WD Elements Portable USB-C 4TB External Hard Drive, 2.5-inch HDD, USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps), USB-C Cable Included, Black

The WD Elements Portable USB-C 4TB (WDBLSS0040BBK-WESN) is a bus-powered external hard drive with a USB-C connector and USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) interface, for home and office users who want a lot of affordable storage for backups, photos, video and document archives on one drive that plugs straight into a modern laptop.

This is the USB-C generation of the long-running WD Elements Portable line. It ships with a USB-C to USB-C cable, so it connects directly to current laptops, MacBooks and USB-C desktops without an adapter. Power comes from the USB port — there is no separate power supply. The 4TB model shares its thicker housing with the 5TB and 6TB versions; the 1TB and 2TB versions are slimmer.

• WD Elements Portable hard drive, 4TB, Black
• SuperSpeed USB-C to USB-C cable (5Gbps)
• Quick install guide
• No USB-A cable, adapter or power supply is included

• 4TB holds a full laptop backup several times over, or many years of family photos and home video, on one drive the size of a passport.
• Plug-and-play: connect it to a Windows 10+ or macOS 11+ computer and it is ready to use; WD notes that other operating systems may require reformatting.
• Bus-powered over USB-C, so you can use it on a laptop away from a wall socket.
• It is a mechanical hard drive: excellent cost per terabyte for backups and archives, but noticeably slower than an external SSD for opening large projects or editing directly from the drive.
• USB 3.2 Gen 1 is the same 5Gbps class as USB 3.0, so the drive does not need a fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt port to run at its own full speed — any USB 3 port is enough. On a USB 2.0 port it works, but slowly.

• It will not plug into a USB-A port with the cable in the box — you need a separate USB-C to USB-A cable or adapter.
• It is not an SSD: do not expect SSD-class speeds, and it is not a good choice for running applications, games or video editing directly from the drive.
• It is not rugged or water resistant — WD publishes no IP or drop rating, so it should not be dropped or moved while it is reading or writing.
• WD publishes no hardware encryption or password protection for this model — if you need encrypted backups, use software encryption (BitLocker, FileVault) or choose a drive with hardware encryption.
• It is not a NAS or network drive — it connects to one computer or device at a time over USB.