How to Remove Write Protection Using Lock Switch
If your computer tells you the media is write-protected, look for a write protection switch (also called a lock switch) on the USB or SD card. If the media has this switch, make sure the switch is set to write, not read-only.
How to Remove Write Protection From a Single File
When you have a single file you want to make changes to but can’t, the file may be write-protected. Here’s how to grant writing permissions.
Use Diskpart to Remove Write Protection From USB Drives
There are many ways to remove write protection from USB drives in Windows. One popular method is to change a Registry key, but this is scary to some people. A less intimidating method is to use diskpart.
Remove Write Protection From USB Drives With ‘regedit’ in Windows 10 and Windows 8
If you’d rather use the Windows Registry to remove write protection from a USB drive or SD card, use regedit to make the change.
Create StorageDevicesPolicies Key and WriteProtect DWORD Value
If you can’t find the StorageDevicePolicies folder in the Window Registry, you’ll need to create a StorageDevicesPolicies key and a WriteProtect DWORD Value:
Edit the Registry in Windows 7 to Remove Write Protection
If you use Windows 7, the process to edit the Windows Registry to remove write protection is a little different.
What Does Write-Protected Mean?
When a USB drive or SD card is write-protected, you can’t change files on the media; you can only view them. On write-protected media, you can read and copy files, but you can’t write to and delete files. Your USB drive and SD cards may become write protected because of a virus, or because the lock switch on the media has been enabled.
