drive to an available data port on the computer for it to be recognized. Network drives, will not show up in Disk Management (under Windows) or Disk Utility (under Mac OSX); nor can a network drive be re-formatted from the computer's OS. These drives are formatted in a Linux filesystem, and can be refomatted only through the built-in Network Storage Manager (with the exception of the older My Book World (Blue Rings) and NetCenter drives which could not be refomatted at all). Important Windows information to know before getting started: My Book and My Passport drives that are sold as “Mac” drives, or are setup for a Mac file system, will not be recognized by any version of Windows OS. In order to make a drive compatible with a PC which is formatted for Mac, it's best to re-partition and re-format to a Windows filesystem in order for the drive to work on the Windows system.

See for assistance in reformatting the drive. Note: All USB, FireWire, and Thunderbolt external drives can be connected to the corresponding port on the computer using the steps below. The user's computer may not look like the one pictured but they follow the same steps. If this is a Passport drive, there is no power adapter, please skip to steps 1 and 2. Plug the power adapter into a wall outlet. You can try a power strip or UPS but if you have problems with the drive, try connecting it to a wall outlet. Connect the power plug into the back of the drive.

It's okay if the drive powers on, then off, or if you see some lights come on for a brief second. Connect the USB or FireWire cable directly into your computer (do not use a USB or FireWire hub). If your drive has more than one port, only use one. Do not connect both the USB and FireWire together to the computer. Connect the other end of the USB or FireWire cable into the external drive. The drive should then power on (you shouldn't need to use the power switch), if your computer is on, Windows should detect and install the native Windows drivers for your drive.

If the drive is formatted for your computer system, it should show up in My Computer with a drive letter. How to disconnect the drive: Please follow the directions below to disconnect the external hard drive from a computer using USB 3.0, USB 2.0 or FireWire.

Please ensure that any files residing on the external hard drive are closed and no programs are accessing the hard drive. Right-click on the WD SmartWare Icon on the taskbar to view a list of available hard drives to eject. SmartWare does not support Thunderbolt drives. Locate and highlight the external hard drive in the list of available devices. Click on the Stop button to safely remove the drive from the Operating System. The hard drive will spin down and turn off on it's own.

When prompted, it's safe to unplug the data cable and/or power cable. If problems with disconnecting the drive occur, please see for more information. Older/Legacy USB 2.0 and FireWire Drives and WD Elements drives How to connect the drive: Please follow the steps below on how to physically connect the drive to a computer. Note: All USB external drives can be connected to the corresponding port on the computer using the steps below. The user's computer may not look like the one pictured but they follow the same steps.

Wd My Passport External Hard Drive Setup Guide For Mac

If this is a Passport drive, there is no power adapter,please skip to steps 1 and 2. Plug the power adapter into a wall outlet. You can try a power strip or UPS but if you have problems with the drive, try connecting it to a wall outlet.

Connect the power plug into the back of the drive. It's okay if the drive powers on, then off, or if you see some lights come on for a brief second. Connect the USB or FireWire cable directly into your computer (do not use a USB or FireWire hub).

If your drive has more than one port, only use one. Do not connect both the USB and FireWire together to the computer.

Connect the other end of the USB 2.0 or FireWire cable into the external drive. The drive should then power on (you shouldn't need to use the power switch), if your computer is on, Windows should detect and install the native Windows drivers for your drive.

If the drive is formatted for your computer system, it should show up in My Computer with a drive letter. Note: If Windows has an error installing the drive then you may need to try it on another computer to make sure that the drive is working properly.

You can also check the following Knowledge Base article:. If the drive does not work on other computers, it's probable that the drive has been damaged, or has failed, and should be returned to the place of purchase.

If you are unable to do so, and your drive is still under warranty you can replace it by following instructions in the following article:. If the drive installs properly and you don't get an error, but the drive is not showing up in My Computer or Windows Explorer, then you may need to format the drive for Windows. Please see the Knowledge Base articles at the beginning for help formatting the drive. If you still have problems with the drive then you should How to disconnect the drive: Please follow the directions below to disconnect the external hard drive from a computer using USB 3.0, USB 2.0, FireWire, or Thunderbolt interface. Please ensure that any files residing on the external hard drive are closed and no programs are accessing the hard drive. For Windows Operating Systems double-click on the Safely Remove Hardware Icon on the taskbar to view a list of available USB or FireWire hard drives to eject.

Locate and highlight the external hard drive in the list of available devices. Click on the Stop button to safely remove the drive from the Operating System. The hard drive will spin down and turn off on it's own. You can unplug the USB or FireWire cable and/or power cable at this time.

If problems with disconnecting the drive occur, please see for more information. ESata Drives Important: When using the eSATA connector, this device does not support hot swapping (connecting and disconnecting while the computer system is running). Please shut down the computer system before plugging in or disconnecting the external hard drive. The eSATA interface does not support interaction with the WD Drive Manager utility used with the My Book Studio Edition II and My Book Pro II drives. You will need to connect the drive via USB or FireWire in order to change the RAID type of the drive.

