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3 offers from $51.99

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	This Item 500 GB Portable Hard Drive	Recommendations Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB Portable External Hard Drive USB 3.0, Black - HDTB510XK3AA	dummy UnionSine 500GB 2.5" Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive HDD-USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, Laptop, PS4, Xbox one,Xbox 360-HD-2510(Black)	dummy ACASIS 500GB USB3.0 2.5" Portable External Hard Drive for Desktop Laptop HDD Hard Disk (500GB, Black)	dummy Western Digital WD 1TB My Passport Portable External Hard Drive with backup software and password protection, Black - WDBYVG0010BBK-WESN	dummy Maxone 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive HDD USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, Laptop, PS4, Xbox one - Charcoal Grey
	Buying options	Try again! Details Added to Cart	Try again! Details Added to Cart	Try again! Details Added to Cart	Try again! Details Added to Cart	Try again! Details Added to Cart
Price	—	-6% $51.99 Typical: $55.08	-17% $33.27 List: $39.99	$28.99	-7% $64.99 List: $69.99	-17% $33.31 List: $39.99
Delivery	—	Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19	Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19	Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19	Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19	Get it as soon as Sunday, May 19
Customer Ratings	4.5810	4.777,987	4.535,402	4.4694	4.694,573	4.549,330
Storage Capacity	5.0	4.6	4.3	4.3	4.4	4.3
Tech Support	4.7	4.1	—	3.6	3.5	3.6
Easy to use	—	4.7	4.4	4.4	4.2	4.2
Durability	3.6	4.4	—	4.0	—	4.0
Value for money	—	—	4.2	3.9	4.1	4.2
Sold By	—	Amazon.com	UnionSine-US	TOP ONE SHOP	Amazon.com	Maxone USA
storage capacity	500 GB	1 TB	500 GB	500 GB	1 TB	500 GB
hardware interface	usb	usb	usb3.0	usb3.0	usb3.0	usb3.0
compatible devices	Desktop	Laptop	Laptop, Desktop, xbox, PS4	Desktop	Desktop	PC, Mac, Laptop, PS4, Xbox one
form factor	2.5-inch	Portable	2.5-inch	2.5-inch	Portable	2.5-inch
read speed	—	1 bytes per second	120 megabytes per second	—	—	625 megabytes per second

What's in the box

Hard drive, USB cable, Google software (for Windows)

Looking for specific info?

Product information

Product Dimensions

4.97 x 3.13 x 0.59 inches

Item Weight

6.4 ounces

ASIN

B001F9LY14

Item model number

WDME5000TN

Customer Reviews

4.5 810 ratings

4.5 out of 5 stars

Best Sellers Rank

#2,882 in External Hard Drives

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer

No

Date First Available

September 4, 2008

Manufacturer

Western Digital

Language

English

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Product Description

Carry your music, video, and photos in style with Western Digital My Passport Essential Portable Hard Drive. Big capacity in a small design. These elegant portable drives are simple to use, light and easy to carry, and require no power adapter as they are powered directly through the USB cable. The My Passport also works with either Windows and Mac. Synchronize files between home and office and encrypt everything on the drive for added security. The 500GB storage capacity is enough to hold 2 1/2 DAYS of HD Video or over 125,000 digital photos and the included Google Software allows you to search your drive, manage your photos, and simplify Web searches with included Google software. (Windows only) .

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

810 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers like the performance, quality and size of the computer drive. For example, they mention that it functions beautifully, is reliable and has fast access times. They appreciate the size, saying it's almost pocket-size and as small as a deck of cards. Customers are also impressed with the ease of installation, saying that it'll plug and play. They like that it is extremely portable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

235 customers mention176 positive59 negative

Customers like the performance of the hard drive. They mention that the speed is very responsive, the drive functions quite well, and it handles a tremendous volume of work fairly quickly. They appreciate the dependable performance and fast access times. The drive is instantly recognized and ready to perform, and works flawlessly with Apple Time Machine software.

