How do you add a second disk to My Cloud EX2 Ultra

The WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra is a versatile NAS (Network Attached Storage) device designed for home and small office users who need secure, accessible, and expandable storage. If you initially set up your EX2 Ultra with a single drive, you may now be looking to add a second disk to increase capacity or create a RAID configuration for data redundancy.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to safely add a second disk to your WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra.

Step 1: Prepare the Second Hard Drive

Before adding a second disk, ensure it meets these criteria:

Compatible type: WD recommends using WD Red or Red Plus NAS drives for best performance.

Same size (optional): If you're setting up RAID 1 (mirroring), the new drive should be the same size or larger than the original disk.

Empty or backed-up: Adding a drive will often erase its contents during formatting.

Shut down the device and unplug the power and Ethernet cables before opening the unit.

Step 2: Physically Install the Drive

Open the top cover of the My Cloud EX2 Ultra by pressing the release button.

Insert the new drive into the second bay (Bay 2). Align the SATA connectors and gently push it until it’s fully seated.

Secure the drive using the included screws or slide-in tray mechanism.

Close the cover and reconnect the power and Ethernet cables.

Power the device back on.

⚙️ Step 3: Configure the New Drive

Once the device boots up:

Open a web browser and enter the IP address of your My Cloud EX2 Ultra or go to http://mycloudex2ultra.local.

Log in to the My Cloud dashboard using your admin credentials.

Navigate to Storage > RAID.

At this point, the system will detect the new drive and ask how you want to use it:

✅ Option A: JBOD or Spanning (Concatenate Disks)

You can use both disks as individual volumes or a spanned volume.

Suitable for maximizing storage but offers no redundancy.

✅ Option B: RAID 1 (Mirror Mode)

Creates an exact copy of data from one disk to another.

Provides redundancy, but you will only get the capacity of the smallest disk.

Option C: RAID 0 (Striping)

Combines both disks into one large volume with increased performance.

No redundancy—if one disk fails, you lose all data.

Choose the configuration that best fits your needs and click "Configure". The system will warn you if formatting is required. Proceed only if you’ve backed up important data.

Step 4: Format and Finalize

The system will take a few minutes to format and initialize the drives based on the chosen RAID setup. Once done, your new storage capacity will appear in the dashboard, and the drive is ready to use.

Final Tips

Always back up your data before making hardware changes.

Use UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to avoid data corruption during setup.

Keep firmware and dashboard software up to date.

By following these steps, you can successfully add a second disk to your My Cloud EX2 Ultra and enjoy expanded, secure storage for your growing data needs.