Deleting or Erasing Files from a WD My Passport External Drive

The WD My Passport series of external hard drives by Western Digital are widely used for backing up, storing, and transferring personal and professional data. Whether you're trying to free up space, reorganize your files, or securely wipe data before passing the drive on to someone else, it's important to understand the proper methods for deleting or erasing files from these drives.

1. Basic File Deletion

If you just want to remove specific files or folders from your WD My Passport drive:

On Windows:

Connect the WD My Passport to your computer.

Open File Explorer and navigate to the drive.

Select the files or folders you want to delete.

Press the Delete key or right-click and choose Delete.

Deleted files are typically sent to the Recycle Bin, unless you use Shift + Delete, which bypasses the bin and permanently deletes them.

On macOS:

Plug in the drive and open Finder.

Locate and select the files you want to remove.

Drag them to the Trash, or right-click and select Move to Trash.

Empty the Trash to permanently remove the files from the drive.

Note: If your drive is formatted with NTFS (Windows format), macOS may only allow read access. You’ll need to reformat it or use a third-party NTFS driver to gain write/delete access on a Mac.

2. Secure Deletion (Erasing Files Permanently)

Standard deletion doesn't truly erase the data—it simply marks the space as available. Data recovery software can often retrieve deleted files unless they are overwritten or securely wiped.

To ensure data cannot be recovered:

Use WD Utilities (Windows/Mac):

WD offers a tool called WD Drive Utilities, which includes a full erase (drive format) function:

Download and install WD Drive Utilities from Western Digital’s official site.

Open the utility, select your My Passport drive.

Choose Erase Drive.

Follow the on-screen instructions to securely wipe the contents.

This method removes everything from the drive and is irreversible. Be sure to back up anything important before proceeding.

Use Disk Management (Windows):

Press Windows + X > Disk Management.

Locate your My Passport drive.

Right-click > Format > Choose a file system (e.g., exFAT or NTFS).

Check Perform a quick format or uncheck it for a full erase (which takes longer but is more thorough).

Use Disk Utility (macOS):

Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities).

Select the My Passport drive from the list.

Click Erase at the top.

Choose a name, format (e.g., exFAT for cross-platform compatibility), and scheme (GUID).

Click Erase to wipe and reformat the drive.

3. Formatting vs. Deleting

Deleting removes selected files or folders.

Formatting/Erasing removes all data and recreates the file system structure.

If you're selling, donating, or repurposing the drive, formatting is the safer choice to prevent data recovery.

4. Third-Party Secure Erase Tools

If you want DoD-level data sanitization or more control over the erase process, you can use free or paid third-party tools like:

Eraser (Windows)

CCleaner’s Drive Wiper

DBAN (bootable)

BleachBit (Linux)

These tools can overwrite the drive multiple times to make recovery practically impossible.

5. Troubleshooting Tips

Write Protection: If you’re unable to delete files, the drive may be write-protected. This could be due to settings, third-party software, or hardware failure.

Read-Only on Mac: Drives formatted with NTFS will be read-only on macOS. Reformat to exFAT or HFS+ if you need full access.

Conclusion

Deleting files from a WD My Passport drive is straightforward, but securely erasing them requires deliberate action. Whether you're clearing space or preparing the drive for resale, choose the right method based on how recoverable you want the data to be. For sensitive or private information, always opt for a secure erase or full format to ensure your data is truly gone.