"...The speed is very responsive. I've used it on an XP and Vista machine and both have copied data to it fairly quick...." Read more

"...Overall they work great. However, this one kind of sticks out as being very portable as well as nice looking...." Read more

"...It is quiet, petite, and pretty amazing! It handled a tremendous volume of work fairly quickly (I was prepared for some lag, of course) and makes my..." Read more

"...So far things work great. It's plug and play, Leopard immediately asked to make it a time machine drive and it's been bliss ever since...." Read more

166 customers mention166 positive0 negative

Customers are satisfied with the quality of the computer drive. They mention that it has a solid build, is reliable, and is a real space saver. Some say that the drive is easy to use and is rugged enough to bounce around in a briefcase or bag. Overall, most are happy with the performance and durability of the product.

"...Pros:Reliable, purchased mid 2009 still works end of 2014Portable, particularly slim for a 500 GB (when I purchased it)..." Read more

"...This drive is great for backups, as you can hook it up fast without a power supply and store it anywhere...." Read more

"...I'm very impressed with the performance as well as the build quality of the drive...." Read more

"...Price is great, storage is great, build quality is great...now one little problem and its very nit picky!..." Read more

147 customers mention139 positive8 negative

Customers like the size of the hard drive. They mention it's almost pocket-size, and easily portable. Some say it'll fit in the palm of your hand easily. Customers are also impressed with the high-density storage, saying it stores everything they need.

"...It is almost pocket-size and the only thing you have to keep with you is a USB cable...." Read more

"...Small makes it practical and easy to cart around (which I frequently do) and attractive is always a plus...." Read more

"...Having a portable nice looking hard drive is hardly a functional requirement, but it somehow adds to the portability of it...." Read more

"...First off the size is perfect, fits right in the pocket of my laptop case, and takes up very little space on my already overflowing desk...." Read more

104 customers mention98 positive6 negative

Customers find the installation process of the computer drive very simple. They mention it's plug-and-play, and easy to start up. Some say that it'll provide them with no trouble whatsoever.

"...About a month ago, I downgraded from Vista to XP and had NO PROBLEMS with the installation of this product ... whatsoever..." Read more

"...The drive itself is very easy to use...." Read more

"...It was easy to install the software and set it up..but I was leery of using it because it tries to keep the computer in sync with the passport and..." Read more

"...So far things work great. It's plug and play, Leopard immediately asked to make it a time machine drive and it's been bliss ever since...." Read more

83 customers mention79 positive4 negative

Customers find the computer drive extremely portable, easy to carry around, and great for traveling. They also mention that it's light weight and great to take files home from work.

"...Pros:Reliable, purchased mid 2009 still works end of 2014Portable, particularly slim for a 500 GB (when I purchased it)..." Read more

"...I have these drives everywhere, because of their mobility and performance. You can't beat them!..." Read more

"...Small makes it practical and easy to cart around (which I frequently do) and attractive is always a plus...." Read more

"...Its whisper quite, and holds a ton of stuff! Its great to take files home from work, and use them vice versa, and the ability to grab this drive..." Read more

76 customers mention76 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the value of the hard drive. They mention it's well-priced, has a huge capacity, and is pretty darn cheap per GB. Some say it'll work well at a reasonable cost and has an expensive look and feel.

"...Awesome quality for the price I bought it for back in '09 in comparison to other drives around that time, but if I were to buy again I would think..." Read more

"...However, they're very inexpensive, good looking, easy to cart around and they get the job done." Read more

"...Price is great, storage is great, build quality is great...now one little problem and its very nit picky!..." Read more

"...High density storage for a cheap price, but other things seem cheap as well.Immediately out of the box, the drive is absurdly light...." Read more

68 customers mention49 positive19 negative

Customers like that the computer drive is powered by a single USB cable. They appreciate that it doesn't require a separate power adapter and does not require an electrical outlet. Some customers also mention that the product comes with a foot size USB cable and WD sync software.

"...Its powered off USB which is also a noteworthy feature, since external power can be a bit of a problem when on job sites and such...." Read more

"...It's as small as a deck of cards2) Self powered by a single USB cable3) Reliable and speedy USB2.0 speeds..." Read more

"...When using the case I like the short usb cord but when doing backups I have to sit it on top of a book or the plastic storage box to plug it into..." Read more

"...have a significant weakness and that is the fact that it solely depends on the usb port for its power source...." Read more

55 customers mention47 positive8 negative

Customers like the appearance of the computer drive. They say it's portable, nice looking, and impressed with its functionality. They also say the piano black is stunning, and the well designed drive looks like a real life passport. The finish is glossy, so it must be treated gently. However, some customers mention that the color matches their MacBook Pro perfectly.

