Flash drive writes disk is write protected

I apologize for the title, but this is exactly how the question is asked when, when working with a USB flash drive or SD memory card, Windows reports the error “The disk is write-protected. Remove protection or use a different disc ”(The disc is write-protected). In this manual, I will show you various ways to remove protection from a flash drive or memory card and tell you where it came from.

Note that in different cases, a message that the disk is write-protected can appear for various reasons, often due to Windows settings, but sometimes due to a damaged flash drive. I will touch on all options and corresponding methods to remove protection in Windows 10, 8.1 or Windows 7.

If something turned out to be not entirely clear, then at the bottom of the article there is a video that demonstrates almost all ways to fix the error.

Notes: There are USB sticks that have a physical write-protect switch, usually signed with a padlock or with a padlock image (check and move, and sometimes it breaks and won't go back).

If a write-protected flash drive means an SD memory card or a MicroSD card connected via an adapter to the SD format, pay attention to two nuances:

• Cards SD memory and MicroSD to SD adapters have a little switch on the side: one position is write-protect, the other is write-enabled.
• Often this switch is broken, as a result, we can get permanent write protection, regardless of the position of the "lever". This can be easily solved by replacing the adapter, if it is more complicated in the case of a full-size SD memory card.

Remove USB write protection in Windows Registry Editor

For the first way to fix the error, you need a registry editor:

1. To start it, you can press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard and type regedit , then press Enter.
2. On the left side of Registry Editor, you will see the Registry Editor key structure, find the key

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlStorageDevicePolicies

   Please note that this article may not exist, then read on

3. If this section is present, select it and look in the right part of the registry editor to see if there is a parameter called WriteProtect and a value of 1 (it is this value that can cause the Write Protected Disk error). If so, click on it twice and enter 0 (zero) in the "Value" field. Then save the changes, close the registry editor, remove the USB flash drive, and restart the computer. Check if the error has been fixed.
4. If no such section exists, right-click on the section that is one level higher (Control) and select "Create Section". Name it StorageDevicePolicies and select it.
5. Then right click on the empty area on the right and select "Parameter DWORD32" (even for Windows x64). name it WriteProtect and leave the value at 0. As in the previous case, near the registry editor, remove the USB drive and restart the computer. You can then check if the error persists.

Also, check the 2 registry keys

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPolicyMicrosoftWindowsRemovableStorageDevices HKEY_CURRENT_SOFTWAREPolicyMicrosoftWindowsRemovableStorageDevices

By default, such a section is absent from the registry (and if it is not, this is not the case). If you have a RemovableStorageDevices section, pay attention to the subkey and Deny_Write, Deny_Read, Denya_Execute it contains, when these parameters are set to 1, they prohibit writing, reading and executing from removable drives.

Remove these parameters - this should remove the write protection. Restart the computer (it may be enough to disconnect and reconnect the USB flash drive) - the problem with the write protection of the USB flash drive should be resolved.

How to remove write protection on the command line

Another way that can help to eliminate USB disk error suddenly showing typing error is to remove protection on command line.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Run the command line as (in Windows 10 this is easier to do via a taskbar search, in Windows 8.1 - using the right-click menu on the Start button, in Windows 7 - via right-click on the command line in the Start menu).
2. At the command prompt, type diskpart and press Enter. Then enter the disk list commands and find your flash drive in the disk list, you will need its number. Enter the following commands in order, pressing Enter after each one.
3. select disk N (where N is the flash drive number from the previous step)
4. read-only clear disk attributes
5. Departure from

Close the command line, disconnect and reconnect the flash drive, then try to perform any action with the flash drive, for example, format or type some information to check if the error is gone.

The disk is write protected - a solution for Transcend, Kingston, Silicon Power and other flash drives.

Many USB drive manufacturers release their own utilities to fix errors with flash drives and memory cards. They often work in the case we are considering, allowing you to remove the protection. Details about all these utilities: Programs to repair a USB flash drive.

Video instruction

Below is a video about this error, showing all the methods described above. Perhaps she can help you deal with the problem.

Hope one of the approaches helped you solve the problem. Otherwise, I also recommend checking your flash drive on another computer or laptop - this will allow you to determine whether write protection is a consequence of system settings or the drive itself is the culprit.