How to Remove Write Protection from a USB Pen Drive

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Turn off write protection on a pen drive using the switch, Diskpart, Regedit, & more

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: September 30, 2024 Fact Checked

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Using the Physical Lock Switch

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Using Command Prompt (CMD)

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Using File Explorer

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Using the Registry Editor

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Turning Off BitLocker

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Video

This wikiHow guide teaches you how to remove write protection from a USB drive using Windows 10 or 11. If a USB drive is write-protected, you can't edit, delete, save, or move files on the drive, and you may see the error "The disk is write protected" on Windows. To work with the files on the drive, you will need to remove the write protection. If you cannot disable write protection, the drive may be damaged.

Turning Off Write Protection

Find the physical lock switch on the surface of your USB drive. Slide the switch from "On" to "Off." This operation will remove the write protection from the USB drive. You can also use Diskpart, make a registry change, use File Explorer, or turn off BitLocker.

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using the Physical Lock Switch

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It is typically located on the right or left side of the USB. Its location may vary for different USB brands. Check the surface of your USB drive, and you can find it.
Slide the switch from "On" to "Off." This operation will remove the write protection from the USB drive.

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Plug the USB back into the PC, and try to edit the files. You can edit the files if the write protection has been removed.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using Diskpart

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This opens a Run window, which can help you run apps and programs if you type the correct commands.
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Type diskpart in the Run window and press ↵ Enter. This command launches Diskpart.exe.
- You can also type diskpart in the search box (usually on the taskbar) to launch it.
This command lists all the disks connected to your Windows PC, including the USB pen drive.
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Select your USB drive. To do this, identify the drive number for your USB drive (you should be able to figure it out based on the size in the "Size" column), then type select disk (number), and press ↵ Enter.
- For example, if your USB drive is Disk 2, type select disk 2.
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Type attributes disk clear readonly and press ↵ Enter. This command removes the write protection on your USB drive.^{[1]
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Research source} The Diskpart application will inform you that the write protection on the USB drive has been cleared.
- Type exit when you're finished to close Diskpart.
- If you get an error or removing write protection does not work, try formatting the drive. If it doesn't work, try it on another computer. If you still cannot format the USB drive, it's likely damaged.^{[2]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using File Explorer

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You can click the File Explorer icon in the Start menu or right-click the Start menu and select File Explorer to do so.
This opens the properties for the pen drive.
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Remove the checkmark from the "Read-only" box and click OK. This removes write protection from the USB drive.
- If removing write protection does not work, try formatting the drive. If it doesn't work, try it on another computer. If you still cannot format the USB drive, it's likely damaged.^{[3]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using the Registry Editor

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You can edit the registry to remove write protection on a USB pen drive. To open the editor, type regedit into the Windows search bar and click Registry Editor.
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Go to the Control Folder. Here's how to get there:
- Open the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder.
- Click the SYSTEM folder.
- Click the CurrentControlSet folder.
- Click the Control folder.
If you don't see this in the Control folder, right-click a blank area of the right panel and select New > Key. Type StorageDevicePolicies and press Enter.
To do this, select the StorageDevicePolicies folder, then right-click the right panel and select New > DWORD. Type WriteProtect and press ↵ Enter.
This opens the "Edit DWORD" window.
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Type a 0 into the "Value data" field and click OK. The zero will disable write protection on the pen drive.
- If removing write protection does not work, try formatting the drive. If it doesn't work, try it on another computer. If you still cannot format the USB drive, it's likely damaged.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Turning Off BitLocker

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1
Open File Explorer. Use this method if your USB drive is encrypted by BitLocker. You can easily open File Explorer by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting File Explorer.
- You will see your USB drive under "This PC" in the left panel. If there's a padlock on the drive, you'll know it's locked by BitLocker.
When you right-click the USB drive, you can see many options. This allows you to turn off the BitLocker.
This operation disables BitLocker on your USB drive and removes write protection. You will see a notice telling you the operation will take some time.