"...Again, this is Windows only.The case of the drive, while attractive, is still glossy plastic and if you've ever owned anything made..." Read more

"...this one kind of sticks out as being very portable as well as nice looking...." Read more

"...It is soft and protects the product's appearance while in transit)...." Read more

"...The finish on this thing is really stunning, for about 10 minutes...then you notice hairline swirls and scratches in your black gloss finish...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

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Check this out

Still works after 8 years of use!

Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2014

Capacity: 500 GBColor: Midnight BlackVerified Purchase

03/23.2017
This drive is still hanging in there! I'm impressed! I don't use it as much anymore because it is a little small in size compared to the drives that have come out since this one was sold in stores. But it's still reliable after almost 8 years, and for this I'm bumping it up to five stars!

10/28/14
This drive has served me well mostly as a music storage HDD. It still works after 5 years of use and regular playback of music even packed to its max with data this drive has not failed. I have used it as a file transfer drive numerous times too, and though it is somewhat slow in comparison to today's hard drive speeds, it has at least been reliable. I have had other drives of the same brand for long periods of time without a single on failing.

Pros:
Reliable, purchased mid 2009 still works end of 2014
Portable, particularly slim for a 500 GB (when I purchased it)
Not power hungry, useful if using battery power on laptop
Came with carrying case, which I found more useful for other things
Great for long term storage, especially music storage and playback
Strong connections with cables

Cons:
Slow, this drive is great for reliable storage, but bad for high speed transfers.
The black finish scratches easily, but that's what the case is for!

Other thoughts:
I have never dropped this drive so I cannot say how fragile it is
In 2014 USB 2 is too slow and so is this drive but it still makes a nice portable back-up
Awesome quality for the price I bought it for back in '09 in comparison to other drives around that time, but if I were to buy again I would think to get a larger HHD size, or something solid state just for the durability.
I'll write another review if and when this drive fails.

Helpful

midnight122

Best Mobile Storage Around!

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2008

Capacity: 500 GBColor: Midnight BlackVerified Purchase

I have owned several Western Digital Passport drives and a few other mobile drive brands. This drive is great for backups, as you can hook it up fast without a power supply and store it anywhere. Put it in your briefcase, put it in your safe, take it with you anywhere and keep a copy of your data. It is almost pocket-size and the only thing you have to keep with you is a USB cable. Some people consider the short cable that's included to be too short, but it's mobile! Plus, the more recent models of Passport drives (this one included) has a cable that is a bit longer.

Some owners have commented on needing a power adapter or extra usb cable for it, but I've never had that issue and I have owned probably ten of the Passports over the last couple of years. I've used it on multiple desktops and multiple laptops with no issues at all, but you'll have to try it on your own system. You likely will not have an issue on newer systems.

The surface of the Passports can be easy to scratch if you throw it around or keep it in your bag with other items. That would be my only complaint, but it doesn't really bother me.

All WD Passports that I've owned, including this one, have stood up very well. I've never had a drive failure, the transfer speed is always quick, and the case is very sturdy. I have these drives everywhere, because of their mobility and performance. You can't beat them!

The speed is very responsive. I've used it on an XP and Vista machine and both have copied data to it fairly quick. I haven't performed tests on it, but it always gets the job done for me. The 500GB version is a great upgrade on the previous Passport models.

Also, I usually reformat the Passport drives when I first get them. The file system is FAT32 and I usually prefer NFTS due to file size restrictions. But if you do not store huge files on your drive, you won't have a problem and the Passport will be ready to use right out of the box!

Check back often for pricing. Amazon and other retailers change the prices of the WD Passport drives all the time!

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Adam Dachis

Not the fastest, but they get the job done.

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2008

Verified Purchase

I love these little hard drives. I have quite a few, in different colors, but Amazon sent me that e-mail saying "review your recent purchases" and this one popped up. So, orange wins.

