Summary: In this post, we have discussed a few troubleshooting steps to remove write protection from hard disk or internal hard drive volume. Here you will get a five-step answer on how to remove write protection on USB drive, hard drive, or external storage drive in Windows. Show
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Write-protection on SD card and some thumb drives can be turned ON or OFF by using an attached physical switch. However, unlike SD cards, there is no such switch to enable or disable write-protection in a hard drive. Numerous queries on Google on how to remove write protection from hard drive explain that situation can be creepy. Thus, if an external hard drive or internal drive volume becomes write protected, you need to rely on Windows troubleshooting steps to remove the write protection. But before you head to solutions, here are a few common reasons that enable write protection on a hard drive:
A write-protected hard drive allows you to access the data in it (if the drive is not corrupt), but you cannot write or paste new files and folders, which makes the drive literally unusable. To make it usable, you must remove write protection from the hard drive. How to Remove Write Protection from USB Drive or Hard Drive in WindowsFollowing these steps to remove write protection from your hard disk or USB drive in Windows. NOTE: If the drive is corrupt or inaccessible, skip to Step 5 and immediately use a data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery to get back data from the RAW drive and safeguard it from further damage. Step 1: Check and Fix Hard Disk Error Before proceeding with any fix, we need to figure out if the affected hard drive is corrupt. Follow these steps to determine and fix the hard drive error:
In case errors are found, but Windows is not able to fix them, proceed to the next step to remove write protection on hard drive or USB drive. Step 2: Remove Encryption Check if the drive is encrypted by using Bit locker or other third-party tools. Decrypt the hard drive and remove write-protection by using the same tool that was used for encryption. Decrypting hard drive or turning off encryption may remove write protection, and then you may be able to access and transfer files between your system and the connected hard drive. Step 3: Remove or Clean Attributes To remove disk attributes that enable write-protection on a hard drive, use DIKSPART utility. On your Windows PC, connect the write protected hard drive and open CMD Windows. Then,
Disconnect your hard drive and connect it again to check if write-protection is disabled. If not, follow the next step. Step 4: Edit Registry
Double-click on WiteProtect and change the value in the DWORD field to ‘0’
Step 5: Recover Data and Format the Disk In case the drive is corrupt and inaccessible, use a data recovery software immediately as files cannot be read or written on the affected hard drive. Follow these steps to remove write protection from USB drive, hard drive, or external disk in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7.
4. Under ‘Connected Drives’, choose the affected drive/volume 5. Turn on the ’Deep Scan’ toggle switch at the bottom-left 6. Click ‘Scan’ and wait for the scan to finish 7. After the scan, results are displayed in the left tree-view pane 8. Select all data that you need to recover and press the ‘Recover’ button. You can also use ‘Search Bar’ to locate files quickly 9. Click ‘Browse’ and choose a location on a drive with enough space 10. Finally, click ‘Start Saving’ and wait for the software to finish saving your recovered data from a corrupt write-protected hard drive After data is recovered, use DiskPart or Disk Management tool to format the disk. You may also use a third-party tool such as HDD LLF to low-level format the drive. How to Remove Write Protection from Hard Drive: The ConclusionIt’s a good practice to use write-protection switch on SD cards, and it does have a purpose. It helps protect the card from malware or virus infection and data loss. However, when it comes to a hard drive, things change, as there is no physical switch to toggle write-protection in hard drives. Thus, when a hard drive becomes write-protected, it most likely indicates a severe virus or malware infection and corruption. In such cases, you must immediately use a reliable data recovery software such as Stellar Data Recovery Standard for Windows to safeguard data before heading to fixes. The software can retrieve deleted, corrupt, and formatted files from all kind of storage media, even if they have turned inaccessible due to write-protection! But if the drive is accessible, back up the data and follow the troubleshooting steps to remove write-protection from the hard drive. About The AuthorAruna Aruna Attri is a Senior Data Recovery Expert at Stellar®. She is a technology blogger and Windows expert. She has experience in Windows data recovery domain. She loves to troubleshoot Windows issue and write technical tips and tutorials. Best Selling ProductsStellar Data Recovery ProfessionalStellar Data Recovery Professional softw Read More Stellar Data Recovery PremiumStellar Data Recovery Premium for Window Read More Stellar Data Recovery TechnicianStellar Data Recovery Technician intelli Read More Stellar Data Recovery ToolkitStellar Data Recovery Toolkit is an adva Read More Why can't I remove write protection USB?Virus infection may also sometimes cause storage devices like USB flash drive write-protected or locked. The best way to fix this issue is to run professional virus cleaner software to fully remove the virus and unlock the device. Here is a list of recommended virus removal programs for you to try: Avast Antivirus.
How can I remove the write protection from my USB?Take the USB stick you've tried to write to and look for that switch, usually located on the side, and it might also be labeled as “Lock” or “Write Protection.” Switch it to the other position, reinsert it, and then attempt to transfer data to the memory stick again.
Why is my USB drive suddenly writeSome USB sticks have a mechanical switch on them that puts them into Write Protect mode. This can be a very small slider switch that may have caught on something in your pocket or computer case. If this is the situation, simply move the switch to the unlocked position and copy files again.
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