Now, let us see how to remove write protection on a USB without further delay. Here is a list of things you can try to disable the write protection on a USB.
How to Remove Write Protection on USB?
Here are a few simple ways you can remove the Write Protection on USB drives.
USB With a Lock Switch
Most SD cards and USB drives have physical switches to lock themselves. These switches are usually located on one of the sides of the drive. You might also notice “Lock” written on the front side of the SD card. When locked, users cannot write anything on the drive. This switch also prevents users from accidentally removing any data inside the USB drive. To disable this feature, we can simply disable the switch physically. If you do not have a physical switch, we can move on to other fixes.
Format the Drive
Formatting the removable drive will erase everything permanently and set all the settings to default. The write-protection settings will also return to the default state. Since we are about to delete all data, make sure you backup all your necessary files and folders inside the drive before starting the format process. When you try to format, the error message might pop up that says, “You do not have sufficient rights to perform this operation.” This means that the user does not have enough privileges to format this drive. Scroll down to Solutions for Windows to fix this issue.
For Windows
For MacOS
For Chromebook
How to Remove Write Protection on USB on Windows?
We have listed a few of Windows specific fixes that you can try to remove the write-protection.
Disable Deny Write Access
The Local group policy feature in Windows Pro and Enterprise Edition has access to many features, including removable disk access. Using the Local Group Policy Editor, an admin can modify access features for multiple users and computers throughout a network environment. Unfortunately, the Local Group Policy Editor will not be available on Windows Home Edition. However, we can get the Policy Editor by running a Group Editor batch file which will enable the Group Policy. Follow these steps to Enable Group Policy on Home edition. Note: you do not need to follow these steps if you are using Professional or Enterprise version.
How to Disable Deny Write Access?
Follow these steps to disable Deny Write Access feature.
Using Diskpart Command
The Diskpart manages all the storage that the computer detects. We can use this command to manage partitions of all storage devices connected to the computer. It can also manage write protection settings, create, delete or merge partitions. Follow these steps to disable write protection using Diskpart. Try copying some files onto the USB. Continue with the next step if this solution does not work for you.
Edit the Registry Configuration
The Registry Editor allows users to change database values stored in Windows. As the write protection values are also stored in the Registry, we can manipulate these values to remove the write protection. However, wrong changes in the Registry may damage the OS itself. Although changing the following values will not affect your computer, read every step very carefully before making any changes. Before we start, it is recommended to backup the Registry settings if we make any wrong changes. If the StorageDevicePolicies is missing, we need to add this folder and “WriteProtect” along with its value. Follow these steps if StorageDevicePolicies are missing. After we restart the computer, all write access.
Turn off Bitlocker
Bitlocker in Windows encrypts your data so that unauthorized users cannot access them. If the USB drive is encrypted with BitLocker, we need a password to access these data or turn off the feature. If a removable drive is encrypted with BitLocker, it is indicated by a lock icon. Although we cannot access the drive unless we have a password, we can format the drive to remove this feature. However, formatting the drive will permanently delete every file and folder inside it. Please follow these steps to Turn off BitLocker. It may take a few minutes, depending on the size of the USB drive.
How to Remove Write Protection on USB on MacOS?
Here are a few fixes we can try to remove write protection in macOS.
Repair Disk Permission
Permission setting in the MacOS can sometimes stop you from copying a file onto the USB drive. For MacOS, although formatting the USB drive is a viable option, you can use the Disk Utility feature to reset the permission on your removable disk.
Follow these steps to repair Permission settings.
In the latest version of MacOS, Apple has removed the Disk Utility feature to Repair Disk Permission. However, we can use the Terminal. Follow these steps to Repair Disks Permission.
diskutil resetUserPermissions / id -u
The above command will reset any read or write permission on all your storage devices
If the above command does not work, try running the following command.
sudo diskutil resetUserPermissions / id -u
The “sudo” command will run any command with superuser privileges and it stands for Super Do.
Restart your computer to save changes.
If both commands do not work, we can also use the repairVolume command to fix any issue. Follow these steps to repair your removable drive.
First, we need to know the disk number (example: disk2l1) that the computer has assigned to your removable drive. For this, type “diskutil list”. Now, according to the size, find your removable drive.
If you cannot find the disk number, type diskutil info “USB’s name” |grep Node (Replace USB’s name with the name of your removable drive). Now, note the node given by this command. Example /dev/disk2l1 .
Once you know the disk number, type the following command.
sudo diskutil verifyVolume /dev/disk2l1
sudo diskutil repairVolume /dev/disk2l1
When typing the above command replace the /dev/disk2l1 with the output from the previous command.
Related Question
How to Disable/Enable Write Protection on a File?
If you cannot modify content inside a file, then maybe your file is on read-only mode. To enable/disable write protection or read-only mode on a file, we need to change the attribute’s value of a file. Follow these steps to change the attributes of a file.
How to Add Write Protection To a USB Drive?
To add Write Protection to a USB Drive, follow this process.
USB physical switch.Using diskpart command.Changing certain registry values Registry Editor.Enable Deny Write Access from Group Policy Editor.
