Western Digital

WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive (Black)

Name: WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive (Black)
Brand: Western Digital
SKU: B0041OSQ9S

Status: WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0… (1TB hard drive): Unavailable on Amazon as of 2026-10-18 16:21 UTC. Closest in-stock match (same 1TB hard drive): WD My Passport 1TB Portable External Hard Drive…, $90.68 on Amazon as of 2026-10-21 16:16 UTC (price may vary). eBay sellers may still list this model new or used.

View Current Price — $90.68 🛒 Search eBay for this model

Bottom line: The WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive: 1 TB capacity in a bus-powered enclosure - no separate AC adapter to carry; main trade-off: spinning hard drive, not SSD - slower and less shock-tolerant.

Unavailable on Amazon as of 2026-10-18 16:21 UTC

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

Same 1TB hard drive: WD My Passport 1TB Portable External Hard Drive… — $90.68 on Amazon as of 2026-10-21 16:16 UTC (price may vary).

View Current Price — $90.68

Same 1TB hard drive: WD 1TB My Passport — $130.90 on Amazon as of 2026-10-21 12:20 UTC (price may vary).

View Current Price — $130.90

Same 1TB hard drive: WD 1TB Blue My Passport Portable External Hard… — $148.00 on Amazon as of 2026-10-21 22:22 UTC (price may vary).

View Current Price — $148.00

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

By Mike Perry, Founder & Editor-in-Chief · Listing data updated 2026-10-18

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

✓ 1 TB capacity in a bus-powered enclosure - no separate AC adapter to carry
✓ USB 3.0 delivers up to 3x faster transfers than USB 2.0
✓ Backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports on older PCs
✓ Automatic, continuous backup software runs in the background

Cons

✗ Spinning hard drive, not SSD - slower and less shock-tolerant
✗ 1 TB ceiling is small next to current portable drive capacities
✗ USB 3.0 Micro-B port predates USB-C, so modern laptops need an adapter
✗ Backup software is Windows-oriented; Mac users typically fall back to Time Machine

Manufacturer description

The WD My Passport Essential SE puts 1 TB of portable storage in a pocket-sized black enclosure that draws power straight from your laptop's USB port, so there's no wall adapter to pack. Western Digital built this drive around dual USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility: plug it into an older USB 2.0 machine today, and it steps up to roughly 3x faster transfer rates the moment you connect it to a USB 3.0 port. That makes it a bridge drive for anyone running mixed-age hardware across a desk, a laptop bag, and a media rig. The bundled WD software handles automatic, continuous backup in the…

SpecPicks Verdict

SpecPicks scored WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive 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

Does the WD My Passport Essential SE need a power adapter?

No. The drive is powered directly from the USB port on your PC, so no separate power supply is needed - one cable handles both data and power.

Will it work with a USB 2.0 computer?

Yes. The drive has dual USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility. It runs at USB 2.0 speed on older machines and steps up to USB 3.0 speed, up to 3x faster, when you connect it to a USB 3.0 port.

How much storage does it actually hold?

It is a 1 TB drive. Formatted capacity is always somewhat lower than the labeled figure, so check the product listing for the exact usable capacity as shipped.

Is it good enough for regular backups?

That is its main purpose - it ships with automatic, continuous backup, so files are copied without you starting the job manually.

Does it work with a Mac?

The drive connects over standard USB, but WD's bundled backup software is Windows-focused and the drive may ship pre-formatted for Windows. Check the product listing for current Mac formatting and software details before buying.

Key Features

Automatic, continuous backup
Maximum capacity
Connectivity today; speed for tomorrow
Dual USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 compatibility
Up to 3x faster transfer rates with USB 3.0

Full Specifications

Brand	Western Digital
Color	Black
Model Name	My Passport Essential
Form Factor	Portable
Media Speed	640 MB/s
Connectivity	USB
Model Number	WDBACX0010BBK-NESN
Built-In Media	My Passport Essential SE Portable WDBACX0010BBL Hard Drive, USB Cable, Quick Install Guide
Hard-Drive Size	1 TB
Mfr Part Number	WDBACX0010BBK-NESN
Number of Items	1
Special Feature	Portable
Installation Type	External Hard Drive
Compatible Devices	usb 3.0 and usb 2.0 connectivity
Data Transfer Rate	5 gigabits_per_second
Enclosure Material	Metal or metal alloy
Additional Features	Portable
Hard Disk Interface	ATA
Customer Package Type	FFP
Hard Disk Description	portable

Ready to buy?

Amazon shows no buyable offer for WD My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 3.0… at the last check. The closest in-stock match with the same 1TB hard drive is WD My Passport 1TB Portable External Hard Drive…. SpecPicks earns a small commission on qualifying purchases — thank you for supporting independent review work.

View Current Price — $90.68