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Western Digital

Western Digital 8TB Elements Desktop External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 external hard drive for plug-and-play storage - Western DigitalBWLG0080HBK-NESN, Black

Based on 6,727 reviews
Condition: New
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$399.38
Holiday Deal was $399.99

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Arrives Sunday, Nov 15
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At a glance

Condition
New
Storage
8 TB
Number of Items
1
Model
WDBWLG0080HBK-NESN
Weight
2.1 lb
Color
Black
Hard Disk Interface
USB 2.0/3.0
Warranty
2-year limited
Works with
Desktop, Laptop

Features 4

  • High-capacity add-on storage.Specific uses: Business, personal
  • Fast data transfers
  • Plug-and-play ready for Windows PCs
  • WD quality inside and out

Description

WD Elements desktop storage with USB 3.0 offers reliable, high-capacity, add- on storage, fast data transfer rates and universal connectivity with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 devices. The sleek design features up to 10TB capacity plus WD quality and reliability. Compatibility - Formatted NTFS and compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8.1 or Windows 7. Compatibility may vary depending on user’s hardware configuration and operating system.

Specs 33

Digital Storage Capacity 8 TB
Hard Disk Interface USB 2.0/3.0
Connectivity Technology USB
Brand Western Digital
Special Feature High-capacity add-on storage
Hard Disk Form Factor 3.5 inches
Hard Disk Description Mechanical Hard Disk
Installation Type Not Specified

Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Sunday, Nov 15

Yes, absolutely! This item's return window has been extended for the holiday season: FREE refund/replacement until Jan 31, 2027.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

