





more

See Options
Need help? Ask our experts.
The Elements 16TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive offers a substantial storage capacity of 16TB, allowing for the storage of large amounts of data, high-resolution photos, extensive music libraries, and video footage.
Yes, when connected to a USB 3.0 port, the Elements 16TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive delivers swift data transfer rates, making it ideal for professionals and enthusiasts who regularly handle large files.
The Elements 16TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive comes preformatted for NTFS, making it compatible with Windows 10 and later systems. However, it can be easily reformatted for use with Mac systems, ensuring flexibility for all users.
No, the Elements 16TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive offers plug-and-play simplicity. It's ready to use right out of the box with Windows PCs, allowing you to instantly expand your storage capacity.
Yes, the Elements 16TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive is designed with a durable enclosure to protect your data. It is built to meet stringent durability and reliability standards set by Western Digital, a reputable brand in the storage industry.
Review Summary
2025-12-30T19:00:00
The hard drive arrived quickly and was well packaged. Setup was easy, cjust plug and play. I've been using it for storage assets and it's been working reliably so far. Solid product.
Liu_Y

2025-12-29T19:00:00
Purchased to replace Apple Airport to do TimeMachine Backups for a Mac Desktop and a MacBook Pro
Scott K.

2025-12-29T19:00:00
I love it, it was a great deal and discount, I bought 4 until now, I'm thinking to by two more if I get same discount
Ziyad C.

2025-12-26T19:00:00
Worst ever experience buying from Western digital. I received a broken item and I have been fighting with customer support to give me my money back, but I have failed miserably after days of follow up. I have finally disputed the amount of my bank, but it looks like Western digital is still contesting the amount. Please see photos attached of the product.
NizB

2025-12-24T19:00:00
It delivers consistent and predictable performance expected from Western Digital's large-capacity storage solutions. Deployment is straightforward with plug-and-play support over USB 3.0, making it suitable for immediate integration into backup workflows on Windows systems without additional configuration. Sustained read/write operations remain stable during long transfer sessions, which is critical for bulk data migration, media archiving, and periodic full backups. The externally powered design ensures adequate and reliable power delivery, minimizing throttling or instability under continuous load. The enclosure operates quietly with minimal vibration and maintains acceptable thermal behavior within normal operating ranges. From a storage management perspective, the 14TB capacity offers excellent density for consolidating data sets while maintaining a relatively small physical footprint. Overall, the HDD demonstrates strong build quality, dependable performance, and aligns well with professional and prosumer use cases requiring reliable mass storage. I'm satisfied with the quality and long-term reliability this drive provides. Happy with the price I paid and the value I got!
Zee J.

2025-12-22T19:00:00
This drive is not everything I would like, I would love expansion ports on the front like Seagate offers, but WD is the reliability king. And if I am going to commit 14 tb of my data to a drive, reliability is the most important datapoint. These drives are usually at a substantial premium to Seagate's but the 14 tb was on sale for Christmas at a great price. I'm seeing 200Mb/s sustained which is twice the speed of the Seagate I have to compare it with. One thing missing is error checking software. I downloaded the western digital software but it specifically omits this drive line so my 4tb portable shows up, my 2TB m2280 internal shows up, but not this drive. Testing it with other drive software takes 28+ hours continuous which I can't devote to that.
sleepy

2025-12-20T19:00:00
I needed a trusted reliable external drive to backup all of my family's computers and devices. This drive has done a fantastic job.
Seatac C.

2025-12-17T05:05:12
Hard to beat the cost per GB value in these drives. We use quite a few of these for medium to long-term backups and have experienced very good reliability with them.
JOHN S.
2025-12-12T19:00:00
very bad and item not received no refund please dont buy
rams

2025-12-01T19:00:00
came in defective and unallocated and not supported on my pc...
notworkingproductsadness

2025-09-30T20:00:00
It was easy to set up and I was able to copy nearly 2 TB in a reasonable amount of time. It was bigger than I expected. I'm using it as backup so the size is not a problem.
Lillian

2025-08-30T20:00:00
Device was very easy to use. The price was very good for the number of TB.
MssW

2025-08-24T20:00:00
Setup, runs, just as advertised . . . . . . . . . .
Palm S.

2025-08-12T20:00:00
works well and fast and the price was good, hold very well
Dj G.

2025-08-11T20:00:00
Overall I'm happy with multiple WD I've been using the only problem is they're very loud, and they are always working even if I'm not using them, they sometimes vibrate my desk lol
Peter985

2025-07-18T20:00:00
It is great but windows keeps deleting it every time they upload their software updates. When it is working it is great! Windows try's to block it so you have to use their systems!!
EddieJ

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.

Accidents happen where life happens. Protect your favorite Adorama products and purchase a protection plan to stay covered from accidental damage, mechanical or electrical failure, and more.
If we can’t fix it, we’ll replace it at no additional cost.
Protect your product from drops, spills, and more.
Enjoy your gear without fear. We have you covered!
When regular use of your product over time results in mechanical or electrical failure.
We will never charge you a deductible after the purchase of a plan.
Our claims process is simple & easy and our customer service team is happy to help.
Adorama Protect powered by Extend is available for purchase to customers in the United States. Not available for purchase Internationally or in U.S. Territories.
Browse our FAQ
16TB
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)
718037879048






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 ...
View full Review
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!!
When you require substantial, reliable storage for your ever-growing collection of digital content, the Elements 16TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive stands out as a premier choice. Offering a massive 16TB of space, this hard drive is an essential companion for professionals and enthusiasts alike who need to store vast amounts of data, including high-resolution photos, extensive music libraries, video footage, and important documents.
Crafted with a sleek, stylish design, the Elements hard drive not only provides a high-capacity solution but also enhances your workspace with its modern aesthetic. Its durable construction ensures that your data is housed within a robust enclosure, offering peace of mind that your files are safeguarded against everyday bumps and shocks.
Experience ultrafast data transfers with the Elements hard drive's optimized performance. When connected to a USB 3.0 port, you can expect swift transfer rates that significantly reduce the time spent moving large files. This speed is a boon for creators and professionals who regularly work with media-intensive files.
The plug-and-play simplicity of this hard drive is perfect for users who value efficiency and ease of use. It is ready to go right out of the box for Windows PCs, allowing you to instantly expand your storage capacity without the need for complex setup procedures. Additionally, the drive boasts USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility, ensuring seamless connectivity with a wide range of devices, both new and old.
Western Digital's commitment to quality is evident in every aspect of this hard drive. Engineered to meet stringent durability and reliability standards, the Elements hard drive is built to deliver consistent performance over the long term. The drive comes preformatted for NTFS, making it compatible with Windows 10 and later systems, and can be easily reformatted for use with Mac, ensuring flexibility for all users.
In summary, the Elements 16TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive is a spacious, fast, and stylish storage solution that embodies reliability and durability. Whether you're looking to improve your PC's performance by freeing up internal storage or simply need a dependable repository for your digital life, this hard drive is engineered to meet your needs and exceed your expectations.