How to connect and install the drive: Please follow the directions below to connect your external eSATA hard drive to a PC computer system using eSATA. Please ensure that the computer system is turned off. Plug the AC adaptor into an electrical outlet (if applicable). Connect the other end of the adaptor into the DC power supply socket located on the back of the hard drive. Connect one end of the eSATA cable to the hard drive and the other end of the eSATA cable into the computer system's eSATA port.

Power on the computer system. During the boot process, the hard drive will power on automatically.

Note: It may necessary to access the computer BIOS and ensure that the computer is booting to the original internal hard drive. The computer will most likely have the ability to boot to this hard drive if it's connected through eSATA. Once the computer system is booted to Windows, the external hard drive will be shown in My Computer and Windows Explorer. How to disconnect the drive: Please follow the directions below to disconnect your external hard drive to a PC computer system using eSATA. Please ensure that any files residing on the external hard drive are closed and no programs are accessing the hard drive. Shut the computer system down by clicking on Start and then Shut Down. Once the computer has been shut down, the external hard drive can be disconnected from the eSATA and power cables.

MacOS Important information for all Operating Systems:. The macOS has all the necessary drivers for installing most Western Digital / easystore external hard drives. Consequently we do not have, nor do we provide drivers for the majority of our external hard drives. If your OS reports that it cannot find a driver for your drive please see:. WD external hard drives ship with either Windows NTFS or Mac HFS+ partitions.

Upon connecting to the computer, the external hard drive should be recognized and ready for use. If your drive is not immediately recognized (or appears to be write-protected on a mac), it is likely formatted for a different OS. If this is the case you will need to reformat the drive.

See for assistance in reformatting your drive. Some older external hard drives shipped with a FAT32 file format.

In most cases, you may simply connect the external hard drive to an available FireWire or USB port on your computer for it to be recognized. For information regarding the limitations of the FAT32 filesystem see:. Some newer drives ship with an ExFAT file system. This allows data to be read or written by both Mac and Windows computers, without the partition or file size limitations of FAT32. Network drives, will not show up in Disk Management (under windows) or Disk Utility (under macOS); nor can you re-format them in your OS. These drives are formatted in a Linux format, and can be refomatted only through the built-in Network Storage Manager (with the exception of the older My Book World (Blue Rings) and NetCenter drives which could not be refomatted at all). Important Mac OSX information to know before you get started My Book / My Passport and easystore drives that are sold as “PC” drives, or are setup for a PC file system, will either not be recognized by macOS or will appear as a write-protected drive.

In order to make a drive compatible with a Mac that is formatted for Windows, you will need to re-partition and re-format to a Mac OSX format before the drive will work on the Mac system. See for assistance in reformatting the drive.

Note: If you have reformatted the drive, you can download the software that came on the drive from our under your specific drive's page. However, you may need to register the drive in order to download any restricted software. USB 2.0, and FireWire Drives with WD SmartWare WD SmartWare is supported on macOS 10.5.x Leopard through 10.9.x Mavericks only. With macOS 10.10.x Yosemite through 10.12.x Sierra, it's best to use Time Machine as a backup solution. How to connect and install the drive: Please follow the steps below on how to physically connect your drive to your computer.

Note: All USB, FireWire, and Thunderbolt external drives can be connected to the corresponding port on the computer using the steps below. The user's computer may not look like the one pictured but they follow the same steps.

If this is a Passport drive, there is no power adapter, please skip to steps 1 and 2. For troubleshooting purposes, please try connecting the power adapter directly to a wall outlet, if possible. Connect the power plug into the back of the drive. It's okay if the drive powers on, then off, or if the lights come on for a brief moment. Connect the data cable directly into the computer (do not use a data cable hub, or connect the drive to the USB port on a keyboard). If the drive has more than one port, only use one.

Do not connect both the USB and FireWire, or Thunderbolt together to the computer. Connect the other end of the data cable into the external drive. The drive should then power on (depending on the model it may or may not have a power switch), if the computer is on, macOS should detect and install the native drivers for the hard drive. If the drive is formatted for the computer system, it should show up on the desktop and in finder. Note: After the drive is installed, the user may be presented with the software installation screen (As seen below).

If this occurs follow the instructions in starting with step #2. How to disconnect the drive: Please follow the directions below to disconnect the external hard drive on a Mac computer system using USB 2.0, FireWire, or Thunderbolt. Please ensure that any files residing on the external hard drive are closed and no programs are accessing the hard drive. Drag the icon for the hard drive to the trash can to safely eject the drive.

The hard drive will spin down and turn off on it's own. The drive can then be safely disconnected from the USB 2.0 or FireWire, and power cables. Older USB 2.0 and FireWire drives To connect your WD (powered) external hard drive to your Mac computer:. Turn on the computer and allow the system to boot completely to the desktop. Plug in the power to the external hard drive and let it spin up. Connect the data cable to the drive first and then to the computer. The hard drive should mount as an Icon on the desktop.

