WD Elements Hard Drive Not Working. Causes, Solutions and Alternatives

If you are reading this, you may have experienced problems with your laptop or PC, which does not detect WD Elements hard drive, so you can't access it. Let's look at some of the causes and possible solutions to apply when the WD Elements hard drive not working.

This can be a real problem because you don't even know the fault and you can't find the solution. But don't worry, keep reading and you will find out how to solve it.

We will give you solutions for both machines with operating system Windows, as for Macs. Let's get started.

WD Elements Hard Drive Not Working On Mac

The process of recognizing a hard drive by a Mac It's a bit complicated even if you can't see it. And you need to be clear about it in order to identify possible faults.

Specifically, when you connect a WD hard drive to a Mac computer, MacOS will be notified.

Then MacOS will call all the hardware and related software to read, recognize and display this hard drive on the desktop and in Finder, so that you can finally access your data on the disk on your Mac computer.

So, we generally simplify this process into 4 steps:

1. The WD Elements hard drive is powered so that Mac can detect this device storage.
2. MacOS reads partition information from WD Elements hard drive.
3. MacOS recognizes the file system of each volume.
4. Users access data from the WD Elements hard drive.

However, if any part of this process goes wrong, it will cause problems with your hard drive, such as your Mac not recognizing your WD Elements hard drive. As a result, you won't be able to access, copy, write, or transfer data stored on it.

So, according to the process of Mac to recognize the hard drive, we need to thoroughly check to know which part causes WD hard drive not working on Mac, and then fix it.

1. Try quick fixes when Mac doesn't recognize WD Elements hard drive

A proper connection is the most basic condition for Mac to access the WD Elements hard driveOtherwise the hard drive would not even appear in Disk Utility.

When your Mac can't recognize a hard drive, you can always do the following quick fixes from scratch.

• Make sure the WD hard drive is connected externally to a wall outlet.
• Connect the WD Elements hard drive directly to the computer and do not use a hub USB.
• Try a different USB cable and port for power and data, especially if the external hard drive does not appear in Disk Utility.
• Try an adapter USB-C different to connect the WD Elements hard drive, if your Mac only has the Thunderbolt 3 port.
• Try connecting the WD hard drive to a different Mac computer to check if it can be recognized on that Mac.
• Try connecting the WD hard drive to a Windows PC to check if the WD hard drive file system is not compatible with Mac.

You may also like How to Format an External Hard Drive

2. Show WD hard drive in Finder and Desktop

Sometimes, you think that Mac does not recognize WD Elements hard drive because the WD hard drive does not appear on Mac, either in Finder or on the desktop. However, the fact is that MacOS detects the WD hard drive, but it is not configured to appear on Mac.

In this case, you can display the WD hard drive by changing the preferences:

• Go to “Finder".
• Then select "Preferences".
• Then select “General admission".
• Make sure the option "External discs» is checked. This will cause the recognized WD hard drive to be displayed on the desktop.
• Then select the sidebar tab at the top, make sure the “External discs" in "Locations” is also marked.
• Now go to Desktop/Finder and check if your WD hard drive appears.

3. Update incompatible WD apps with WD Discovery for Mac

WDDiscovery is desktop software for Mac and Windows to deliver WD software, updates and notifications for WD external hard drives.

When the WD hard drive is not recognized, you can download WDDiscovery for Mac to update WD Drive Utilities, WD Security, WD Backup, etc. Your Mac may not recognize your WD hard drive because the WD software is not compatible with your MacOS.

By downloading the software and performing the appropriate update, the problem should be resolved.

4. Check if the WD hard drive is password locked

If you are using WD Elements hard drives and Mac doesn't recognize it, you can check if the hard drive is password protected. MacOS can't read partition information and mount volumes if the WD hard drive is password locked.

You can download and install W.D. Security to unlock your WD Elements hard drive if a password has been set to protect your hard drive.