Western Digital does not have the best reputation when it comes to their consumer hard drives (or their hard drives in general, I guess). Seagate tends to be the product of choice in terms of reliability. When I have really critical data, I always go with Seagate. When I'm making backups or carting around files I go with Western Digital. I've never had a drive die from either manufacturer so I'm not sure how much statistics play into it.

Western Digital won me over with their consumer line, however, because they're really attractive and small drives. Small makes it practical and easy to cart around (which I frequently do) and attractive is always a plus. The different colors make it very easy for me to know what drive is holding what without explicit labeling.

The drive is not known for its write speeds. In fact, I believe they are among the slowest (if not the slowest) in their class. There are several other 2.5" 5400 RPM drives in USB 2.0 enclosures that can outperform the My Passport Essential line by a significant margin. I believe it's up to about 3 MB/sec in some cases, but I don't remember exactly and you should check if this matters to you. To me, it doesn't. I'm generally not writing a ton of data. I'm not capturing digital video (from a DV tape)--which is something I wouldn't recommend using these drives for. I mainly put movies and other video I want to watch while traveling on the drives. Sometimes I'll back up my computer, too. Nothing mission critical, though, but that's the sort of paranoia I'd have with any portable drive. Given their line of work, they're just naturally more prone to failure.

But on the plus side, the drive has some pretty good read speeds. They're almost as good as the write speeds are bad. They're not best in class, but they're close. I looked through my magazines to find the read and write speeds so I could actually give them to you. I've seen this data in three different magazines. The one I'm referencing in this case is Laptop Magazine (August 2008, p. 84). The read speed (which tied for second place in their review) is 25.2 MBps. The write speed, which was the slowest in their testing, is 13.5 MBps.

If you're a Windows user you're going to get a little bit more than just a drive. I'm not, so I can't tell you much about the software features included on the drive. I just use it simply as a drive. If you're running Windows, WDSync is an included application that will help you sync your files as well as other things like web bookmarks and e-mail. You also get Google Desktop and 128-bit encryption. Again, this is Windows only.

The case of the drive, while attractive, is still glossy plastic and if you've ever owned anything made from glossy plastic you know it can take a bit of a cosmetic beating. It's always a shame to buy something attractive and then see it show signs of use, but that's a fact of life. It's not like you're buying this drive to put behind a glass case. If you keep it in a padded bag where it won't rub up against anything that'll scratch the surface, it should stay in great shape. I have a 100% cotton bag and my drives look just as good as when I bought them.

Lastly, one benefit of owning this drive is the three year warranty. If it does break all by itself (meaning you didn't pour milk on it or smash it with a hammer, for example), Western Digital will replace it. But you know what a warranty is so that was kind of pointless to mention :). It is nice to know you can get a replacement, though. It doesn't compare to Seagate's five year warranty, which has a very good replacement procedure, but being covered is nonetheless a big plus.

Overall, these are not the best portable drives you can buy. However, they're very inexpensive, good looking, easy to cart around and they get the job done.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Theresa Inez Orosz

Awsome addition great travel companion as well

Reviewed in Canada on September 25, 2009

Capacity: 500 GBColor: Midnight BlackVerified Purchase

I love my passport WD 500 GB drive. It is very compact and reliable. This is the perfect accessory for desktop computers as well as Netbooks, and notebooks.

Easy to travel with with no extra power cords to drag around with you.

The only thing missing from this package is a padded case to protect it while travelling around

I have three of the 500 GB passports and 1 250 GB.

The size is a plus it is small, compact but has a lot of space.

Thanks

Theresa Orosz

B. Jenkinson

Great!

Reviewed in Canada on October 13, 2009

Capacity: 500 GBColor: Midnight BlackVerified Purchase

Good price and works great. This is my 3rd My Passport. I use this one to create a carbon copy clone of my OSX 500gig HD to keep off site.

See more reviews

Digital Storage Capacity	500 GB
Hard Disk Interface	USB 2.0
Connectivity Technology	USB
Brand	Western Digital
Hard Disk Form Factor	2.5 Inches
Hard Disk Description	portable
Compatible Devices	Desktop
Installation Type	Plug In
Color	Midnight Black
Hard Disk Size	500 GB

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500 GB Portable Hard Drive

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