To disconnect your external hard drive from your Mac computer:. Simply drag the drive icon to the trash can to safely dismount the hard drive. You may also press the power button on the drive, or unplug the power cable from the wall, if you wish to turn off the external hard drive.

If you have issues with the drive showing up on your desktop, please see for more information. If problems with disconnecting the drive occur, please see for more information.

Note: If your Mac fails to install the drive or you get an error, you may need to try it on another computer to make sure that the drive is working properly. If the drive does not work on other computers and it's new, it's probable that the drive has been damaged, or has failed and should be returned to the place of purchase. If the drive installs properly and you don't get an error, but the drive is not showing up on your Mac Desktop, then you may need to format the drive. Please see the Knowledge Base article for help formatting the drive. If you still have problems with the drive then you should.

ESata Drives Important: When using the eSATA connector, this device does not support hot swapping (connecting and disconnecting while the computer system is running). Please shut down the computer system before plugging in or disconnecting the external hard drive.

The eSATA interface does not support interaction with the WD Drive Manager utility used with the My Book Studio Edition II and My Book Pro II drives. You will need to connect the drive via USB 2.0 or FireWire in order to change the RAID type of the drive. How to connect and install the drive: Please follow the directions below to disconnect your external hard drive on a Mac computer system using eSata. Turn on your computer and wait until the Operating System is fully loaded. If you want to install the backup software now, double-click the WD Anywhere Backup icon on the installation screen and follow the instructions. Turn off your computer.

Connect the power adaptor to the drive and to a wall socket. Connect one end of the eSATA cable into an available port on your computer.

Plug the other end of the eSATA cable into the WD external hard drive. Turn on the hard drive by pressing the power button located on the back panel of the drive. Turn on your computer. The WD external hard drive will power up automatically and mount to your system (Desktop). Your hard drive is now installed and ready to use. How to disconnect the drive: Please follow the directions below to disconnect your external hard drive to a Mac computer system using eSATA.

Please ensure that any files residing on the external hard drive are closed and no programs are accessing the hard drive. Click on the Apple icon and then click on Shut Down. Once the computer has been shut down, the external hard drive can be disconnected from the eSATA and power cables. Unix/Linux (All Distributions) Important information for all Operating Systems:.

Windows XP (with Service Pack 3), Vista, 7, 8, as well as macOS have all the necessary drivers for installing most Western Digital / easystore external hard drives. Consequently we do not have nor do we provide drivers for the majority of our external hard drives. If your OS reports that it cannot find a driver for your drive please see:. Newer WD external hard drives ship with either Windows NTFS or Mac HFS+ partitions. Upon connecting to the computer, the external hard drive should be recognized and ready for use.

If your drive is not immediately recognized (or appears to be write-protected on a mac), it is likely formatted for a different OS. If this is the case you will need to reformat the drive. See for assistance in reformatting your drive. Some older external hard drives shipped with a FAT32 file format. In most cases, you may simply connect the external hard drive to an available FireWire or USB port on your computer for it to be recognized. For information regarding the limitations of the FAT32 filesystem see:.

Network drives, will not show up in Disk Management (under Windows) or Disk Utility (under macOS); nor can you re-format them in your OS. These drives are formatted in a Linux format, and can be refomatted only through the built-in Network Storage Manager (with the exception of the older My Book World (Blue Rings) and NetCenter drives which could not be refomatted at all). MUST READ: Western Digital is unable to provide support for the Unix/Linux operating systems outside of jumper configurations (for EIDE hard drives) and physical installation support. While Unix and Linux are not supported by WD on any of our external drives many distributions will work with with a WD external device. Please contact your distribution manufactuer to ensure compatibility prior to purchasing the drive. The steps below are distro neutral, and include information only on how to physically connect the drive to your computer, and only from a command line.

To connect your WD external hard drive to your Unix/Linux computer:. Turn on your computer and allow the system to boot completely to the desktop. Plug in the power to the external hard drive and let it spin up. Connect the data cable to the drive first and then to the computer. Depending on your configuration, your drive may automaticly mount, or may need to be manually mounted. In most distributions typing 'man mount' from the command line will display the syntax and options to mount your drive.

Important: On some distributions only the root or super-user accounts can mount and unmount filesystems. If you are unable to mount your drive please contact your system administrator. To disconnect your external hard drive from your Unix/Linux computer:. Ensure that your drive is not currently being written to our read from. Unmount your drive. In most distributions typing 'man unmount' from the command line will display the syntax and options to unmount your drive. Disconnect the power cable (if applicable) and data cable from the drive.

Note: If your OS fails to mount the drive, or you get an error, you may need to try it on another computer to make sure that the drive is working properly. If the drive does not work on other computers, it's possible that the drive has failed, and should be returned to the place of purchase or sent in for an RMA. For information on how to diagnose your drive under Unix/Linux you will need to contact your distributions manufactuer for assistance. For information on how to RMA your drive please see MUST READ: Western Digital is unable to provide support for the Unix/Linux operating systems outside of jumper configurations (for EIDE hard drives) and physical installation support.

In case the answer did not answer your question, you can always visit the for help from WD users.