WD 16TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0, External HDD with Password Protection and Backup Software…
WD
Best for
Best high-capacity (12TB+)
Amazon rating
Amazon aggregate, one input among many in the Verdict Score
Current price
$519.99
Updated May 18, 2026 · 1 min read
Sources behind this verdict
10 reviewers weighted by source trust
The consensus
What reviewers found
Synthesized across the trust-weighted source mix below.
Across the reviewers we read, the WD My Book is the default pick when you need bulk desktop storage rather than portability. TechGearLab's testers, cited as a high-trust expert source in our signal mix, called the My Book "easily the fastest" of the HDDs they ran through their methodology, and Best Buy verified-purchase reviewers reinforce that take with positive notes on setup simplicity and capacity-per-dollar. Amazon's 4.4 average across more than 13,000 reviews is in line with that consensus.
What reviewers liked
- TechGearLab testers ranked it the fastest HDD in their comparison
- Capacity options up to 22TB give the best dollar-per-terabyte in the category
- 3-year warranty noted favorably in r/DataHoarder discussions
- Strong verified-purchase sentiment at Best Buy and Newegg
Where it falls short
- Hardware encryption controller can render data unrecoverable if the bridge board fails, per r/DataHoarder threads
- Requires AC power and is not portable
- WD's bundled software is criticized as clunky in specialist-community threads
- Older USB 3.0 Micro-B interface rather than USB-C
Across the reviewers we read, the WD My Book is the default pick when you need bulk desktop storage rather than portability. TechGearLab's testers, cited as a high-trust expert source in our signal mix, called the My Book "easily the fastest" of the HDDs they ran through their methodology, and Best Buy verified-purchase reviewers reinforce that take with positive notes on setup simplicity and capacity-per-dollar. Amazon's 4.4 average across more than 13,000 reviews is in line with that consensus.
The more skeptical signal comes from r/DataHoarder, where threads comparing the My Book to the cheaper WD Elements repeatedly note that the My Book adds a hardware encryption controller that some users actively don't want, because if that bridge board fails, the drive inside is effectively locked even though the platters are healthy. The same threads also note that the 3-year warranty is a meaningful advantage over Elements, and that the My Book is a popular shucking target for users building NAS arrays.
For a single high-capacity backup target sitting on your desk, the trust-weighted consensus is positive. Just understand the encryption tradeoff before you enable it.
- Massive capacity, up to 22TB capacity. (1TB = one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.).Specific uses: Business, personal
- Includes software for device management and backup with password protection (Download and installation required. Terms and conditions apply. User account registration may be required.)
- 256-bit AES hardware encryption
- SuperSpeed USB (5 Gbps); USB 2.0 compatible
- Trusted storage built with WD reliability
My Book drives have, in addition to the actual hard drive, a controller board that encrypts all the data that goes onto the drive and decrypts ...
Both are USB 3.0, and Elements is 30€ more than My Book. Googling the difference returns little information. At first glance, there seems to be no difference.
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“WD 16TB My Book Review: Is This Massive External Drive Worth ...” · YouTube
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