How to fix “the disk is write protected” issue? [3 easy fixes]

Yesterday a Friend of mine came to me and handed me a USB drive and told me that he couldn’t copy anything on his drive. He asked me if I can help him out on this matter. Then I took that thumb drive and connected it to my PC and found out that the drive was able to detect by the computer, but the total space and remaining space are not showing.

After some loading, the size and remaining space are shown on “my computer.” Then I opened the drive and tried deleting some unwanted files, but it doesn’t start and an error message popped up which says “the disk is write protected.” I then started research and tried some methods one by one. And the last method worked for me. In today’s guide, we will see how to fix the disk is write protected issue on windows 10 or windows 11 computer in step by step instructions.

How to fix the disk is write protected issue?

Three proven methods don’t require any third-party software and can take just 5 minutes.

1. Using diskpart commands
2. Using Regedit tool
3. Using Security options

We will see each method in detail; then, we will see software that can repair common USB drive issues automatically.

Method 1 – Use Diskpart commands to clear read-only state

1. Open the Run tool by pressing Windows + R buttons.
2. Then type “cmd” and press enter.
3. The command tool will open with a new window. Here type –

   Diskpart

4. Then type

   list disk

5. You can now see the list of disk drives and removable drives connected to the computer. Each drive has a disk number assigned and shown at the beginning of each disk.
6. Identify the USB drive and see the assigned disk number. In my case, it’s “disk 2.”
7. Then type –

   Select disk 2

8. Then type –

   attributes disk clear readonly

9. Wait till the process is completed. Then you can see the message on the screen that Disk attributes are cleared successfully.

Now the issue should be fixed, and you can now add files to the USB drive.

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Method 2 – Use Registry editor to remove write protection from USB drive

1. Open the Run tool by pressing Windows + R buttons.
2. Then type “Regedit” and press enter.
3. Now the registry editor will open on the new window.
4. Here, go to the following path –

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control

5. In the Control folder, check if there is a “StorageDevicePolicy” folder. If now, create the folder by right-clicking on the control folder, then select new – Key and give name as StorageDevicePolicy.
6. Under the “StorageDevicePolicy” folder on the right side, right-click and select the New option.
7. Then select the “DWORD (32 bit) Value” option.
8. Now you can enter the name as the “WriteProtect” option.
   
9. Double click on the newly created file, and then under the “Value Data” option, enter 0.
10. Now you can save the file and exit the registry editor.

Done! Check if the disk is a write-protected issue is resolved. If not, head over to the next solution –

Method 3 – Change Security options to fix “the disk is write protected.”

1. Open My Computer and right-click on the USB drive in question.
2. Then select the Properties option.
3. The properties window will open on the screen.
4. Under the Security tab, select “authenticated Users” and then click on the “Edit” button.
   
5. On the new window, under Permissions, tick mark at the Write option.
   
6. Now you can save the settings by clicking on the OK button.

Done! This fix should solve the issue of write-protected disk warning.

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Method 4 – How to fix the disk is write protected issue for free using third-party software?

You can use free software to fix some common issues with the USB drive. We will see how to use the Malvastyle Flash Repair Application to fix the disk is write protected issue.

1. Download Malvastyle flash repair tool from this link – http://malvastyle.com/disk-repair-application-by-malvastyle/
2. Then install the software on your pc and launch it once the installation is successful.
3. Select the USB device on the screen and also tick mark at the “Disable USB write protection in Registry” option.
   
4. Then click on the Disk Part button to start the process. Wait till the process is completed.
5. You can now check if the disk is a write-protected issue is fixed.

How to fix “The disk is write protected” issue for SD card?

Your camera’s SD card may also give you such error when you insert it into a laptop using an SD card reader. Here’s how to fix the sd card write protected issue –

1. Insert SD card into the card reader.
2. Now, there is a physical switch at the side of the card reader. Check whether this switch is at Unlock position.
3. If now, move the switch from lock to unlock position.
4. You can now insert the card reader into the laptop.

Done! Your SD card reader is now fixed for write protected issue.

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