WD My Passport Pro: Specs, Compatibility, and Real-World Use

WD My Passport Pro is a portable dual-drive external storage device designed for creative professionals, offering hardware RAID 0/1 configurations and Thunderbolt 2 connectivity for high-speed data transfer. It is not a current product—Western Digital discontinued the My Passport Pro line years ago—but it remains a useful option for users who already own one or find a used unit at a good price. This article explains what it is, how it works, its specifications, compatibility, common issues, and how it compares to modern alternatives.

Background and Release History

Western Digital introduced the My Passport Pro in late 2013, targeting Mac users who needed portable storage with faster-than-USB 3.0 speeds. At the time, Thunderbolt 2 was the fastest consumer interface available, offering 20 Gbps bandwidth—double the original Thunderbolt. The drive was sold in 2 TB and 4 TB capacities, both using two 2.5-inch hard disk drives inside a single enclosure.

The My Passport Pro was one of the first portable RAID solutions from a major manufacturer. It was designed for video editors, photographers, and other professionals who needed to back up large files on location without carrying a desktop RAID array. The drive was bundled with WD Security and WD Drive Utilities software, though those tools are now largely outdated.

WD later released the My Passport Wireless Pro, a completely different product with built-in Wi-Fi and an SD card slot. The two are often confused, but the Wireless Pro is a single-drive device with no RAID capability. If you are looking for a current model, WD now sells the My Passport SSD and the WD Black P10, but neither offers hardware RAID.

Key Specifications and Hardware

The My Passport Pro has a distinctive aluminum enclosure with a brushed metal finish. It measures about 5.1 x 3.5 x 0.9 inches and weighs roughly 1.2 pounds, which was heavier than a standard portable drive due to the dual-drive mechanism and cooling vents. The drive is powered entirely through the Thunderbolt cable, so no external power adapter is needed.

• Interface: Thunderbolt 2 (compatible with Thunderbolt 3 via Apple’s official adapter)
• Capacities: 2 TB (two 1 TB drives) and 4 TB (two 2 TB drives)
• RAID modes: RAID 0 (striping for speed) and RAID 1 (mirroring for redundancy)
• Drive speed: 5400 RPM 2.5-inch HDDs
• Form factor: Portable, bus-powered
• Software: WD Drive Utilities for RAID management and WD Security for password protection

The RAID mode is selected via a physical switch on the back of the drive, but changing it requires the WD Drive Utilities software to reconfigure the array. The switch itself only sets the mode; you must run the software to actually rebuild the RAID volume.

How RAID 0 and RAID 1 Work on This Drive

RAID 0 splits data across both drives, which doubles the read/write speed compared to a single drive. On the My Passport Pro, RAID 0 offers sequential read speeds of around 400 MB/s, which is significantly faster than a typical USB 3.0 external drive (around 150 MB/s). However, RAID 0 has no redundancy—if one drive fails, you lose all data on both drives.

RAID 1 mirrors the same data on both drives, so you get a real-time backup. Write speeds are lower (about 200 MB/s) because every write must be duplicated, but read speeds can be slightly faster than a single drive because the controller can read from both drives simultaneously. RAID 1 is the safer choice for archival work, but it reduces usable capacity to that of a single drive (e.g., 2 TB on the 4 TB model).

The drive defaults to RAID 0 out of the box. If you want RAID 1, you must reconfigure it before storing any important data. Changing RAID modes erases all data on the drive, so do this before you start using it.

Compatibility and Setup

The My Passport Pro was designed for Macs with Thunderbolt 2 ports, which were standard on MacBook Pro and iMac models from 2013 to 2015. It also works with Thunderbolt 3 Macs (2016 and later) using Apple’s Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter, but you must connect the drive to the adapter first, then to the Mac. Windows support is limited—the drive is formatted as HFS+ (Mac OS Extended), and the RAID management software is Mac-only. You can read the drive on Windows with third-party HFS+ drivers, but you cannot change RAID modes without a Mac.

Setup is straightforward: connect the drive, wait for the Mac to recognize it, and then use WD Drive Utilities to set up the RAID mode. The drive appears as a single volume in Finder. If you need to use it on both Mac and Windows, you can reformat it to exFAT, but you will lose the ability to use WD’s RAID tools on Windows.

