Western Digital WD Red (SMR): specifications & data recovery

Model numbers, technical details and data recovery for Western Digital WD Red (SMR) hard drives sold 2018–2026. Fixed quote and a list of recoverable files before you pay.

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Western Digital WD Red (SMR): specifications & data recovery

About the WD Red (SMR)

In 2020 it emerged that these WD Red models used SMR, which can make NAS rebuilds extremely slow or cause them to fail. Arrays that failed mid-rebuild are usually recoverable from the member drives.

Not sure which model you have? The model or part number is printed on the drive’s top label, for example ST2000DM008 or WD40EFRX.

Model numbers in this family

These are the most common model and part numbers in the WD Red (SMR) family. Other capacities and variants are covered too.

WD20EFAX
WD30EFAX
WD40EFAX
WD60EFAX

How we recover WD Red (SMR) data

Mechanical faults are repaired with matched donor parts in a clean-air environment; firmware faults are corrected at service-area level. Every recovery works from an image, never the original.

Common questions

Can you recover data from a failed Western Digital WD Red (SMR)?

In most cases, yes. We image the drive with hardware that copes with weak heads and bad sectors, replacing heads or motors in clean-room conditions when needed, then rebuild the file system from the copy.

Where do I find my hard drive model number?

The model or part number is printed on the drive’s top label, for example ST2000DM008 or WD40EFRX.

How long does a recovery take?

Straightforward cases take a few days; clean-room and RAID work can take longer.

Get a price from a technician

Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to sort it – normally the same working day.

020 7237 6805

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