Receive 'The Disk Is Write-Protected' Error While Formatting USB Pen Drive
Are you having a problem formatting a write-protected USB pen drive? Did you get 'The disk is write-protected' error message while trying to format a flash drive, pen drive or SD card?
I was recently instructed how to format a GPT external drive to MBR.It was 4 terabytes and now is only 2 terabytes.I understand why because it was explained on this site.What I would like to know is can I format it back to MBR so I can get the 4 terabytes back.Hope I explained that right,thank-you Tony. 3 Steps to Fix MBR on External Hard Drive, USB Drive for Free. Step 1 – Connect External Drive with Windows (10) PC. Connect the external hard drive or USB drive with your Windows 10/8/7 computer, and launch. Step 2 – Choose Rebuild MBR Function. Step 3 – Rebuild and Fix MBR on External Drive for.
Sometimes, users would like to lock their USB flash drives or a pen drive, making it write-protected, so as to prevent unexpected data loss due to deleting or formatting. However, a USB drive or pen drive may also become write-protected due to logical error, virus infection, or locked by third-party encryption software.
With the write-protection status on the USB pen drive, you can't format it and you'll get a 'The disk is write-protected' error message. You may wonder 'How do I remove write protection on a USB drive?' on your mind. Here, you can first follow solutions in Part 1 to remove write protection from USB, pen drive, SD card, external hard drive, etc., and then format the device with ease.
Part 1. Remove Protection from USB/Pen Drive, etc., Devices
Here in this part, there are six ways that you can try to remove the write protection from your USB, pen drive, etc., storage devices. After fixing this issue, you may follow tips in Part 2 to format the USB flash drive and pen drive with no hassle.
#1. Unlock Write-Protected USB/Pen Drive by Switching Its Lock
If you have previously locked your USB flash drive or pen drive by switching its Lock to ON, the device is locked and write-protected. It means that you cannot format the device nor make any changes to it. Here is how to unlock the write-protected USB:
Step 1. Find the physical switch on your USB or pen drive.
Step 2. Move the switch from ON to OFF.
Now, you can connect the USB to your PC and you can re-access or format the device again.
#2. Cleanup Virus that Cause USB or Pen Drive Write-Protected
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
- Norton AntiVirus
- McAfee
- BitDefender
- AVG
All you need is to install one of the recommended virus cleaners, connect the problematic device to your PC, run and let the virus cleaner tool to scan and remove all write-protection virus from your USB or pen drive.
#3. Remove Write Protection from Device using CMD
Step 1. Type cmd in the search box, right-click 'Command Prompt' and select 'Run as Administrator'.
Step 2. Type the following command lines and hit Enter after each command line.
diskpart
list disk
select disk #
attributes disk clear readonly
Replace # with the number of your write-protected flash drive or memory card.
Let CMD command to remove the write protection from your device.
Step 3. Type exit when the process finishes.
#4. Unlock USB/Pen Drive with CMD Alternative
If you are not professional in computing management and not familiar with command lines, don't worry. EaseUS R&D team has promoted a fresh kit for helping you resolve the write-protection issue on your hard drive, external hard drive, USB or SD card, etc., devices.
EaseUS Tools M is a practical computer fixing tool that is safe and light-weighted. It's a perfect alternative to the command line.
Use this one-click tool to solve the write-protection issues on your own:
Step 1: DOWNLOAD and install EaseUS Tools M for free.
Step 2: Run EaseUS Tools M on your PC, choose the 'Write Protection' mode.
Step 3: Select the device which is now 'Write-Protected' and click 'Disable' to remove the protection.
#5. Remove Write Protection on USB Flash Drive/Pen Drive using Regedit.exe
When a device is locked or a disk is write-protected, you can using Registry Editor to change its key from 1 to 0 so as to unlock the device.
- Warning
- Note that you need to be very careful while using Registry Editor - Regedit.exe to remove write protection on a device. Any false operation or typo error will cause serious problem.
- If you are a beginner, try the former solutions.
Step 1. Type: Regedit in the search box, click 'Regedit.exe' to open the Registry editor.
Step 2. Navigate to: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlStorageDevicePolicies
Step 3. Double-click on the 'WriteProtect' value in the right-hand pane of Regedit.exe.
Step 4. Change the 'Value' data from '1' to '0' and click 'OK' to save the change.
Step 5. Close Regedit and restart your computer.
After this, you can reconnect your USB flash drive or pen drive to your PC again, and you should find the write protection is removed and the device is no longer write-protected.
#6. Change Read-Only Status on Write-Protected USB/Pen Drive
Sometimes, your drive may also get locked or write-protected if you set it as read-only. And you can simply change the read-only state to remove the device write protection.
Note that this method can also be applied to remove the read-only state on your files.
Step 1. Connect your USB or pen drive to PC.
Step 2. Open Windows File Explorer, locate and right-click on the USB which is write-protected, and select 'Property'.
Step 3. Go to the General tab, uncheck 'Read Only', click 'Apply' and 'OK' to finish.
After removing write protection on your USB or pen drive, you can directly access the device with ease. However, if the USB or pen drive still contains some logical or internal error, you may need to format the device to recognizable again.
Part 2. Format Write-Protected USB or Pen Drive after Fixing the Error
Usually, Disk Management or Windows File Explorer can format a device that is in a normal state. But if the storage device is in a special state, such as displaying as I/O device error, Windows was unable to complete the format, USB cannot be formatted, etc., you will need a professional all-in-one formatting tool.
