I have just purchased a 1TB WD elements hard drive that is not recognised by my Samsung tv, my laptop running windows 11 is able to recognises it, I tried different formats and usb leads to no avail. Those anybody know do WD elements work with tv’s,
Hi @fura ,
Have you opened a Support Case? If not opened, for more information, please contact the WD Technical Support team for the best assistance and troubleshooting:
The WD My Passport and WD Elements external hard drives are expected to function seamlessly with your TV. As long as your TV is compatible with NTFS-formatted drives, you should experience no difficulties. In the event that the TV fails to recognize the external hard drive, it is advisable to back up the data and proceed with reformatting.
Ensure that the external hard drive is formatted with a file system that your TV supports. Commonly, TVs support FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS. Check your TV’s manual or specifications to confirm the supported file systems.
Verify that the hard drive is using the correct partition style. Some TVs may not recognize hard drives with the GPT (GUID Partition Table) partition style. It’s often recommended to use MBR (Master Boot Record) for compatibility.
Some external hard drives may require more power than the TV’s USB port can provide. Ensure that the WD Elements drive is receiving enough power. You might need to use an external power source if the drive came with a separate power adapter.
Connect the WD Elements drive to your Windows 11 laptop and run disk checks or diagnostic tools to ensure that the drive is healthy and functioning properly.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for that amelia.
The drive comes preset with the NTFS file system which my Samsung tv supports, I know this as I have a Toshiba drive that works with the NTFS file system.
There are two file systems options for formatting, NTFS and FAT32. I have tried the both of them with no luck. The drive works with my laptop computer
and with another Samsung tv that I have. I am putting it down to a power issue that I cant resolve as the only option with the drive is a USB connection. Thanks again
Regards
fura
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Hi Fura,
You’re welcome! It’s good to hear that you’ve already tried formatting the drive with both NTFS and FAT32. Since the drive works with your laptop and another Samsung TV, it does seem like a power issue specific to the TV in question.
As a next step, you might want to check if your Samsung TV has multiple USB ports and if they provide different power outputs. Some TVs have USB ports labeled as “HDD” or “Service” that might offer more power. Also, ensure that the USB port on the TV is functioning correctly by trying other devices.
If the issue persists, you might consider using a powered USB hub between the WD Elements drive and the TV. This can provide additional power to the drive. Make sure the hub is externally powered to avoid drawing too much power from the TV’s USB port.
If none of these solutions work, it’s possible that the TV’s USB port may not provide enough power for the WD Elements drive. In such cases, an external power source for the WD Elements drive, if available, would be a viable option.
I hope one of these suggestions helps you resolve the issue. Let me know if you have any more questions or if there’s anything else I can assist you with.
Best regards,
Amelia
I’d suggest that you open Disk Management. Check if the drive is using GPT and if it is click with the right mouse button on it and select “convert to MBR disk” (or vice versa). You should backup any important data which you might have on it (if you’ve written anything), before you do that. Then give it a go with the TV, to see if the drive is recognized. 
Hii @fura ,
WD Elements drives can work with TVs, but compatibility depends on the TV model and supported file systems (e.g., FAT32 or NTFS). Ensure the drive is formatted to a supported file system and doesn’t exceed the TV’s storage size limits. Some TVs require external power for larger drives. Check your Samsung TV manual for specifics.
