how to repair a write protected flash drive

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.

What do I do if my USB is write-protected?

Open Windows File Explorer, locate and right-click on the USB which is write-protected, and select "Property". Step 3. Go to the General tab, uncheck "Read Only", click "Apply" and "OK" to finish. After removing write protection on your USB or pen drive, you can directly access the device with ease.

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...

Can not remove write protection USB?

Check the USB Stick for Viruses. ... Check the USB Drive Body. ... Check to Make Sure the USB Stick Isn't Full. ... Remove Individual Files With Write Protection. ... DiskPart Command Prompt Utility. ... Clear Write Protection Error in Windows Registry. ... Format the USB Drive. ... Turn Off BitLocker.More items...•

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 remove write protection from a USB drive using command prompt?

Disable write protection using command line (CMD)Connect your write protected SD card to your computer.Right Click on Start. ... Type diskpart and hit Enter.Type list disk and hit Enter. ... Type select disk . ... Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter.More items...•

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 .

How to write protect USB?

If it exists, double-click it. This will open the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value box. You can now set one of two values: 0 or 1. 1 means "Yes, write protect my USB storage devices." Conversely, 0 means "No, don't write protect my USB storage devices." Set the value to 0, and then press OK.

Why does my USB drive say "Write protected"?

Viruses often act in a manner that will fill your USB drive with nonsense files and this can make your USB drive respond with the Write Protected error.

What to do if you find a virus on a USB drive?

If you do find a virus, eliminate it using your antivirus software. At this point, I would advise performing a full system scan after updating your virus definitions. If there is one virus lurking on your USB drive, you never know what might be propagating on your main system.

What file system is used to format a USB stick?

Prior to formatting the USB drive, determine what kind of file system it already has -- NTFS or FAT32. Normally the file system that it already has will be the file system that is best suited for the drive.

How to check USB drive capacity?

Open Windows Explorer, and browse to My PC. This gives you an overview of all drives connected to your system. Right-click your USB drive and select Properties. You'll be presented with a delightful donut-chart (what was wrong the venerable pie-chart, Microsoft?) displaying your current drive capacity.

What happens if a file name exceeds 255 characters?

The long and short of it is that if a filename exceeds 255 characters, you're going to have a bad time.

How to see what disk is mounted?

Hit Windows key + X, and select Command Prompt (Admin) from the menu. Type diskpart, and press Enter (1. in the below image). Next , type list disk, and press Enter. You should see a list of currently mounted disks, like so (2. in the below image):

8 Ways to get rid off write protected Flash drives and memory card

Hello my friends , today i will explain how to fix write protected problem for usb flash drive .Most of people when they format their flash drives ,they get error message " the disk is write protected " as you see in the shown picture .How to get rid off this error message and repair flash drive ?.

Write protected flash drive problem solutions

May be your flash drive is infected by virus like trojans or another virus so to remove this virus we must use a strong antivirus such as "NOD 32 " .First download nod 32 antivirus then update it .Scan your flash drive.What if this solution doesn't work with you ? so you will follow the second solution .

Second Solution : Unlock your memory card or flash drive

Sometimes you lock your memory card or flash drive .Check if you lock your memory card ,then unlock it like the previous pictures may be your write protected problem will be solved after unlock memory card .If this solution doesn't work with your write protected problem , please follow the third solution .

Fourth Solution : Make sure the files you want to move a printable

Some files is programed to be read only files that you can't copy it to any removable devices .Make sure that your files isn't Read Only files .To do that just right click on file then click properties then attributes and remove the mark on "Read Only " .If this solution doesn't fix your write protected problem , please see the next solution .

5- Fix write protected problem by DOS

We will repair and fix write protected memory card or flash drive by using windows DOS .From Windows start menu click on RUN or you can show it by clicking " Windows symbol + R " from your keyboard then follow this steps :

6- Fix write protected memory card by modifying windows registry

Open "RUN" as we mentioned before .Write "regedit" then press enter .Click yes to open windows registry editor .

7- Repair write protected memory card problem by right windows format

Repair your usb flash drive and format it by windows format .Right click on flash drive then choose format .As the previous picture make the default settings.Click Start and wait until finish formatting your write protected flash drive.If this solution doesn't work with you , please try the next solution .

What does it mean when you see a disk is write protected?

When you see the error prompt "the disk is write protected" as soon as you plug in a peripheral storage device , this means that you cannot write or format the disk until this problem is solved. This usually happens in Windows version 7, 8, 8.1, and the latest Windows 10.

How to remove write protection from SD card?

1. CHECK FOR SWITCHES. Sometimes, all it takes is a switch to remove write protection. Simply perform a physical check of your device to find any switch, which is usually found on the edges for the SD card.

What is a removable disk?

0. A removable disk is very handy for when you want to store large files if you do not want to overload your PC's memory. Flash sticks, external hard drives, SD cards, and DVDs are some of the prime examples of such devices.

What to do if playback doesn't begin?

If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

Why does my external storage have write protection?

If your external storage device has a lot of files saved in it, this might enable the write protection function. To solve this, you may need to delete unnecessary files to free up space.

Does formatting a device wipe out all data?

Note: Formatting the device will wipe out all data saved in it.

Can you access a removable disk?

Since you will not be able to access the removable disk, you need to be able to undo the write protection before you can use it again.

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.

How to get command prompt to open?

Step 1. Type " cmd " or " Command Prompt " on the search panel of your Task Bar in Windows 10 or any other versions. You will see "Command Prompt" as a result of your search. Click on it to enter the "Command Prompt" window.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.