how to repair a flash drive that is write protected

EaseUS Partition Flash Drive after Removing Write Protection

Format a USB flash drive or pen drive after removing write protection with EaseUS partition software

1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition on your external hard drive/USB/SD card which you want to format and choose the "Format" option.
2. Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3), and cluster size to the selected partition, then click "OK".
3. In the Warning window, click "OK" to continue.

Full Answer

How to turn off write protect on a flash drive?

What to Know

• Look for a lock switch on the USB drive or SD card and turn it to the off position.
• Alternatively, use the diskpart command, or change the WriteProtect value in the Windows Registry Editor to 0.
• For individual files, go to the file's Properties and clear the Read-only check box.

How do you remove write protection from a flash drive?

Use Diskpart to Remove Write Protection From USB Drives

• Insert the USB drive into a USB port on your computer.
• Press Windows key + X .
• Select Run .
• Enter diskpart and then select OK . ...
• Next to DISKPART>, enter list disk and press Enter .
• In the list of mounted disks, find your USB drive and note the disk number. ...
• Enter the command select disk disk_number and then press Enter. ...

More items...

How to unlock write protected stick?

Unlock the flash drive in the Windows registry: Open the Run window, type the command regedit and press Enter. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Control StorageDevicePolicies. If you don’t see it, create it on your own. Set the WriteProtect value to 0. Create this value if it is absent from your system.

How can I format a write protected flash disk?

Disk Management can also be used to format a write-protected USB drive/SD card. Right-click on the target drive and select Format to FAT32 or NTFS. Finally, click OK to perform this operation on Windows 7/8/10.

How do I remove write protection on a USB drive?

Double-click the WriteProtect key. To enable write protection, change the WriteProtect value to 1 and click OK. To disable write protection, change the WriteProtect value to 0 and click OK.

Why can't I remove write protection USB?

Look for a lock switch on the USB device and toggle it to the off position. Use the diskpart command instead, or set the WriteProtect value to 0 in the Windows Registry Editor. Clear the Read-only check box in the file's Properties for individual files.

How do you fix a drive that is write-protected?

Quick Navigation:Solution 1: Check the drive for a physical lock.Solution 2: Disable write protection in Registry.Solution 3: Use Command Prompt to remove write protection.Solution 4: Check account permission.Solution 5: Make sure the USB drive isn't full.Solution 6: Ensure your USB drive is free from virus.More items...

Why is my flash drive write-protected?

What does it mean when you receive "The disk is write-protected" error message while trying to format a flash drive, pen drive or SD card? It means the Windows operating system has set administrator limitations, the registry entry is damaged, virus infection or third-party encryption software locked your USB pen drive.

How do I remove write protection from a SanDisk flash drive?

Way 1. Type Regedit in Windows search box to open Registry Editor. 3. Double click the WriteProtect, Change the value from 1 to 0 and click OK to save this change. Then exit the Registry Editor and restart your PC, insert your SanDisk USB/SD card/SSD again, you'll find the SanDisk device is not write-protected anymore.

How do I unlock a USB drive?

What to do if you have forgotten your passwordInsert the USB device and, at the password prompt, select 'more options'Choose 'enter recovery key'You will be asked to enter the recovery key and shown the recovery key ID. ... Paste the key and click 'unlock'

1. How do I format write-protected USB in Windows 10?

As introduced on this page, to format a write-protected USB in Windows 10, you need first remove the write protection by following methods in Part...

2. What is the best write-protected USB format tool?

As you search online, you may find that there is no one professional write-protected USB format tool available for free download. The reason is tha...

3. How to format read-only USB?

When a USB displays as read-only on your computer, you cannot directly format the device either. You should first remove or fix the 'Read Only' err...

4. Can you recover data after formatting a write-protected SD card?

When you removed the write protection and formatted your SD card, it is safe for you to save the data on the card again. As for the lost data, you...

Why is there no write protected USB?

The reason is that write protection error is complex and most formatting tips don't even work.

How to remove write protection virus from USB?

All you need is to install one of the recommended virus cleaners, connect the problematic device to your PC, run and let the virus cleaner tool to scan and remove all write-protection virus from your USB or pen drive.

What tool to use to format USB drive in Windows 10?

Then you can apply EaseUS Partition Master or Windows built-in formatting tool - Disk Management, Windows File Explorer, CMD to format the USB in Windows 10.

