NAS Drive Compatibility

Western Digital WD RED Pro 22 TB

Enterprise HDD

Part number WD221KFGX · WD RED Pro series · 3.5" SATA HDD. If your machine is listed below, this drive is officially supported — not a forum workaround.

WD REDProNAS HARD DRIVE3.5" SATA HDDWESTERN DIGITAL

Part of the Western Digital WD RED Pro series →

Check WD221KFGX price on Amazon  partner link

59
Compatible NAS models
0 Syn · 0 QNAP · 0 Asus · 48 TM
By vendor
22 TB
Listed capacity
Western Digital
Manufacturer
NAS Pro tier
Product line (manufacturer rating)
7200
Spindle speed (RPM)
CMR
Recording
512 MB
Cache
300 TB
Rated workload / year

Specifications are the manufacturer's published ratings for this product series; verify the exact part number before purchase.

Strong pick as a cold copy

Rated CMR (conventional magnetic recording) — the right recording type for a large cold copy. CMR keeps a full-library backup pass fast even at 16–24 TB, which is the whole point of the offline slot in a 3-2-1 plan: rotate two drives monthly, keep one powered off, and the backup tooling (Veeam, Duplicati, Hyper Backup, HBS 3) does the scheduling. Full rule and vendor tool table: 3-2-1 for NAS.

Compatibility verdict

It appears on the official compatibility lists of 59 machines and series — 48 TerraMaster, 11 UGREEN. This is a Enterprise-class drive: rated for heavier sustained workloads than desktop drives. It is a strong pick for a NAS running 24/7, large-array rebuilds or camera workloads, and enterprise lines are also the drives most widely listed across all five vendors' HCLs. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.

Compatible NAS models

TerraMaster D16 Thunderbolt 3 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D2-310 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D2-320 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D2 Thunderbolt 3 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D4-300 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D4-320 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D4-320U See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5-300 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5-300C See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5-310 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5 Hybrid See its full HCL → TerraMaster D5 Thunderbolt 3 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D6-320 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D8 Hybrid See its full HCL → TerraMaster D8 Thunderbolt 3 See its full HCL → TerraMaster D9-320 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-210 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-212 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-423 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-424 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-425 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F2-425 Plus See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-210 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-212 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-423 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-424 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-424 Max See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-424 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-425 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-425 Plus See its full HCL → TerraMaster F4-425 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster F6-424 See its full HCL → TerraMaster F6-424 Max See its full HCL → TerraMaster F6-425 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster T12-450 See its full HCL → TerraMaster T12-500 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster T6-423 See its full HCL → TerraMaster T9-423 See its full HCL → TerraMaster T9-450 See its full HCL → TerraMaster T9-500 Pro See its full HCL → TerraMaster U12 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U12-500 Plus See its full HCL → TerraMaster U16 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U24 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U4 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U4-500 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U8 See its full HCL → TerraMaster U8-500 Plus See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp2800 See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp4800 See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp4800-plus See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp4800-pro See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp6800-plus See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp6800-pro See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp6800-ultra See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp8800-plus See its full HCL → UGREEN dxp8800-ultra See its full HCL → UGREEN idx6011 See its full HCL → UGREEN idx6011-pro See its full HCL →

Same-capacity alternatives

Other drives listed at 22 TB capacity, ranked by how many machines list them:

Seagate ST22000NT001 148 machines · IronWolf Pro Western Digital WUH722222ALE6L1 121 machines · Ultrastar DC HC570 Western Digital WD221KFGX-68B9KN0 121 machines · Red Pro Seagate ST22000NM001E 121 machines · EXOS X22 Western Digital WD221VRYZ 116 machines · Consumer Gold Western Digital WD221KRYZ 116 machines · Consumer Gold Toshiba MG10AFA22TE 113 machines · MG10F Toshiba MG11ACA22TE 103 machines · MG11 Series

Quick answers

Is the WD221KFGX officially compatible with my NAS?

It appears on the official compatibility lists of 59 machines and series — 48 TerraMaster, 11 UGREEN. Every machine page linked below shows the vendor's own list entry, refreshed daily.

Is the WD221KFGX CMR or SMR?

As a Western Digital WD RED Pro drive, it is rated CMR. CMR (conventional magnetic recording) is what a RAID array wants: SMR drives slow rebuilds dramatically. See the <a href="/faq/cmr-vs-smr-nas-drives/">CMR vs SMR guide</a> for the full series table.

Is the WD221KFGX a good NAS drive?

This is a Enterprise-class drive: rated for heavier sustained workloads than desktop drives. It is a strong pick for a NAS running 24/7, large-array rebuilds or camera workloads, and enterprise lines are also the drives most widely listed across all five vendors' HCLs. Its series rating is on file as CMR (conventional) — what RAID rebuilds and full-library copies want.

Can I use the WD221KFGX for a 3-2-1 cold backup copy?

Rated CMR (conventional magnetic recording) — the right recording type for a large cold copy. CMR keeps a full-library backup pass fast even at 16–24 TB, which is the whole point of the offline slot in a 3-2-1 plan: rotate two drives monthly, keep one powered off, and the backup tooling (Veeam, Duplicati, Hyper Backup, HBS 3) does the scheduling. Full rule and vendor tool table: 3-2-1 for NAS.

What are alternatives to the WD221KFGX?

At the same capacity, the most widely listed alternatives are Seagate ST22000NT001 (148 machines), Western Digital WUH722222ALE6L1 (121 machines), Western Digital WD221KFGX-68B9KN0 (121 machines). The full ranked list is below.