WD hard drive is not encrypted? So the reason why Mac does not recognize WD hard drive is that MacOS cannot access partition and file system information.

5. Repair WD Elements hard drive in Disk Utility

Disk Utility is a built-in disk management and repair tool on Mac computers. When a WD hard drive is not recognized or not working due to internal disk errors, you can try to repair the unrecognizable WD hard drive with Disk Utility.

If the WD hard drive is recognized in Disk Utility but not mounted, you can select the “Mount” option first and then the WD hard drive will be mounted on the desktop.

• Go to "Applications".
• Then select "Disk Utility".
• Click on «View»And select«Show all devices«.
• Then select the unrecognized WD hard drive from the sidebar.
• Click on "First aid” at the top.
• Please wait while “First Aid” Check and fix possible WD hard drive errors.
• Once you've completed the fixes, check to see if you can now access your WD Elements hard drive.

6. Use WD Drive Utilities

WD Drive Utilities For Mac, it is a specialized utility for WD hard drives to run disk diagnostics, fix possible disk failures, slow disk performance, bad sectors, manage RAID configuration (for RAID compatible models), erase and forma tear WD hard drives, etc.

If a WD hard drive does not work normally on a Mac due to bad sectors or other parameter errors, you can download WD Drive Utilities for Mac to get a diagnosis of what's happening to your hard drive.

• Install WD Drive Utilities on your Mac and then run it.
• Connect the problematic WD hard drive to the Mac.
• Click on «Diagnosticsr» and select «Run Quick Disk Test» to check the WD drive completely.
• Let the tool do its work, and then check if you now have access to the hard drive.

7. Format the WD Elements hard drive

Si WD Drive Utilities cannot repair WD Elements hard drive, we are in serious trouble. It is possible that the file system of the WD hard drive is seriously damaged or corrupted. In this case, you need to reformat or erase this WD hard drive.

Before that, it is necessary to recover lost data from WD hard drive with data recovery software. There are many on the market, specialized in recovering files and data from damaged storage drives.

WD Elements Hard Drive Not Working On Windows

This problem can also occur in Windows with WD Elements hard drives. And being OS very different, the solutions applied on Mac and Windows are quite similar in principle and function.

However, there are differences, and they are therefore assessed and treated separately. Let's look at some of the solutions you can implement on a Windows PC.

1. Change the USB port or cable if the WD hard drive is not detected

First of all, if your external hard drive is not configured, the first thing that may come to mind is whether there is a problem with the USB port. Therefore, before trying any other method, you should first try to change the USB port or the USB cable you are using.

It is recommended that you use the best port available, as well as a good quality USB cable, to avoid connection failures. The stability of the connection between the Windows PC and the WD Elements hard drive is essential.

2. Clean your computer from malware

The next thing that comes to our mind when we see an error message “WD External Hard Drive Not Recognized” is that there may be some virus or malware in the computer.

In this case, you need an antivirus software that can scan your system, scan your computer or laptop, and then eliminate all risks so that your machine is malware-free and can easily connect to your WD Elements external hard drive.

Downloading antivirus software is up to you, so do your research to find the best antivirus software to protect you today.

3. Enable USB Root Hub

Another way to solve the problem of "WD external hard drive not recognized» is to enable the Root hub USB so you can easily access your external hard drive and the files stored on it.

You need to follow the steps below to enable root hub USB on your computer.

1. Right click on the windows start button.
2. From the drop-down menu, select “Device administrator".
3. A new window will open, with a list of all connected devices.
4. Seeks "Universal series bus controllers” and click to expand.
5. Now search for “USB Root Hub” and right click.
6. A small window will appear. Select “Enable".
7. Close the “ windowDevice management” and then reboot the system to ensure the changes have been saved.
8. Now check if you already have access to the WD external hard drive

4. Change the letter of the WD hard drive

Changing the hard drive letter can also solve the problem, and to do so, you can follow the steps mentioned below.