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Top Amazon Reviews

Dependable, High-Capacity Storage That Just Works
Memory Storage Capacity: 8 TB Number of Items: 1
Dependable, High-Capacity Storage That Just Works I’ve used the Western Digital 8TB Elements Desktop Drive for several years now, and it’s been one of the most reliable pieces of hardware in my setup. It’s the classic “plug-and-play” device—connect the USB cable, power it on, and it’s ready to use. I primarily use it for long-term file backups, media storage, and archiving older projects, and it’s handled everything from large video files to entire system images without complaint. Transfer speeds over USB 3.0 are solid for a mechanical hard drive—around 150 MB/s in real-world use—and it stays stable during long copy sessions. It does require an AC adapter, so it’s not meant to be portable, but for a desktop-based system or home server it’s perfect. Noise is minimal, just a soft hum when spinning, and the case runs only slightly warm after hours of use. The 8TB capacity offers plenty of room to consolidate multiple smaller drives, and the cost per terabyte remains one of the best values on the market. The drive came pre-formatted for Windows (NTFS) but can easily be reformatted for macOS or Linux if needed. WD’s build quality still holds up—mine has survived more than four years of continuous operation without any hiccups. A few small notes: this is a mechanical HDD, so it’s not SSD-fast, and it needs external power. If you want a travel drive or instant-access performance, a portable SSD is better. But for dependable, affordable mass storage, this is tough to beat. Bottom line: a workhorse external drive that delivers excellent reliability, quiet operation, and tremendous storage capacity at a great price. Perfect for backups, media libraries, or anyone who just wants a lot of space that “just works.” ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2025 by Everyday Reviews
Fast HDD. Delivered fast too. Thanks
Memory Storage Capacity: 8 TB Number of Items: 1
Review Image by Joshua C.
Review Image by Joshua C.
Review Image by Joshua C.
Review Image by Joshua C.
Review Image by Joshua C.
Bought this cuz my two other Seagate SMR drives are slowing down on me (The 2TB @ 3 yrs and 4TB @ 2 yrs of age). Compared to when I bought em, they are now half the speed. And the only reason why I bought em is because they are cheap with free one drive storage for like 2 yrs. Didn't even know what an SMR drive is not until just a few months ago. It seems that those drives being an SMR drive is the reason why. Hence bought this PMR drive from WD. A first ever drive I bought from WD. And if I may say, its fast and seems to be durable with no Hardware Encryption as it would really seem too. Turns out I received the White version for my drive since what I got as per my drive model no. is a White Drive which basically is rebranded Red Drive as what I could see from the forums. What a jackpot really!. :D Love it. Update: The USB 3.0 Data cable included with the drive became broke. So I asked WD for a replacement cable using the support website and registering the hard drive there. After a week, I finally got the replacement cable, which is great as I need it immediately. They also included an extra power adaptor for the hard drive which is great. Just a note, if you encountered a very slow transfer rate with the hard drive, it may be due to the faulty/dying USB 3;0 cable which happened to me. Because I had this issue a since a few months ago with my transfer rates falling to around 40-50MBps only vs the usual 140MBps+ transfer rate before. But when I had the replacement USB 3.0 cable WD sent to me, my transfer rates were back to where it once was. I almost thought I would have to replace the drive after almost 2 yrs of using it as this is one of the early signs of a dying drive, turns out it could also be caused by a faulty/dying USB 3.0 data cable. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2019 by Joshua C.
Big storage, plug and play convenience wins
Memory Storage Capacity: 8 TB Number of Items: 1
Why I ordered this item: My old backup drive finally died and I needed something big to dump all my photos and video files onto before I lost anything else. Likes: * It shows up and starts working the second you plug it in. No formatting, no drivers, nothing. * Transfers are zippy. I moved a folder of maybe 200GB of video over and it went fast. * The capacity on this thing is insane. I've been hoarding files for years and I'm still barely making a dent in it. * It's pretty quiet sitting on my desk. I can hear a very faint hum if I put my ear right next to it, but thats it. * Build quality feels fine for a plastic enclosure. It's not going anywhere on my desk and doesn't feel flimsy. No likes: * It gets warm during long transfers. Not hot enough to worry me, but noticeable if you touch the top of it. * The cable is short. If your outlet or USB port is on the far side of your desk you'll be doing some rearranging. * It's formatted for Windows out of the box so Mac users have some extra steps if you want it to work right. Would I pay full price for this product: Yes It's not a flashy piece of gear, it's just a big dumb box that stores your stuff. For anyone who needs a lot of storage without messing with a NAS setup, you plug it in and start dragging files onto it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2026 by Amazon Customer
WD 8TB Elements Desktop - Reliability, Easy to Use, Super Fast Transfer Data, Worth The Value
Memory Storage Capacity: 8 TB Number of Items: 1
Western Digital 8TB Elements Desktop is a great external hard drive. Purchased WD 8TB Elements to backup my computer system. When I received the product, it was easy to install by following on screen instructions, it came with WD software to begin transferring my data immediately. Instead, I chose WD Acronis True Image software, which offers the ability to: Back up operating systems, applications, settings and individual files on Windows and macOS. Everything worked well together and there was no data loss on my windows 10 backup. The WD elements drive sits on my desktop and acts as add-on-storage to my computer. The WD 8TB is portable and is incredibly fast, taking 1hr 30min to back up my computer. WD 8TB Desktop External Hard Disk Drive-3.5 Inch, USB 3.0 with Automatic Backup, 256 Bit AES Hardware Encryption, Password Protection, Compatible with Windows & Mac, Portable HDD. Highly recommend Western Digital 8TB Elements Desktop because easy to use, reliable, fast transfer of data, and provides peace of mind. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2025 by GoldenNugget
Works well, great value
Memory Storage Capacity: 8 TB Number of Items: 1
