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Review Summary
2025-07-10T20:00:00
Good capacity, but slow transfer. Don't know why there aren't more high cap drives with faster connections. Also, kinda noisy. Lastly, I didn't realize the Elements series can't be configured with one of the WD apps to sleep sooner, so mine is fidgeting all the time, adding to the noise issue.
Just D.
2025-07-05T20:00:00
Great product for a great price. Would buy again!!
Geronimo
2025-06-21T20:00:00
Unit died just after one year. Drive fails to recognize any devices.
matthasapoopywddrive
2025-06-02T20:00:00
It just works and I'm not a computer expert. No problems so far.
KenVet
2025-04-22T20:00:00
Roomy, easy to use. Cautionary note, Microsoft counts storage differently, there is a little over 18TB of usable space after their overhead. If you really need 20TB, buy a larger model.
PhotoartbyDave
2025-02-22T19:00:00
I've had older cheaper brand harddrives outlive this thing. The amount of money you spend, that warranties should be longer. You figure to pay a little more to the Western Digital Brand backing, but NOPE, not doing Western Digital again.
josi
2025-01-25T19:00:00
I am a long time user of WD's products. I still have a WD10000H1CS-00 s/n: WCASJ0976023 that after many years still works just fine. I have NAS in which I am running WD NASware drives. I also have a WD 2TB My Passport Slim s/n: WX81A74AFV18 portable drive that works just fine still. So I bought this Elements 6TB. Shipping was super fast. But this is where good things are ending. I did plug the Elements into one of my laptop's USB3 ports and worked fine for five minutes or so. Didn't copy anything to it. At first I thought it must have gone into sleep mode. The little light was off. Tried to access it in Explorer (Windows 10 Pro) but wasn't showing anymore. Disconnected it, waiting a minute or so, reconnected it and... nothing. Plugged it into another USB3 port then into another laptop, but still nothing. I can hear the drive inside spinning, but that is all. I guess, for some reason the little controller inside went bad. I am really unhappy with this. Since I am on some Caribbean island (using a shipping forwarder that work one way only), I can't return it and I think warranty won't help me either.
gicamuci
2025-01-09T19:00:00
Everything seems to be working with such a large data storage. Its a little noisy when transferring, which is a bit disconcerting, but I suppose the disc has to move to read and write. Hoping for a good long life
StephenH
2025-01-06T19:00:00
Bought two 14TB drives as part of a buy two deal. First one refused/failed to load drivers onto a Windows 7 Pro system, it was successfully mounted on a Win 10 laptop. Reformatted. Don't know whether it'll work now on the intended Win 7 Pro PC. Will check shortly. The second drive had no problem in mounting on the Win 7 Pro as a NTFS volume and is in use. I have no time to spend with tech support, so if it (first drive) doesn't work after reformatting (NTFS), I'll look to return it as defective.
A_Mish
2024-12-29T19:00:00
HDD storage was able to accommodate all of my needs with no issues.
Anonymous D.
2024-12-13T17:14:15
Works as expected. Great deal and shipped well by Adorama!
DAVID K.
2024-10-20T20:00:00
largest drive I have purchased so far, working fine. Though it could have been cheaper, within a week after purchase 22Tb drives became available.
Brainy B.
2024-10-17T20:00:00
These are great Harddrives we always try and get WD
Imactech
2024-10-11T20:00:00
Absolutely zero guidance on how to format to use on a Mac. No help in the box. No help on the Hard Drive. No help online. Should't be this difficult to use a "plug and Play" hard drive!
Not g.
2024-06-18T05:01:49
Works well as a backup drive. Runs at 57 degrees, about 10 degrees warmer than my other backup drives.
STEVEN P.
2024-05-30T20:00:00
I got two that I mirrored, and they work great. Slightly loud when they spin up but a steal for the price.
Bryson
2024-05-07T20:00:00
It has met all of my requirements exceedingly well.
Casey5
2024-04-21T20:00:00
Awesome device working great and got it for a good price.
Jack1
2024-03-25T20:00:00
Shipped fast and set it up in no time. It works great and got it for so much less than I was expecting.
DominicR
2024-02-27T19:00:00
I use it for video editing back up. It works perfect I didn' have any problem si far.
Juan A.
2024-01-19T19:00:00
Easy to connect, Always reliable. My computer runs 24/7/365. Haven't had a single failure. Been using Western Digital products for least 15 years.