What is easeus partition master?

EaseUS Partition Master is capable of formatting your USB or pen drive, etc. , from any the above logical errors. Besides USB flash drive, the program also allows you to format a write-protected SD card with the write protection error removed.

Why is my pen drive not writing protected?

It means the Windows operating system has set administrator limitations, the registry entry is damaged, virus infection or third-party encryption software locked your USB pen drive . With the write protection status on the USB pen drive, you can't format it and you'll get a "The disk is write-protected" error message.

What does it mean when a USB flash drive is locked?

It means that you cannot format the device nor make any changes to it. Here is how to unlock the write-protected USB:

When a device is locked or a disk is write protected, can you use Registry Editor to change its key from?

When a device is locked or a disk is write-protected, you can using Registry Editor to change its key from 1 to 0 so as to unlock the device .

What to do if you can't format a RAW flash drive?

If you still failed to format RAW flash drive because system says the disk drive is write protected, you can run Windows built-in Error-checking tool to check and repair bad sectors on the flash drive. Finally, you can also rely on format tool to format flash drive when system cannot complete the format.

What happens if you can't format a flash drive?

When you are unable to format your flash drive since system reports the flash drive is write protected, you should stop using the flash drive. Any improper operation might lead data to be erased permanently.

Can Rufus format USB?

Formatting usb with Rufus would mostly work when your usb can't be formatted due to unknown reasons.

Does a flash drive have write protection?

The following photo shows a flash drive has write protection that won't let you delete, format nor write files.

How to Remove Write Protection from USB Flash Drive on Windows?

How to remove the write protection from a read-only flash drive? On the next guide, we will show you how to disable write protection from flash drive, SD card or pen drive in Windows 10/8/7.

How to write protected disk?

Step 1. Plug in the write-protected disk. Step 2. Press " Windows+E " and right-click on the drive. Step 3. By right-clicking on the disk, you can choose " Properties ", and then select " Security ". Step 4. To Edit the permissions, you should now select " Everyone " from " Group or user names ". Step 5.

Why Is My USB Drive Read Only?

Formating the file system of the flash drive can cause the write protection. Usually, a pen drive uses the NTFS file system on a Windows computer. You can keep writing and reading data stored inside it. However, sometimes you might want to use it on a Mac computer. So you format the flash memory stick to make it compatible with the Mac computer. The file system is indeed readable and the stored data is accessible on a Mac computer due to the Mac feature. However, writing data is not available. The write protection is added on the USB flash drive by default.

How to disable write protected disk on Mac?

To disable the write-protected disk on Mac, you can follow the next steps to format the drive on macOS: Step 1. Open the Disk Utility, and the application window will open. Step 2. Click on your USB flash drive on the left pane of Disk Utility. Step 3. Click on the Erase tab, then select the format type.

How to unlock a USB flash drive?

Check the switch on the drive: some external USB flash drives and pen drives have a mechanical switch which is used to lock or unlock the drive. If your drive gets the switch, check whether the switch is locked or not. If yes, move it.

What does "The disk is write protected" mean?

The common error of "The disk is write-protected" will occur when you trying to format an external disk such as (USB flash drive, SD memory card, or pen drive).

How to read only flash drive?

What Is a Read-Only Flash Drive? 1 The common error of "The disk is write-protected" will occur when you trying to format an external disk such as (USB flash drive, SD memory card, or pen drive). 2 If you start to copy or modify the files on the drive, the pop-up window show you "The disk is write-protected. Remove this write-protection or use another disk". 3 A read-only flash drive won't allow you to copy the file. When you want to do that, a message might appear - "You cannot copy files to the volume".

What happens if a USB drive is write protected?

If your USB Drive is Write Protected, then you will not be able to access all the data stored on it, or write any data over it. In that case, you need to unlock the write-protected USB, and you can do it so with the help of the Command Prompt window in your Windows PC. Step 1.

How to recover data from an unlocked USB drive?

To recover lost data from your unlocked USB Drive, you will be required to use the Recoverit data recovery tool. On your web browser, go to the Recoverit official website and click on the Download button for the Windows-compatible version. There will be two download options, one for Windows and another for Mac, make sure you download the correct one.

How to unlock a USB drive?

So, if you find your USB Drive locked, then you should first check the physical lock switch. If the lock switch of your USB Drive is toggled to the lock position, you need to toggle it to the unlock position to unlock your USB Drive.

