Permanently erase data from WD Elements external hard drive before selling or donating it. Recover lost data from a formatted WD Elements external hard drive. Format WD Elements external hard drive on PC or Mac. In this article, we will show you how to format WD Elements external hard drive on Mac or Windows computer, recover lost data from a formatted WD Elements external hard drive and introduce an effective method to permanently erase data from your WD Elements external hard drive before you sell or donate it. Whether you want to quickly delete all data from a WD Elements external hard drive or just want to fix logical errors on a WD Elements external hard drive, formatting is the best method to reach your goal.