Common Problems and Limitations

Several issues are frequently reported by My Passport Pro owners:

• Drive not mounting: If the drive doesn’t appear on the desktop, check the Thunderbolt cable and try a different port. Also, ensure the drive is getting enough power—some older Macs may not provide sufficient bus power.
• RAID rebuild failures: If one drive fails in RAID 1, the controller will mark the array as degraded. You can replace the failed drive, but the My Passport Pro is not designed for user-replaceable drives; opening the enclosure voids the warranty and may damage the connector.
• Software compatibility: WD Drive Utilities is not compatible with macOS Catalina (10.15) or later. You can still use the drive as a normal external drive, but you cannot change RAID modes without booting into an older macOS or using a different tool.
• Heat and noise: The drive runs warm, especially during long transfers, and the two HDDs produce audible clicking and spinning sounds. This is normal, but if the drive becomes too hot, it may throttle speeds.
• Data recovery: If the drive fails, recovering data from a RAID 0 array is very difficult without professional services. RAID 1 is safer, but if the controller board fails, you may need to access the individual drives directly.

Comparison with Modern Alternatives

Today, you can get faster and more reliable portable storage for less money. A single 2 TB portable SSD (like the Samsung T7 or SanDisk Extreme) offers speeds of 1,000 MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2, which is more than double the My Passport Pro’s RAID 0 speed. SSDs have no moving parts, so they are more durable and quieter. They also draw less power, so they work with any USB port.

If you need redundancy, you can buy two portable SSDs and use software RAID (like Apple’s Disk Utility) to mirror them, but that requires a Mac and takes up two ports. Alternatively, a desktop RAID solution like the OWC ThunderBay or a NAS (like Synology) offers better performance and more capacity, but they are not portable.

The My Passport Pro’s main advantage is its compact form factor with built-in RAID 1. For a video editor who needs a portable backup of a project, it was a great solution in 2014. Today, you can get a 4 TB portable SSD for less than the original price of the 4 TB My Passport Pro, and it will work with any computer.

Is It Still Worth Buying Used?

If you find a used My Passport Pro at a very low price (under $50), it can still be useful as a backup drive for a Mac with Thunderbolt 2 or 3. However, consider the following:

• HDDs have a limited lifespan, and a used drive may have thousands of hours of use already.
• The software is no longer updated, so you may not be able to change RAID modes on modern macOS.
• Thunderbolt 2 is obsolete; you will need an adapter for newer Macs, and Windows compatibility is poor.
• If the drive fails, data recovery is expensive and not guaranteed.

For most users, a new portable SSD is a better investment. But if you need a cheap, bus-powered RAID 1 drive for a specific project and you have a compatible Mac, the My Passport Pro can still do the job.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the WD My Passport Pro with a Windows PC?

Yes, but with limitations. The drive is formatted as HFS+ by default, and Windows cannot write to HFS+ without third-party software like Paragon HFS+ for Windows. You can reformat the drive to exFAT using a Mac, which allows both Windows and Mac to read and write, but you will lose the ability to use WD’s RAID management tools on Windows. Also, the Thunderbolt 2 port is not standard on Windows PCs; you would need a Thunderbolt 3 adapter and a PC with a Thunderbolt port, which is rare.

How do I change the RAID mode on my My Passport Pro?

You need to use WD Drive Utilities on a Mac. Connect the drive, open the software, select the RAID mode you want (RAID 0 or RAID 1), and follow the prompts. The process will erase all data on the drive, so back up anything important first. The physical switch on the back only sets the mode; it does not change the RAID configuration by itself.

Is the My Passport Pro compatible with Apple Silicon Macs?

Yes, but only as a standard external drive. Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, etc.) have Thunderbolt 3/4 ports, so you can connect the My Passport Pro using Apple’s Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter. The drive will appear as a normal external volume, and you can read and write files. However, WD Drive Utilities is not compatible with macOS Big Sur or later, so you cannot change RAID modes or use WD Security on those systems.

What is the maximum transfer speed of the My Passport Pro?

In RAID 0 mode, the drive can reach sequential read speeds of about 400 MB/s and write speeds around 350 MB/s. In RAID 1 mode, speeds drop to roughly 200 MB/s for writes and 250 MB/s for reads. These are theoretical maximums; real-world speeds depend on the file size, the Mac’s processor, and the Thunderbolt connection.

Can I replace the hard drives inside the My Passport Pro?

Technically yes, but it is not recommended. The enclosure is not designed for user replacement, and opening it may damage the proprietary connector. If a drive fails, the best option is to send the drive to a data recovery service or simply replace the entire unit. If you are handy, you can try to replace the drives, but you will need to rebuild the RAID array and may lose the ability to use the WD software.

Does the My Passport Pro work with an iPad or Android tablet?

No. The drive requires a Thunderbolt port, which is not available on iPads or Android tablets. Even with a USB adapter, the drive will not be recognized because it lacks the necessary power and data protocol. For mobile devices, consider a portable SSD with USB-C or a wireless drive like the WD My Passport Wireless Pro.

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