I know the password. I just used it a few days ago. Then I shut down the computer and when I reopened it asked for the password which I gave it and it wont recognize it. I know it is the right one. Im on OS Catalina. The help in the WD Software says the unlock is compatible with Leopard, snow Leopard, Lion and Mountain Lion. What should I do?
Hi,
The WD Drive Unlock/ WD Security protection is a 256-bit AES encryption, and there is no “forgot password” option to reset the password.
If you have forgotten the password, the information stored on the hard drive cannot be retrieved due to the encryption. And WD technical support wouldn’t be able to provide a new password or alternative method to access the encrypted data. If you enter the wrong password 5 times, you will receive an error stating too many attempts.
In order to try your password 5 more times, you will need to safely eject the drive and unplug both the power and data cable from the unit. Then plug it back in. You will now be given 5 more tries. If you can’t remember your password, then you will not be able to access the drive.
Reformatting the drive will erase all the data on the unit, as well as removes the password from the drive.
Note: - Formatting the drive will erase all data on the drive and is not recoverable.
Title: WD Security “Invalid Password Message” or Password Forgotten
Link: Invalid Password or Forgotten Password Message on WD Security
Title: How to Partition and Format a WD Drive on Windows and macOS
Link: Instructions to Format a Drive for Use with Windows or macOS
Note: Western Digital does neither cover Data Recovery under its warranty policy nor has any in-house data recovery service. But, it does provide approval for the data recovery from any alternate 3rd party options.
For a detailed list for which WD external drives support encryption, and if data recovery is possible, please check the link below.
Title: WD External Drive Encryption Compatibility Matrix
Link: External Drive: Hardware Encryption Compatibility Matrix
