Is It Possible to Remove Write Protection?
Removing write protection involves clearing the read-only attribute, and it’s completely possible to do this for files, folders, and entire storage devices. How this is done is different depending on what you’re dealing with, since there’s both hardware and software write protection techniques. The clearest way to confirm a file is write-protected and not just experiencing an unrelated issue, is if you get a read-only error when trying to overwrite it. If an entire disk is write-protected, you’ll see The media is write protected, if you’re trying to make changes from Command Prompt. File Explorer displays this:
How Do I Remove Write Protection on a File?
Taking a file out of read-only mode is extremely easy. It’s as straightforward as opening the file’s properties and clearing the read-only check box.
Why Can’t I Remove Write Protection on USB Devices?
You can! It just might be tricky because USB devices deal with write protection differently than files. For example, some devices have a physical switch which can be toggled on and off to enable or disable read-only mode. Just make sure the switch in the correct position to enable write mode. Windows is responsible for removing write protection on USB devices without a switch, but it’s not as straightforward as clearing a ‘read-only’ check box. You’ll notice this if you open the device’s properties; this check box is missing. Instead, you can either run some commands or edit the Windows Registry.
Run Diskpart Commands
Accessible via Command Prompt, the diskpart command is one way you can edit the read-only attribute for a USB device.
Edit the Registry
This method is a bit more involved and risky if you’re unfamiliar with the Windows Registry. But if you follow along closely and back up the registry beforehand, this serves as another way to remove write protection. In our example, we’re working with Disk 1, so we’d enter this:
