Western Digital

WD My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 3.0/2.0 Portable External Hard Drive (Midnight Black)

Name: WD My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 3.0/2.0 Portable External Hard Drive (Midnight Black)
Brand: Western Digital
SKU: B0041OSAZ8

Status: WD My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 3.0/2.0… (500GB hard drive): Unavailable on Amazon as of 2026-10-18 16:22 UTC. Closest in-stock match (same 500GB hard drive): Avolusion M2 500GB USB 3.0 Portable External…, $29.99 on Amazon as of 2026-10-20 22:21 UTC (price may vary). eBay sellers may still list this model new or used.

View Current Price — $29.99 🛒 Search eBay for this model

Bottom line: The WD My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 3.0/2.0 Portable External Hard: USB 3.0 delivers up to 3x faster transfers than USB 2.0; main trade-off: 500 GB fills quickly with video, game or large RAW photo libraries.

Unavailable on Amazon as of 2026-10-18 16:22 UTC

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Currently unavailable on Amazon. Not the same product — 3 in-stock alternatives with matching specs:

Same 500GB hard drive: Avolusion M2 500GB USB 3.0 Portable External… — $29.99 on Amazon as of 2026-10-20 22:21 UTC (price may vary).

View Current Price — $29.99

Same 500GB hard drive: Maxone 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard… — $37.39 on Amazon as of 2026-10-21 02:15 UTC (price may vary).

View Current Price — $37.39

Same 500GB hard drive: Aiolo Innovation 500GB External Hard Drive Ultra… — $37.60 on Amazon as of 2026-10-21 04:16 UTC (price may vary).

View Current Price — $37.60

Original listing (currently unavailable) → Compare to similar external storage

By Mike Perry, Founder & Editor-in-Chief · Listing data updated 2026-10-19

Mike Perry — Hardware researcher since 2014. For external drives and portable storage, synthesises manufacturer specs and independent reviews rather than first-hand lab testing. Core beat: GPU performance across gaming, rendering, and local-LLM inference. About the author →

Pros & Cons

Pros

✓ USB 3.0 delivers up to 3x faster transfers than USB 2.0
✓ Backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports on older PCs and Macs
✓ Hardware encryption with password protection for stored files
✓ Automatic, continuous backup via included WD backup software
✓ Small, lightweight enclosure that fits easily in a laptop bag

Cons

✗ 500 GB fills quickly with video, game or large RAW photo libraries
✗ Spinning hard drive, slower than current portable SSDs
✗ Full USB 3.0 speed requires a USB 3.0 port on your computer
✗ No USB-C listed; USB-C-only laptops need an adapter

Manufacturer description

The WD My Passport Essential 500 GB portable external hard drive from Western Digital is a compact way to carry files, photos and backups between computers. It connects over USB 3.0 for transfer rates up to 3x faster than USB 2.0. It also works with USB 2.0 ports, so it runs on older machines today and speeds up when you plug it into a USB 3.0 port. Data protection is built in. The drive supports automatic, continuous backup through WD's visual backup software. Password protection with hardware encryption helps keep your files private if the drive is lost or left behind. It works with both…

SpecPicks Verdict

SpecPicks scored WD My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 3.0/2.0 Portable External Hard… using a rating × review-volume × price-fit model applied to published specs and reviews across the external storage category. Western Digital's external storage lineup sits within the broader category mid-tier; price and specs are the deciding factors over brand loyalty here. Judge it on the specification table and the price rather than on sentiment: check the figures that decide your use case, then put it side-by-side with two or three close alternatives in the Compare tool before clicking through.

Common buyer scenarios for external storage of this kind: matching it to an existing build, replacing a failing part, or upgrading from a previous-generation equivalent. Check the spec table below against your current setup — particularly socket / form-factor / power-rating fields — and confirm compatibility on the retailer's listing before purchase. Prices and stock are set by the retailer and may have moved since this page was last updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the WD My Passport Essential 500 GB work with a USB 2.0 port?

Yes. The drive supports both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0. On a USB 2.0 port it runs at USB 2.0 speeds, and on a USB 3.0 port you get transfer rates up to 3x faster.

Does this drive work with both Mac and Windows PCs?

Yes. Western Digital lists the My Passport Essential as compatible with PC and Mac.

Can I password-protect the files on this drive?

Yes. The drive offers password protection backed by hardware encryption, which helps keep your data private if the drive is lost or stolen.

Does the My Passport Essential back up my computer automatically?

It supports automatic, continuous backup through WD's included visual backup software, so changes to your files can be copied to the drive without manual dragging and dropping.

Is 500 GB enough storage for my needs?

500 GB works well for documents, music, photo libraries and backups of a single computer. If you store large video projects or game libraries, look at a higher-capacity drive.

Key Features

Dual USB 30 and USB 20 compatibility
Connectivity today; speed tomorrow
Up to 3x faster transfer rates with USB 30
Automatic, continuous backup
Hardware encryption, password protection

Full Specifications

Brand	Western Digital
Color	Midnight black
Model Name	My Passport Essential
Form Factor	2.5-inch
Media Speed	50 MBps
Connectivity	USB
Model Number	WDBACY5000ABK-NESN
Built-In Media	My Passport Essential WDME5000 Hard Drive, USB 2.0 cable, Quick Install Guide
Hard-Drive Size	500 GB
Mfr Part Number	WDBACY5000ABK-NESN
Number of Items	1
Special Feature	Hardware Encryption
Hardware Platform	PC, Mac
Installation Type	External Hard Drive
Compatible Devices	Desktop
Data Transfer Rate	5 gigabits_per_second
Enclosure Material	plastic
Additional Features	Hardware Encryption
Hard Disk Interface	USB 1.1
Customer Package Type	FFP

Ready to buy?

Amazon shows no buyable offer for WD My Passport Essential 500 GB USB 3.0/2.0… at the last check. The closest in-stock match with the same 500GB hard drive is Avolusion M2 500GB USB 3.0 Portable External…. SpecPicks earns a small commission on qualifying purchases — thank you for supporting independent review work.

View Current Price — $29.99