Kerman
2024-01-07T19:00:00
Great quality and capacity. Excellent price point. What more can I say?
David B.
2023-12-30T19:00:00
Horrible customer service. Couldn't cancel an order before it shipped (shipped 2 days after the request to cancel). Forcing me to return the item to UPS. Then took 2 weeks between shipping it back and getting the refund. Don't order direct.
James M.
2023-12-28T19:00:00
The smallest tap to the USB causes the drive to disconnect without ejecting. This is bad for the health of the drive and will eventually render the drive inaccessible. I do not believe the problem is with the cheap cord that comes with it. From researching online, it's poor soldering to the usb port on the back of the drive.
J1234
2023-12-25T19:00:00
Never received product - I called almost every week after waiting for 2 weeks... they kept telling be the product was in preparation for shipment, finally over a month of waiting and they finally say they have a case opened with UPS and the package was lost... no product and now I have to wait for a refund.
MikePar
2023-12-25T19:00:00
Bought 2, one is much slower than the other. Not thrilled!
Larry A.
2023-12-23T19:00:00
Great easy, to set up drive with good reliability.
Jimfromdubai
2023-12-23T19:00:00
It runs so much slower than the WD Book. Transferring photos is truly painful.
MrKash
2023-12-21T19:00:00
When the disks are rotating sometimes they make a strange noise.
Heretoforeunknown
2023-11-19T19:00:00
I have a 4T that i been using for 8 years from WD that been very good and easy to use, so decided to upgrade and buy the 18T for archiving purpose. Now i'm in my second device of hat are failing with no reason! I could put a Zero star if i could! Unreliable product that i strongly advise to avoid! As may cause loss of data and loss of money
AliAdlene
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Browse our FAQ
20TB
1x USB 3.2 / USB 3.1 Gen 1 (USB Micro-B)
NTFS
SATA
Hard Disk Drive
3.5"
None
Included AC Adapter
100 to 240 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz
12 VDC
Plastic
Passive
41 to 95 Degree F (5 to 35 Degree C)
-4 to 149 Degree F (-20 to 65 Degree C)
Windows 10+
Reformatting required for use with MacOS
5.3 x 1.9 x 6.5" (13.5 x 4.8 x 16.5cm)
1.98 lbs (898g)
Solid drive for a reasonable cost.
By CapsulateRhyme8
At the moment (early-mid 2021), these internal drives are almost always 7200RPM CMR drives (excluding the 2-6TB models, which are SMR), and are usually air-filled (excluding very high capacity models). This means they can run loud and hot, but also quite fast, with mine getting around 200MB/s in sequential writes while empty. If you need high capacity hard drives these are still a great option, and better value than internal drives from WD. If you can, wait for a good deal on either these or ...
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16 TB WD Elements External Hard Drive
By BobbyG
Have several WD drives and they all are excellent. This 16 TB unit is my latest purchase and was a great bargain with fast delivery. Very Happy!!
Experience the seamless blend of reliability, speed, and style with the Elements 20TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive. This high-capacity storage device, brought to you by the trusted brand Western Digital, offers ultrafast data transfers, making it an ideal solution for all your storage needs.
With a sleek design that houses an impressive 20TB capacity, this external hard drive is perfect for storing all your important photos, music, videos, and files. No need to worry about running out of space on your internal hard drive and slowing down your PC. Instead, effortlessly transfer files to your WD Elements Desktop Storage and keep your computer running smoothly.
Experience fast data transfer rates when connected to a USB 3.0 port. This external hard drive is not just about speed; it's also about simplicity. It's plug-and-play ready right out of the box for Windows PCs. Simply plug it into the USB port to instantly add storage.
The Elements 20TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive offers compatibility with the latest USB 3.0 devices and also maintains backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 devices. This ensures that you can use this hard drive with a wide range of devices, enhancing its versatility.
Western Digital understands the importance of your data. That's why they build their drives to meet demanding requirements for durability, shock tolerance, and long-term reliability. The Elements 20TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive is no exception. It's housed in a durable enclosure designed for both style and protection.
Formatted for Windows 10+, this desktop hard disk drive is NTFS compatible and can be easily reformatted for Mac. Choose the Elements 20TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive for a reliable, spacious, and stylish storage solution.