1. Right click on the windows start button.
2. From the drop-down menu, select “Disk management".
3. A new window will open, right click on the disk volume for which you need to change the drive letter.
4. A menu will appear in which you must select "Change drive letter and paths«.
5. In the small window that opens, change the drive letter and select the “Change".
6. Then, a new window will open where you must choose the drive letter from a drop-down list. Select the one you like and click “Accept".
7. Then check that the change has been made in the previous window, and click on “To accept".
8. Once the change is made, exit the “Disk management” and restart the computer.
9. Then check if you already have access to the hard drive with the changed letter.

5. Uninstall the hard drive to make it detectable

Another way to solve the problem is to remove the hard drive from the computer and then reinstall the drive to make it detectable. It will help you to make your WD hard drive detectable. And it will surely work.

6. Format the WD hard drive

Another way to combat the “WD hard drive not recognized” issue is to format the WD hard drive. You don’t have to worry about the data when you format the hard drive because you can recover it through specialized data recovery software.

You just need to implement data recovery before formatting.

Alternatives to the WD Elements Hard Drive

If you have problems with your WD Elements hard drive and you could not solve it with the methods we detailed above, you can make a total change of the external hard drive, buying a completely new one.

While solid state drives (SSD) are beginning to gain momentum in the market, hard disk drives continue to be the gold standard of storage due to their cost effectiveness, capacity, reliability and longevity in the market.

From use in your computers to storage on your workstations, and even mass storage for your NAS or server, hard drives have been and continue to be the foundation of storage media for millions of devices around the world.

These are some of the best external hard drives available in 2021 based on a variety of factors including capacity, usage, and more.

1. Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 600 GB 15000 RPM 16 MB

The latest edition of the hard drive series Seagate Cheetah serves two purposes:

First, let's take a look at Western Digital's VelociRaptor line of fast hard drives.

And second, compete against SSDs that slowly but surely continue to steal market share from hard drive manufacturers.

While a 7200 RPM hard drive can't match the speed and performance of a typical SSD, new enterprise-oriented 15.000 RPM drives are more than twice as fast and look to close the gap between the two storage types.

This unit cheetah 15.7 in particular offers only 600 GB storage, which may not seem like much for a monster like a 4TB drive, but it offers insane speed at half the price of an equally priced SSD.

Although not as fast as an SSD, the Seagate Cheetah It's a great compromise in speed, capacity and price that most people will enjoy.

2. HGST Ultrastar 7K4000 HUS724040ALE640 4TB 7200 RPM 64 MB

HGST, once Hitachi before Western Digital bought the company, is known for its innovations in storage capacity, as it was the first company to bring not only the 1TB hard drive to the world, but also the 4TB hard drive just as recently.

Now HGST is trying to be an innovator while carving out a niche in a market dominated by WD and Seagate, and the Ultrastar 7K4000 4TB Enterprise Drive tries to do just that.

While WD and Seagate battle for the consumer and enterprise markets, HGST looks to focus on businesses with its high-capacity 7200 RPM hard drive.

As the second edition of the original 4TB drive, the Ultrastar offers not only the same groundbreaking performance, but also additional performance capabilities that not only enterprise customers but also performance-oriented customers would appreciate.

3. Seagate Cheetah 15K.7 ST3300657SS 300GB

Seagate Enterprise Series hard drive and storage solutions often far exceed the needs or interests of the average consumer.

However, there are times when the need to leverage enterprise-grade hardware may arise, for anything from high data transfer needs coupled with high capacity requirements, or the general desire for extremely fast computing.

The Seagate Cheetah offers this solution with an impressive 15.000 RPM drive complete with a 64MB cache, a modest capacity (easily rivaling in cost and size the SSDs on the market today), and full SATA 6GB/s support.

It's been over a year since this drive came out and not only has it come down in price, but it's still a market leader in high performance drives. Backed by an impressive 5-year warranty, this drive is sure to deliver extreme speeds for the extreme user.

4. Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive ST1000LM014

If you want higher capacities than the new 15.000 RPM drives can offer, but still want faster data rates, Boot fast speeds and the high initial performance of an SSD, then you will have to opt for the solid state hybrid drive.

El Seagate 1TB SSHD offers an amazing way to quickly boot and initialize your drive for quick, short-term needs, yet offers impressive capacity compared to faster drives.

The SSHD claims to be up to five times faster than a 5400 RPM drive typically found in a laptop, but this is only because it uses its small solid-state cache to help boot operating systems and initialize programs.

The rest of the drive is still a regular 5400 RPM drive and may struggle with large file transfers. Still, with a high capacity, fast boot speed, and fair price, the Seagate SSHD is still a good choice for many.

5. HGST Ultrastar 15K600 Hard Drive

HGST, now a subsidiary of Western Digital, also gives you the enterprise equivalent solution of a ridiculously fast 15.000 RPM drive for whatever you could want.

With a capacity of up to 600GB and more, this HGST Ultrastar 15K600 Hard Drive It is more geared towards a business server that needs fast data transfers or for a PC user's operating system to be installed for maximum efficiency.

Backed by a five-year warranty, HGST assures you that this drive will stand the test of time in the face of strong competition in the SSD sector. If you can afford this drive, it can certainly be worth the investment.

6. HGST Ultrastar 7k4000 Hard Drive

Performance means more than just speed, but also capacity. As PC owners allow their music, game and video libraries to grow into terabytes, they will need the right fast, high-capacity drives to meet this demand.

HGST, formerly Hitachi and now part of Western Digital, offers one of the few affordable, high-capacity, high-performance drives on the market.

Since hitting the market last year, 4TB drives have become a wonderful option for those who are happy to have the speed of 7200 RPM but plenty of space on the drive for all of their favorite movies, music, and more.

HGST is one of the big three hard drive manufacturers and this particular drive is backed by a five-year warranty. All in all, this makes it a wonderful choice for those who need fairly fast drives, but also plenty of space to store their files.

7. Hitachi GST Travelstar 1TB 2.5 7200RPM Hard Drive

The manufacturer formerly known as Hitachi may be a division of Western Digital now, but they still continue to run their own show, offering affordable, performance-oriented hard drives.

Their Travelstar series in particular has been around for several years in both the 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch form factor, and in this case, The 1TB 7200RPM hard drive in the Travelstar seems to be in some kind of zen hard drive.

With a 1TB capacity, this drive has more than enough room for even the most adventurous mobile users. The 7200 RPM speed is common for those with desktop computers, but still uncommon among laptops. portable, which puts it above the rest in performance.

Additionally, the 32MB cache helps make this drive a little faster when accessing files on your computer.

8. Seagate SuperSpeed ​​1TB Hard Drive + 8GB SSD STBD1000400

One of the newest sights in the hard drive space is the notion of a hybrid drive, which combines the high-capacity and cost-effectiveness potential of a hard drive with the ultra-fast read/write speeds of an SSD.

The line Seagate SuperSpeed ​​attempts to merge this by offering a massive 1TB hard drive, but also throwing in an 8GB “SSD,” which is actually a type of NAND flash.

While this may seem strange or even suspicious in terms of design, this is what makes it Seagate SuperSpeed ​​a really fast drive without shelling out the premium price of a 10.000 RPM hard drive.

While you won't get very fast sustained transfers and it's still more expensive than typical hard drives, this drive is still an excellent choice among those looking for a little something extra in their hard drive performance.

Conclusion

You may also like How to Install Programs on a Secondary Hard Drive

In the case of a WD hard drive not working problem, whether on Mac or Windows, you already have a variety of solutions available. You just have to apply them step by step, and if it doesn't work, move on to the next one.

These are all the methods that can solve the problem of "WD Elements hard drive not working»Now, you don't have to worry about anything because you have learned enough methods and ways to fix this problem.