I purchased two of the 8TB versions and plan to use one as a desktop expansion drive, and the other as a backup drive for all my files that just sits in a lockbox. So far I have only used one of the two drives, but my experiences so far have been pretty good overall. The ease of use is exactly like it should be. You just plug it in and it's ready to go. There's no special software to install or bloatware like I've had on some other drives in the past. I didn't purchase the drive for speed and knew it wouldn't be blazing fast, but I am a little disappointed. I should also preface it with the fact that some of the poor transfer rates I am getting are likely because of my computer. I do have it plugged into a USB 3.0 slot on my Z97 motherboard, but the USB slot uses the ASMedia ASM1074 hub instead of the native Intel controller. Still, I wouldn't expect a huge hit because of that. When I tried to move several TB of movies over, I was getting about 37-40mbps for the whole transfer. It was similar when I moved about 800GB of photos onto the drive. It is not a deal killer for me given how often I do that kind of thing, and I will try to move the USB over to a different port which may help. One other little quirk that I don't love is that the drive makes odd little sounds during when it is idling. It's hard to describe them, but they are very short, intermittent bursts that almost sound like the motor is trying to spin up for a fraction of a second. It's a little "blip" of sound, then silence for several seconds, then another "blip." It doesn't sound like the head, bad bearings, or anything leading to failure. From some brief research it sounds like this may actually be a common occurance on drives >6TB and is nothing to be concerned about. I just find it a bit disruptive. I generally turn the drive off when not in use to get around the issue, which is also kind of a pain because the drive automatically boots with my computer every time. If I don't use the hard drive every time I boot the computer then I have to manually shut it off after the computer boots. The alternative is that I can just unplug it from the computer completely and only plug it in when I want to use it, but that's not a perfect solution either. Really, they are both just band aids to the root issue, which is that the drive makes distracting sounds when not in use. Worse things could happen and it's a first world problem--certainly not bad enough to make me return the drives. Overall I am happy with these hard drives. Given the price, I don't think they can be beat for casual use. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2019 by Max Perkins
Windows Formatted NTFS Out of the Box - Quiet, Reliable, Value Storage
Memory Storage Capacity: 8 TB Number of Items: 1
I get these for add-on storage for Windows 10 PC, I have some from as far back as 2011 that are still running, sizes back then as small as 2.5 TiB now I have several 8 TiB and 10 TiB Elements, and a few 12 TiB Elements as well. The Elements series of WD drives are meant to save energy consumption, and after several minutes of no read or write requests from the system, they stop spinning. This saves energy and wear on the device, as read and write heads, arms and actuators, spindle motor and servo control motor are all points where friction and wear cause eventual device failure over time, months and years, so a drive that rests when not in use can definitely last longer than one that is always ready for input or reading. Experience has taught me this. I have bought several brands of drives for add-on storage, but WD Elements have never failed on me, I have not had such good value with other brands. Because of this I only buy WD Elements now. While Solid State Drives are becoming more popular and readily available, for now they only make sense for me as the operating system drive for Windows and Windows Updates, not for mass storage until they become available in large storage sizes at a much lower price per TiB, since I have no idea how long I will need more storage at a reasonable price like WD Elements. These work right out of the box, I have more than 20 of them. I remember one time when something went wrong (I am not sure what), and an Elements 10 TiB didn't show in Windows. I went to the Western Digital web site which had several apps for Windows and Mac to support the Elements and other drives they sell, and forums for support as well as other support options. I was able to download an app that formatted the drive for NTFS with GUID partition table (GPT), and in a short time it was ready to use. Except for that one time, they are always plug in ready right from the box and store files. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2020 by divine_cannibal
Which to buy, this drive or Seagate???
Memory Storage Capacity: 8 TB Number of Items: 1
TLDR; This is a fantastic drive get it! This is my opinion, based on my experiences, Your Actual Mileage May Vary. I'm a computer professional, I have done both hardware and software design. I have bought and used many disk drives over the years. So I feel that I am highly qualified to speak on this topic. The disk drive debates tend to resemble religious wars. Lots of people with adamant opinions, but very few with facts. Or understanding of statistics. Over many years, I have purchased a roughly equal number of disk drives from both Western Digital and Seagate. Most of the drives were 4TB or less. And I have not seen major differences between the two brands for the smaller drives. About 3 years ago I purchased 3 of the Seagate 8TB drives. This is so that I can make 3 separate backups of all important data. A practice that I strongly urge every business to do (and if you keep the drives disconnected except when making backups, it will protect you from the viruses that encrypt all of your files). Frankly I have not been too happy with the Seagate 8TB drives. All manufactures claim amazing speeds for their drives, but rarely do actual systems come even close to the claimed speeds. There are a lot of factors that figure into the realizable speed, so that is why these companies can get away with what is basically False Advertising. It has been my experience that the Seagate 8TB drives are slow and noisy. One of the 3 drives is now starting to fail after 3 years of very light use. But for me the bigger issue is that they are slow, the best I see is about 40MegaBytesPerSecond of sustained Write speed and not much faster for reads. (don't confuse Bytes with Bits, Mbps = Bits, MBps should indicate Bytes, but sometimes doesn't, rule of thumb divide Bits Per Second by 10 to get Bytes Per Second). The first thing I noticed about this Western Digital 8TB drive is how quiet it is. In fact it was so quiet that I had to double check to make sure that it had power! After years of listening to the Seagate drives rumbling along it is a really nice treat to have a drive that is essentially silent. Even under full read/write load you can barely hear it. I have just finished subjecting this drive to 3 days of continuous read/write testing and I saw a sustained 100 MegaBytesPerSeconds though put. The lowest it got was about 80MBps after about 30 hours of continuous read/writes on a fairly hot day. Summary: I have 3 Segate 8TB drives (same exact price as this one). They are slow, they are noisy, and after 3 years of very light use one of them is failing. I have subjected this Western Digital drive to 3 days of hard testing. It is more than twice as fast as the Seagate drives and it is nearly silent. I cannot say what the long term reliability will be like, but past experience with 4TB drives and smaller indicates that the reliability should be good. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2019 by iskum kloshe
Simple extended storage. Good for LLM
Memory Storage Capacity: 8 TB Number of Items: 1
Bought this to replace a buffalo NAS, which never really worked right. I plugged this into my media server and it just worked. No weird setup, just exactly functional out of the box. Buying another for my workshop and will resume nightly backups.
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2026 by Michael Bubolz
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