What is the best recovery software?

Recoverit - The Best File Recovery Software 1 Recoverit helps you in recovering data from various kinds of storage drives like USB Drive, Pen Drive, SSDs, HDDs, Floppy Disk, SD card, etc. 2 By using Recoverit, you can recover lost data from an unlocked USB Drive, corrupted drive, malfunctioning drive, formatted drive, etc. 3 Recoverit allows you to recover all kinds of files from your USB Drive such as Video files, Audio Files, Documents, ZIP files, OBB files, etc.

What is recoveryit?

Recoverit helps you in recovering data from various kinds of storage drives like USB Drive, Pen Drive, SSDs, HDDs, Floppy Disk, SD card, etc. By using Recoverit, you can recover lost data from an unlocked USB Drive, corrupted drive, malfunctioning drive, formatted drive, etc.

How to identify USB drive?

Select your USB Drive listed under " External Devices " section, you can identify your USB Drive by its Size, Name or Letter. Click "Start" after selecting the Drive. This will initiate the scanning process.

What happens if my USB is locked?

This Write Protection on your USB is one of the features of your external storage devices to fight unauthorized access. But in case, if you have mistakenly locked your USB Drive, or the Drive is automatically showing Write Protected, ...

How to remove write protection from USB drive effectively?

If you are reading this post, you must be one of them. Deep breath and stay calm. No matter whether you are using Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10 , I am going to walk you through a few easy steps to remove write protection and make your USB flash drive or SD card writable again.

What is write protection on a USB drive?

A USB drive is enabled with write protection has the ability to prevent new files from being written or old files being changed. Typically, this means you can only read the data which are already stored on the USB, but you can't delete or modify them.

How to open diskpart command prompt?

2.1. Press Windows key + R combination on your keyboard. In the pop-up Run dialog box, type diskpart and hit Enter or click "OK" to open the DiskPart Command Prompt.

What is the default format for a USB drive?

By default, a USB drive is formatted as FAT32, which ensures cross-platform compatibility. However, FAT32 limits a single file size up to 4GB. If you would like to store larger files on your USB flash drive, you should format it to NTFS. And then, click " OK " to continue.

How to change write protection on USB?

On the right-hand pane, double-click on the WriteProtect or right click on it and select "Modify". In the pop-up window, you may find that the "Value data" is set to 1 which means current computer is enabled with write protection on USB storage device.

What is a flash drive used for?

Nowadays, most of us have one or more USB flash drives, which are usually used to store and transfer data among computers, create Windows To Go workspace, install and run portable applications, connect to a wireless network, and backup files. Some users who often use USB drives may have come across ...

Can you transfer files to a USB drive if it is locked?

The location of a switch on a USB flash drive will be different. Make sure the lock switch is slid up to unlock position. You will not be able to transfer files to the USB drive if it is locked.

How to disable write protection on USB flash drive?

Depending on your device, you can use a hardware switch to toggle write-protection or change the read-only settings for the device through the operating system.

What to do if USB flash drive is read only?

If the USB flash drive is still read-only after checking the Allow checkbox in step 9, repeat the steps and check the checkbox for the Full Control entry. Verify if the USB flash drive allows you to modify its contents now.

How to edit NTFS file system?

NTFS file system. In the Properties window, click the Security tab. Click the Edit button below the Group or user names section. In the Permissions window, click the Everyone entry, if not already selected. In the Permissions for Everyone section, make sure the Allow checkbox is checked for the Modify entry.

What to do if USB is read only?

If the USB flash drive is still read-only after checking the Allow checkbox in step 7, repeat the steps and check the checkbox for the Full Control entry. Verify if the USB flash drive allows you to modify its contents now.

How to enable read only mode on USB?

You can use the Windows DiskPart command line utility to enable or disable read-only mode on your USB flash drive. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type diskpart and press Enter. If you receive a User Account Control prompt asking you for permission to continue, click Yes.

How to clear read only?

To clear the read-only attribute (making the disk writable), use the command attributes disk clear readonly. Or, to set the read-only attribute (making the flash disk write-protected), use the command attributes disk set readonly. When you are finished, type exit to quit the program.

What is a write protection switch?

The write-protection switch is useful for keeping the contents of your drive safe from malware when you need to view them on a public computer. If your device has this switch, move it to the "Lock" position.