How do I reset or recover password?
s a general rule if you forget your password your data cannot be recovered!
The message is: “Warning WD cannot retrieve your password. If you lose your password you will permanently lose access to your data. If you erase or reformat the drive, the password will be removed.”
The short answer is:
Erase or reformat the drive with the WD Software – assuming the latest version of software
Activate the WD Drive Utilities software – enter the wrong password 5 times. A message will appear notifying you of this
Choose to erase the disk. Let the process complete and the drive is as good as new!
The long answer:
Someone will post and say they cannot determine whether the drive belongs to you or not and therefore you must contact WD support. I assume the drive belongs to you and that you genuinely forgot the password – it has happened to me…
I had an old WD My Passport Essential that got lost and found after 2 years. It had old software on so I couldn’t reset the password as the old software did not work on my Mac Mavericks.
If you have the latest software then the procedure above will apply. If you have old software that doesn’t work on your Mac /Win then then look for the latest software, for your specific drive, here:
Steps:
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In my case – old My Passport Essential (Win & Mac) – I downloaded the software pertaining to My Passport for Mac. I downloaded both
WD Drive Utilities for Mac
WD Security for Mac -
I installed the WD Drive Utilities for Mac and actioned it.
It asked for the password on the My Passport drive and I entered the wrong password 5 times.
The software then said I had the wrong password 5 times. It gave the option to erase the drive. I erased the drive and it was usable again. -
In my case – because of the old software on the My Passport – I downloaded the firmware for the drive and updated it as well (I lost the url reference).
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I then used the WD security for Mac utility to reset the password
Hope this helps!
