How to Unlock a Write-Protected USB Drive, Memory Card, or a Hard Disk in Windows 10, 8 or 7
Read this article to find out what to do if you see the message “The disk is write-protected” or “You do not have sufficient rights to perform this operation” when trying to format a USB flash drive, memory card or hard disk. Also, learn how to disable protection and unlock any device if you can’t create a file or copy files to a USB drive or a memory card because the device is write-protected.
You can get similar error messages when working with a computer or laptop, as well as with a mobile phone, tablet PC, TV or car audio. To fix the problem, just follow our directions.
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Some models of flash drives, memory cards and external drives can have switches to enable write protection. Most often you can find such switches in SD cards. Examine the device carefully and check the position of the switch (if there is any).
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Your device may be infected by a virus blocking your attempts to write or format the drive. Check the device with an antivirus and clean it if necessary.
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Write errors may appear when the USB drive is full. Check it for free space and take a note of what file system it is using. With FAT32 file system, you can’t write files larger than 4 GB.
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Unlock a USB drive with the Command Prompt:
- Launch the Command prompt as Administrator, type the command Diskpart and press Enter.
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Type list disk and press Enter.
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Find the drive number corresponding to your flash drive. When doing it, the drive size will help you. Type select disk N (where N is the number of the disk that corresponds to the flash drive) and press Enter.
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Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter. This will unlock the device for writing. We also recommend cleaning and formatting the drive for further use. Take the following steps only if the drive contains no important data.
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Type clean and press Enter – it will delete all data on this drive including service information.
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Type create partition primary and press Enter – it creates a new partition.
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Then type select partition 1 and press Enter.
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Type active and press Enter, and the new partition will become active.
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Then type format fs=fat32 quick and press Enter – it will format the device in FAT32.
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After that, type assign and press Enter to give the flash drive a letter name.
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Unlock the flash drive in the Windows registry:
Open the Run window, type the command regedit and press Enter.
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Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ StorageDevicePolicies. If you don’t see it, create it on your own.
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Set the WriteProtect value to 0. Create this value if it is absent from your system.
If you see the following message while copying or creating files on your device: You need permission to perform this action.
Or if you see this message when trying to format the device: You do not have sufficient rights to perform this operation.
It means you need to remove write protection for this device in the Local Group Policy Editor:
- Open the Run window, type the command gpedit.msc and press Enter.
- Go to «Computer configuration» — «Administrative Templates» — «System» — «Removable Storage Access».
- Disable «Removable disks: Deny write access». Do it by double-clicking on the setting, check the option for Disabled and click ОК.
- Repeat these steps for «User Configuration» — «Administrative Templates» — «System» — «Removable Storage Access».
When you have done it, try creating a file or folder on the flash drive.
Can anyone remove the write protection a 8gb p/n R7TGR_A01 Mentor Media I have tried every source, software that I could find. I have 20 of these hate to throw them in the trash.
Removing write protection from a USB flash drive can beabittricky,andthesucoessoftre D) d&
process depends on the specific drive andthe cause ofthe write protection. Here are some
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. Physical Write Protection Switch:
* Checkif your USB flash drive has a physical write protection switch on the side. Ifit does,
make sure it is in the "off or unlocked position.
. Registry Editor (Windows):
* Press Win + R,type "regedit" and press Enter to open the Windows Registry Editor.
* Navigate to the following key:
AN ARSTER rolsal ae a Str SUN Elta SSES KETTE FAR TEST N FELCEr
* Ifyou donttfind the "StorageDevicePolicies” key, you may needto create it by right-
clicking on "Control" and selecting "New" > "Key" and then namingit
KEEIER ET TEE
* Inside "StorageDevicePolicies,” right-click and create anew DWORD value named
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* Double-click on "WriteProtect" and set its value to 0.
* Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.
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* Open a Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
* Type "diskpart" and press Enter.
* Type list disk" to see alist ofall connected disks. Identify your USB drive by its size.
* Type "select disk X" (where X isthe number ofyour USB drive).
Bd EBENEN EcKe NEE TEE el a0
* Closethe Command Prompt.
. Formatting Tool:
BAUSTELLE HOSE Ke NEE En ECTS OR AUE PN EISSEIER ET TE Ta eelakg
the "SD Card Formatter" from the SD Association. These tools can sometimes override
write protection.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this write-up and the rest of the site is extremely good.
Thank you very much for this use full tricks and great instructions. This is the exact solution I needed, issue resolved now.
Glad we could help.)
After many hours (2 of which with Microsoft levels 1 & 2), your solution regarding Group Policy (2nd part of #5) did the trick! Thank you!
We're glad we could help you )
Hi i have tried everything but still no luck in removing write protection from my usb
I looked at multiple articles and tried all their approaches and could not resolve my USB drive error. This article gave me the exact steps that I needed, with clear instructions and an easy format to follow. Thank you!
We are glad we were able to help you )
It says: The device is not ready.
Can you unlock a password-protected drive if you don't know the password? If so, how?
No, it is not possible to unlock a password-protected drive if you don't know the password. The only way to access the data is by using the correct password.
What is the difference between a write-protected and a password-protected drive?
A write-protected drive is a drive that has been locked so that files cannot be written, edited, or deleted. A password-protected drive is a drive that requires a password to access or modify its contents.
How can you recover lost data from a protected drive that has been unlocked?
If the drive has been unlocked, you can try using a data recovery software to scan the drive and recover the lost data. Popular data recovery programs include Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, and MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
Can you unlock a protected drive without losing your data? If so, how?
Yes, you can unlock a protected drive without losing your data. Depending on the type of protection, you may need to enter a password or use a recovery tool to gain access to the drive. If the drive is encrypted, you may need to use a specialized tool to decrypt it.
How do you use the DiskPart command to unlock a protected drive?
To unlock a protected drive using the DiskPart command, you will need to open an elevated Command Prompt window. Once the Command Prompt window is open, type in “diskpart” and press Enter. This will launch the DiskPart utility. Next, type in “list disk” and press Enter to list all available disks. Find the disk that is protected and type in “select disk [disk number]” and press Enter. Then type in “attributes disk clear readonly” and press Enter to unlock the disk. Finally, type in “exit” and press Enter to exit the DiskPart utility.
If you have any questions about unlocking a write-protected USB drive, memory card, or a hard disk in Windows 10, 8 or 7, leave a comment to ask us.