WD Security only unlocks one drive at startup

Western Digital’s external hard drives come with built-in encryption features, and many users rely on WD Security to password-protect their sensitive data. While this tool works well in most situations, some users have noticed a frustrating limitation: only one drive is automatically unlocked at startup, even when multiple password-protected WD drives are connected.

This issue can be inconvenient, especially for users managing multiple WD My Passport, My Book, or other encrypted drives. Let’s explore why this happens, what limitations exist, and how to work around it.

Why Does WD Security Unlock Only One Drive Automatically?

WD Security is designed primarily with single-drive users in mind. When you check the option “Enable auto unlock for this computer,” it stores the unlock credentials locally in your system’s configuration files—typically tied to one unique drive serial number at a time.

So, if you have:

Two or more encrypted WD drives connected,

Each with a different password or even the same password,

The WD Security utility will only auto-unlock the first one it recognizes during system startup or login. Any other drives will remain locked until you manually unlock them via the WD Security app or password prompt.

This behavior is by design due to:

Drive-specific security tokens.

The app only storing and applying one auto-unlock rule at a time.

Limitations in the encryption framework used by WD software.

Workarounds and Solutions

1. Manually Unlock the Additional Drive

After startup, launch WD Security and select the locked drive. Enter the password and check “Enable auto unlock” again (if allowed). However, note that the app may overwrite the previous auto-unlock association, especially on Windows.

2. Use the Same Password on All WD Drives (If Safe)

If your security policy allows, using the same password on all drives may help the software recognize and unlock them more seamlessly. Still, it may not auto-unlock more than one drive at boot.

3. Unlock Using WD Drive Unlock Utility

If your drives come with a “WD Drive Unlock.exe” tool on the virtual CD partition, you can double-click it and input the password without launching WD Security. This can speed up manual unlocking without relying on the full app.

4. Use Startup Script (Advanced)

On Windows, tech-savvy users can attempt to create a script that launches WD Drive Unlock with the correct path at startup for each drive. This method is not officially supported and carries some risk, particularly with password management.

What WD Can Do Better

This limitation highlights a need for Western Digital to improve its software by:

Allowing multiple drives to be remembered for auto-unlock.

Creating a centralized password manager within WD Security.

Supporting multiple drive serials per user profile.

Until such features are introduced, users will have to rely on manual unlocking or creative workarounds to manage multiple secure WD drives efficiently.

Conclusion

WD Security is robust—but limited—when it comes to handling multiple drives. If only one drive unlocks at startup, it's not a bug but a built-in behavior. Manual unlocking remains necessary unless Western Digital expands multi-drive support in future updates.