Can't back up my PC to my Western Digital My Passport

Question

I have an HP PC with Windows 11, and have tried to back it up onto a Western Digital My Passport.

Windows OS does not recognize the drive as a destination, the drive itself works fine on my HP laptop.

I have contacted WD, and they believe it is a problem with the Windows OS on my PC; I have seen other questions about this on the support website, but cannot access the support answers.

I would appreciate any help with this issue.

Answer 1

Hi Leonard Rugiel,

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

In Windows 11, the Windows Backup experience is designed mainly around cloud-based backup using a Microsoft account. Because of this design, some external USB drives may not appear as selectable destinations in the Windows Backup app, even though they function normally for file storage and transfers.

Here are some reliable ways that you can try to back up your data locally:

Option 1: Use File History (built-in) - Best for automatic backups of Documents, Desktop, Pictures, and similar folders

• Connect the WD My Passport to the PC
• Open Control Panel > File History
• Select the external drive as the backup location

Option 2: Manual backup using File Explorer

• Open File Explorer
• Select important folders (Documents, Pictures, Desktop, etc.)
• Copy them directly to the WD My Passport drive

Option 3: Use WD backup software then choose the WD My Passport as the destination

• Schedule backups if needed
• Ideal if you want automated or full-system backups.

Your drive and system are functioning normally, and your data can still be safely backed up using the options above. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Answer 2

Windows Backup in Windows 11 is designed primarily to back up data to the cloud using a Microsoft account, not to arbitrary external drives as a selectable “Windows Backup” destination. This is why the Western Digital My Passport does not appear as a backup target inside the Windows Backup app, even though the drive works normally and is visible on another PC.

To back up data from the HP PC to the My Passport, use one of the supported file‑based methods instead of the Windows Backup app:

1. Connect the Western Digital My Passport to the HP PC.
2. Open File Explorer from the taskbar.
3. Browse to the folders that need to be backed up (for example Documents, Desktop, Downloads, Pictures, Music, Videos).
4. Select the files and folders to copy (use CTRL while clicking to select multiple items).
5. Right‑click the selection, choose Show more options > Send to, and then select the My Passport drive.
6. Wait for the copy to complete.
7. When finished, use Eject on the external drive before disconnecting it to avoid data corruption.

If the goal is to use an automated backup solution that recognizes external drives as destinations, use a different backup tool (for example, the older “Backup and Restore” feature when moving files from older PCs, or third‑party backup software) rather than the new Windows Backup app, which is focused on cloud backup with a Microsoft account.

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References:

• Back up and restore with Windows Backup
• KB5032038: Overview of Windows Backup as installed in Windows 10 and Windows 11
• Move your files to a new Windows PC using an external storage device
• Move files using Backup and Restore
• What to do about a critical warning for a storage device