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How To Unlock a WD External Drive Without a Password

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If you currently find yourself locked out of your WD external hard drive with no means of recuperating your password, there's no need to panic. There are some very simple solutions that you can implement to unlock your drive and reset your password.

This tutorial will walk you through three different scenarios by which you can regain access to your external hard drive. Please note that some of these solutions may lead to data loss — it is highly recommended that you back up your data before beginning.

Unlocking a WD My External Hard Drive

Here's a quick rundown of the tools that you can use to use to unlock your WD external hard drive.

WD Security

Enter an incorrect password five times in a row. Upon the fifth failed attempt, you will be prompted to erase your drive. Agree to the terms, and then click Erase Drive.


You can then proceed with a password reset.

WD Security for Windows supports the following operating systems:

Windows Vista (32 & 64 bit)
Windows 7 (32 & 64bit)
Windows 8 (32 & 64bit)
Windows 8.1 (32 & 64bit)
Windows 10

WD Security is also available for Mac, and is compatible with:

Mac OS 10.11
Mac OS 10.10
Mac OS 10.9.X
Mac OS 10.8.X (Mountain Lion)

In addition, the system supports My Book, My Book, My Book for Mac, My Book Duo, My Passport, My Passport Ultra (WD Backup), My Passport Ultra Metal, My Passport for Mac, My Passport for Mac, and My Passport Air.

WD SmartWare

WD SmartWare is another great tool for recuperating access to your hard drive. To use it, open WD SmartWare and go to Help > Manage & Customize. Next, click Erase the Drive? option found on the right panel. Here, you will find more information on how to erase the drive and unlock it.

WD SmartWare for Windows supports the following operating systems:

Windows Vista
Windows 7
Windows 8
Windows 8.1
Windows 10

WD SmartWare does not offer a direct download link for Mac users, but the product can be found here under Software for Mac. Once on the site, you can find the download by expanding the WD SmartWare option and clicking the +. WD SmartWare for Mac supports the following operating systems:

OSX 10.9
OSX 10.8
OSX 10.7
OSX 10.6
OSX 10.5

The software also supports My Cloud, WD Cloud, My Cloud Mirror Gen2, My Cloud Mirror, My Cloud PR2100, My Cloud PR4100, My Cloud EX2 Ultra, My Cloud EX2, My Cloud EX4, My Cloud EX2100, My Cloud EX4100, My Cloud DL2100, My Cloud DL4100, My Book, My Book for Mac, My Book Pro, My Book Duo, My Passport Ultra Metal, and My Passport Wireless.

WD Drive Utilities

Open WD Drive Utilities and click the Help button found in the bottom-left corner. Click Erasing the Drive for more information on how to proceed.

WD Drive Utilities for Windows supports:

Windows Vista (32 & 64 bit)
Windows 7 (32 & 64bit)
Windows 8 (32 & 64bit)
Windows 8.1 (32 & 64bit)
Windows 10

WD Drive Utilities for Mac OS is compatible with:

Mac OS 10.11
Mac OS 10.10
Mac OS 10.9.X
Mac OS 10.8.X (Mountain Lion)



Thank you to Boogieman_WD Certified CCM Contributor for this solution.

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