Western Digital

Western Digital WDBFKT0040BGY-WESN 4TB My Passport Ultra

USB 3.0USB 2.0

4TB of USB 3.0 portable storage in a metal-finish chassis — WD's reliability backing large-capacity backup and media transport.

$208.52*
In Stock on Amazon.com
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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Sep 04, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change — details.

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Overview

The Western Digital My Passport Ultra WDBFKT0040BGY-WESN is a 4TB USB 3.0 portable hard drive built around a 2.5" mechanical spindle in a bus-powered enclosure. The USB 3.0 interface provides up to 5 Gbps theoretical bandwidth, but the actual throughput ceiling is set by the internal HDD at approximately 100–130 MB/s sequential — which is the correct expectation for this class of storage. What 4TB in a bus-powered form factor actually enables is large-volume backup and media archiving without carrying a power brick: a full 1TB photo library or 4K video project archive transfers and transports in a pocket-sized package. The drive ships NTFS-formatted for Windows and includes WD Discovery software for optional AES 256-bit hardware encryption and cloud backup scheduling.

This drive is purpose-built for backup, media transport, and archival — not active workloads. Photographers archiving RAW shoots, videographers offloading project files, or IT staff running nightly incremental backups will find the 4TB capacity and USB 3.0 throughput well-matched to the use case. Power users who need random I/O performance for scratch or application storage should look at SSD-based alternatives; the My Passport Ultra's spinning disk makes it unsuitable for those workflows. The 3-year limited warranty and WD's established reputation in portable storage make this a low-risk procurement decision for high-capacity backup duties.

Key Features

Brilliant design, pairing metal and matte finishes. Formatted for Windows 10, Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 operating systems. Requires reformatting for other operating systems.

Included WD Discovery software for social media and cloud storage import, backup and password protection

3-year limited warranty

Trusted drive built with WD reliability

USB 3.0 port; USB 2.0 compatible

Specifications

Capacity
4TB
Interface
USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 compatible)
Form Factor
2.5" portable (bus-powered)
Default File System
NTFS (Windows pre-formatted)
Encryption
AES 256-bit hardware (via WD Discovery software)
Compatible OS
Windows 10, 8.1, 7 (native); requires reformatting for macOS/Linux
Color
Black-Gray (metal and matte finish)
Warranty
3-year limited
Brand
Western Digital
Model
WDBFKT0040BGY-WESN

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Frequently Asked Questions

The My Passport Ultra uses a USB 3.0 interface, which has a theoretical ceiling of 5Gbps. In practice, the mechanical HDD inside is the bottleneck — typical sustained sequential read/write speeds fall in the 100–130MB/s range, well below USB 3.0's limit. USB 3.0 does not saturate; the spinner itself is the constraint.
The drive uses USB 3.0 (5 Gbps theoretical bandwidth) and is USB 2.0 backward-compatible. With a 2.5" HDD spindle inside, real-world sequential read/write speeds are approximately 100–130 MB/s — the mechanical drive, not the USB 3.0 interface, is the throughput ceiling.
The My Passport Ultra ships pre-formatted as NTFS for Windows 10, 8.1, and 7. Mac users must reformat to exFAT or APFS/HFS+ before use — this erases any pre-loaded WD software. Note that NTFS volumes are read-only on macOS without third-party drivers.
Out of the box, the drive is formatted for Windows (NTFS) and works with Windows 7, 8.1, and 10 without setup. macOS can read NTFS natively but requires reformatting to exFAT or HFS+ for full read/write compatibility — WD's documentation covers this process, but the drive does not arrive Mac-ready.
WD Discovery is optional, not required — the drive mounts and operates as standard storage without any software installation. The software adds optional features: cloud/social media import, automated backup, and hardware encryption via a password. Users who prefer a clean install can ignore it entirely.
No. The My Passport Ultra is bus-powered via the USB cable — no AC adapter required. On older systems with lower-output USB ports, a Y-cable may be needed to draw sufficient power for reliable operation.
WD Discovery provides cloud import from social media/cloud services, local backup scheduling, and hardware-based password encryption (AES 256-bit). It is not required for basic drag-and-drop storage use; the drive functions as standard USB mass storage without it.
Yes — hardware-based password protection is available through WD Discovery software. Enabling password protection activates hardware encryption. If the password is lost, the drive data is not recoverable, so this should only be enabled with a secure password record.
Western Digital provides a 3-year limited warranty on this model, which is above average for portable external drives in this category and is serviceable through WD's standard RMA process.
Western Digital provides a 3-year limited warranty on the My Passport Ultra. Warranty service is handled directly through WD; coverage applies to manufacturing defects, not physical damage or data loss.