EaseUS Partition Master is capable of formatting your USB or pen drive, etc., from any the above logical errors. Besides USB flash drive, the program also allows you to format a write-protected SD card with the write protection error removed.
Here is the detailed guide:
Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master, right-click the partition on your external hard drive/USB/SD card which you want to format and choose the 'Format' option.
Step 2. Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3), and cluster size to the selected partition, then click 'OK'.
Step 3. In the Warning window, click 'OK' to continue.
Step 4. Click the 'Execute Operation' button in the top-left corner to review the changes, then click 'Apply' to start formatting your external hard drive/USB/SD card.
When the formatting process finishes, you've finished the process of formatting a write-protected USB/pen drive on your own. And now, your device is in a good state for you to save and store data again.
FAQs about USB, Pen Drive, SD Write Protection
This page answers the questions of 'How do I remove write protection on a USB drive' and 'How can I format a write-protected pen drive'. With the provided solutions in Part 1 and Part 2, you can easily resolve 'The disk is write-protected' error and successfully format your USB flash drive, pen drive, SD card, external hard drive, and even internal hard drive after removing the write protection.
However, some of you may have more concerns that are related to the write protection issue. Here, we have found some top FAQs asked in Google searching result and left a brief answer below each question. If you have the same doubts, check and find your answers here immediately.
1. How do I format write-protected USB in Windows 10?
As introduced on this page, to format a write-protected USB in Windows 10, you need first remove the write protection by following methods in Part 1.
Then you can apply EaseUS Partition Master or Windows built-in formatting tool - Disk Management, Windows File Explorer, CMD to format the USB in Windows 10.
2. What is the best write-protected USB format tool?
As you search online, you may find that there is no one professional write-protected USB format tool available for free download. The reason is that write protection error is complex and most formatting tips don't even work.
So the best solution toward this issue is that you should first remove the USB write protection and then apply the best USB formatting tool for help.
3. How to format read-only USB?
When a USB displays as read-only on your computer, you cannot directly format the device either. You should first remove or fix the 'Read Only' error on USB. Then apply Windows Disk Management, File Explorer or EaseUS formatting software - EaseUS Partition Master to format your USB to FAT32 (usable) again.
4. Can you recover data after formatting a write-protected SD card?
When you removed the write protection and formatted your SD card, it's safe for you to save the data on the card again. As for the lost data, you can recover data from SD card with powerful data recovery software. If you need a reliable one, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is available to help.
-->When installing Windows on UEFI-based PCs using Windows Setup, your hard drive partition style must be set up to support either UEFI mode or legacy BIOS-compatibility mode.
For example, if you receive the error message: 'Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk is not of the GPT partition style', it's because your PC is booted in UEFI mode, but your hard drive is not configured for UEFI mode. You've got a few options:
Reboot the PC in legacy BIOS-compatibility mode. This option lets you keep the existing partition style. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
Configure your drive for UEFI by using the GPT partition style. This option lets you use the PC's UEFI firmware features.
You can preserve your data and convert the drive using the MBR2GPT tool. You can also choose to reformat the drive using the instructions below. Reformatting will erase all the data on the drive.
Why should I convert my drive?
Many PCs now include the ability to use the UEFI version of BIOS, which can speed up boot and shutdown times and can provide additional security advantages. To boot your PC in UEFI mode, you'll need to use a drive formatted using the GPT drive format.
Many PCs are ready to use UEFI, but include a compatibility support module (CSM) that is set up to use the legacy version of BIOS. This version of BIOS was developed in the 1970s and provides compatibility to a variety of older equipment and network configurations, and requires a drive that uses the MBR drive format.
However, the basic MBR drive format does not support drives over 4TB. It's also difficult to set up more than four partitions. The GPT drive format lets you set up drives that are larger than 4 terabytes (TB), and lets you easily set up as many partitions as you need.
Reformatting the drive using a different partition style
To wipe and convert the drive by using Windows Setup
Turn off the PC, and put in the Windows installation DVD or USB key.
Boot the PC to the DVD or USB key in UEFI mode. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
When choosing an installation type, select Custom.
On the Where do you want to install Windows? screen, select each of the partitions on the drive, and select Delete. The drive will show a single area of unallocated space.
Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows detects that the PC was booted into UEFI mode, and reformats the drive using the GPT drive format, and begins the installation.
How To Format Mbr Usb Drive Fat32
To manually wipe a drive and convert it to GPT:
Turn off the PC, and put in the Windows installation DVD or USB key.
Boot the PC to the DVD or USB key in UEFI mode. For more info, see Boot to UEFI Mode or Legacy BIOS mode.
From inside Windows Setup, press Shift+F10 to open a command prompt window.
Open the diskpart tool:
Identify the drive to reformat:
Select the drive, and reformat it:
Close the command prompt window.
Continue the Windows Setup installation.
When choosing an installation type, select Custom. The drive will appear as a single area of unallocated space.
Select the unallocated space and click Next. Windows begins the installation.
How To Format Mbr Hard Drive
Make sure Windows Setup boots to the correct firmware mode
How To Format Mbr Usb Drives
To automate this process, you'll need to run Windows Setup through Windows PE, and use a script to detect which mode you're in before installing Windows. For more info, see WinPE: Boot in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode.