How to Find the Model Number on My Western Digital External Hard Drive
By Robert Kingsley
Western Digital has a robust support site for its external drives. If you need drivers, setup guides, FAQs or manuals for your device, you’ll find them on the site. However, to get support for your specific Western Digital drive model, you first need to find the model number of your device. You can quickly find this information in several places.
Check the Sticker
Check for your external drive’s model number on the drive itself. Look on the side and bottom of the device for a sticker with a barcode. This sticker has a number labeled either "MDL" or "P/N." This is your drive’s model number. There should also be another copy of this sticker on the box the drive was sold in. Checking the sticker is the fastest and easiest method of finding your drive’s model number, but if it’s damaged or illegible, you have other options.
Device Manager
The Device Manager is a tool included with Windows operating systems that provides a concise list of all the hardware connected to the system. Right-click the bottom-left corner of the window, click “Device Manager” from the context menu to launch the utility, and then click the arrow next to “Disk drives” to expand the list of devices in that category. Your drive is listed in this view by its model number.
Disk Management
The Disk Management tool included in Windows operating systems provides a detailed look at all of the internal and external hard drives connected to your system. To access this tool, right-click the bottom-left corner of the window, select “Disk Management” from the context menu to launch the utility, right-click the drive number associated with your drive in the bottom pane of the Disk Management window, and then click “Properties.” Your drive’s model number is listed at the top of the General tab.
Data Lifeguard Diagnostics
If you can’t read your drive’s sticker and you aren’t comfortable working with Windows admin tools, download Data Lifeguard Diagnostics from the Western Digital Support site (see Resources) and save it to your desktop or another known location on your hard drive. Double-click the downloaded ZIP archive to open it, double-click “WD Drive Manager Setup.exe” to launch the installer, follow the on-screen prompts to install the utility and launch it, and then accept the license agreement when prompted to do so. The tool lists all WD devices on its main screen, along with their serial and model numbers.
Writer Bio
Robert Kingsley has been writing technical copy and procedural documents since 2007. He has years of experience with networking and hardware troubleshooting to help guide readers through their information technology-related issues. Kingsley received his associate's degree in computer networking systems from ITT Technical Institute in Woburn, Massachusetts.