How to Remove Write Protection from External Hard Drive Windows? 7 Ways

Are you facing write-protection issues on the external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card or Windows hard drive? Not able to access hard drive data due to write-protection error? Want to fix the remove write protection from external hard drive issue without any data loss? Do not worry; fortunately, you are landed on the correct page. As in this blog, we are going to discuss multiple methods to remove write protection from the external hard drive on Windows 10 and 11 operating systems.

User Query

“I am having an external hard drive of 1 TB. Recently, I planned to copy some files from Windows 10 to my external hard drive. But when I tried to copy the files on the external hard drive, the message popped up saying, ‘This disk is write-protected. Remove the write protection or use another disk.’. I clicked on the Try Again button but nothing worked. I really want to copy some files into my external hard drive, as they are very important files. I am not able to understand what is write-protected on my external hard drive. Please suggest me a simple and reliable solution to fix the external hard drive write-protected Windows 10 and 11 error.”

Have You Ever Thought Why Write Protection Issue Occurs?

Due to a write-protection error on an Seagate external hard drive, SD card, Windows hard drive, etc., the user is not able to save or transfer any file on the hard drive. Some of the possible reasons which make a hard drive write-protected are corruption in toshiba hard drive, alteration in registry or permissions, encryption of hard drive, etc.

In some cases, the user is able to access the data when write-protected hard drive issues occur. But the user is not able to perform operations like write and paste new files and folders. This makes the drive literally unusable.

Thus, it is important to turn off write protection on an external hard drive. Find the best possible ways to disable write protection external hard drive.

Also Read: Recover Permanently Deleted Files using Command Prompt

Solutions to Remove Write Protection from External Hard Drive

In this section, we are going to discuss different solutions to remove write protection on hard drives in the Windows 10 and other lasted versions. After implementing the solution, the user will be able to access his/her data and other files present on the hard drive. Moreover, the user will also be able to perform operations such as write and paste new files and folders.

What If Your Data Is Lost While Removing Write Protection from External Hard Drive?

While removing or disabling the write protection from the hard drive, the users face a data loss issue. Thus, in case of any data loss issue, the user can make use of an automated and smart utility that name is SysTools Hard Disk Recovery Wizard. With this tool, the user can recover corrupt, lost or permanently deleted files without any hassle.

Download Now Purchase Now

Additionally, the software also recovers photos, videos, music, documents and other multimedia files from any WD external or internal hard drive. It is an efficient, feature-rich and easy-to-use software. It also supports formatted and corrupted FAT, exFat and NTFS file systems. The foremost part of the utility is the free demo version. You can download this utility at any version of Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, etc.

1: Remove Write Protection from External Hard Drive by Unlocking Physical Switch

Most of the SD card, USB and Toshiba hard drive manufacturers add a switch. Once the drive or SD card is locked with the switch lock, then the device becomes write-protected on all PCs or devices.

Note: There will be no data loss issue while applying this method to remove write protection from hard drive, SD card etc.

• Disable Write Protection from SD Card.
  
• Remove Write Protection from USB Drive.
  

2: Remove Write Protection from Hard Drive Using Diskpart

The user can apply this method to turn off write protection on an internal or WD external hard drive. Moreover, it also works on an SD card or USB flash drive. Follow the steps given below to implement the method and fix the Toshiba hard drive write-protected issue.

1. First of all, you need to press Windows+R and then type cmd and press the Enter key to open Command Prompt.
2. Now, you have to type: diskpart and hit the Enter key to open diskpart.
3. After that, type: list disk and hit Enter key. Here, you have to remember the disk number of your write-protected hard drive.
   
4. Next, type: select disk 2 and hit Enter key. Here, 2 is the number of your write-protected hard drive.
5. Type: attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter key to disable the write-protection on the storage device
6. Once the write protection removing process is completed, close the diskpart window

3: Disable Write Protection External Hard Drive Using Windows Registry

Before tempering the Windows registry, make sure you are aware of the action and its result. Because if anything goes wrong, it can cause serious issues instead of resolving the hard disk write-protected issue. Follow the steps listed below:

1. First, you need to click on the Start to open Run dialog and then type: regedit and hit Enter to open Registry
   
2. Now, click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Expand System
3. After that, click on the Current Control Set in the System list and then click on the Control
   
4. Next, you need to check Storage Device Policies > Change the digit in the DWORD value box into 0
   
5. After that, to save the changes, you need to click on the OK button
6. Finally, exit Regedit and reboot PC to keep all changes

4: Remove Write Protection from External Hard Drive Using BitLocker

When the user enables BitLocker on the hard drive partition, it protects the files by applying an encryption feature. As a result of which, the user would not be able to make any changes to the BitLocker partition. Thus, it becomes important to disable or unlock the protection from it. Perform the steps listed below:

1. Open this PC and right-click on the BitLocker partition or storage devices and select Manage BitLocker.
   
2. Now, you have to select the right partition that is write-protected by BitLocker and click on Turn off BitLocker.
   
3. After that, you need to wait as the BitLocker will decrypt on its own.
   
4. You will be able to see your partition or hard drive showing BitLocker off.
   
5. Finally, you can manage data on your partition without BitLocker write protection and save new files to it

5: Format External Hard Drive (warning: Risk of data loss)

If none of the above options work, you may need to format the drive to remove write protection. Note: This will erase all data on the hard disk; therefore, be sure to back up any important files before proceeding.

On Windows

1. Open Windows Explorer to discover an external hard drive.
2. Right-click the drive and select Format.
3. Uncheck Quick Format in the Format menu if you want a more detailed format, or check it for a faster format.
4. Select a file system (usually NTFS for Windows or exFAT for field use).
5. Click Start to begin the formatting process.

On macOS

• Open Disk Utility (found in Spotlight or in Applications > Utilities).
• Choose an external hard drive from the checklist on the left.
• Click the Erase button at the top.
• Select a format (usually Mac OS Extended or exFAT for compatibility with Windows and macOS).
• Click the erase option to remove write protection and format the drive.

6: Check for Malware or Corruption

Occasionally, malware / file system corruption can cause write protection issues. You can use running a system scan to solve them.

• Scan your system for malware using Windows Defender or a third-party antivirus program.
• Run the chkdsk (check disk) command to resolve file system errors:
• Open Command Prompt as administrator.
• Write chkdsk X: /f (changed X with the drive letter of an external hard drive) and tap Enter.
• Enter the chkdsk X: /f (X should be exchanged with the drive letter of your hard drive) and click Enter.

7: Update or Reinstall Drivers (Windows)

• Select the button Windows + X and then choose the Device Manager.
• Expand the Disks section, find the external hard drive, right-click it and select Uninstall device.
• Detach the external hard drive, wait a few seconds and reattach it. Windows will automatically reinstall the drivers, which may solve the issue causing the write protection.

Conclusion

Due to the write protection issues with hard drives, the user is not able to transfer his/her data. Moreover, they are also not allowed to perform various operations, such as write and paste new files. Therefore, to resolve this write-protection error, we have explained different methods in the above section. You reached the bottom of the write-up, which means you have gone through all steps listed above. I am sure that now your concern for how to remove write protection from External hard drive has been resolved. Having any issue, feel free to contact!

FAQ’S