Windows 10: How to remove write protect from external hard drive

I have several external hard drives that have suddenly become write protected.I have attempted to remove the write protection through formatting the disk which could not be done brcause of the write protection. I attempted to remove the write protection using the Diskpart Command Prompt option to no avail. In registry I added a new DWORD, WriteProtect to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies, settimng its value to "0" which did not work. I am running Wimndows 10 64 bit Pro Version 22H2 OS Build 19045.4529

:)

 

How to gain access to write protected external hard drive

1. Check the physical switch. Some external hard drives have a physical switch that can be used to enable or disable write protection. Check the drive for a small switch that may be labeled "Write Protect" or "Lock." If the switch is in the "Write Protect" position, move it to the "Unlock" position.
   
2. Remove the write protection tab. Some external hard drives have a small tab that can be used to enable or disable write protection. This tab is usually located on the side of the drive. If there is a tab, remove it.
   
3. Format the drive. If the drive is formatted as a read-only format, you will need to format it as a writable format. To do this, connect the drive to your computer and open File Explorer. Right-click on the drive and select "Format." In the Format dialog box, select "NTFS" as the file system and click "Start."
   
4. Use a data recovery tool. If the drive is damaged or corrupted, you may need to use a data recovery tool to gain access to the data. There are many data recovery tools available, such as Recuva and Disk Drill. These tools can scan the drive for lost or deleted files and recover them.
   

If you are unable to gain access to the drive using any of these methods, you may need to contact the manufacturer of the drive for assistance.

Here are some additional tips for gaining access to a write protected external hard drive:

• Make sure that the drive is properly connected to your computer.
  
• Try connecting the drive to a different port on your computer.
  
• Try restarting your computer.
  
• Try updating the drivers for your hard drive.
  
• If you are using a USB drive, try formatting it as a FAT32 drive.
  
• If you are using a FireWire drive, try formatting it as a NTFS drive.
  

If you are still unable to gain access to the drive, you may need to contact the manufacturer of the drive for assistance.

 

External USB hard drive is write-protected. How can I remove write protection?

I have been using a Western Digital My Passport external USB 3.0 hard drive for years as a backup drive. My old computer died and I just replaced it. Now when I plug in the external drive, I cannot write to it in any way, even just renaming a file. This
error message is displayed when I try to copy a file to the drive: "The disk is write protected. Remove the write-protection or use another disk."

If I right-click on any file or folder on the external drive and view its properties, the read-only box is checked. If I uncheck it and click Apply, this message appears: "An error occurred applying attributes to the file. The media is write-protected."

I tried the external drive on another computer and it works fine. It is writeable.

How can I remove the write protection on my computer?

Thanks you!

 

Gettign error "device is write protected" for External Hard drive in Windows 10

Hello Neil,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Community.

We understand the inconvenience you have experienced.

Are you getting the same error when you access the External Hard drive on another computers?

When you see the message "Device is Write Protected", then it indicates that you have limited set of privileges for performing operation on the Hard disk. In simple, you're not allowed to write the drive, apart from reading it. This because the drive is
write-protected. Suggest you to try with the below steps and check it they help you.

1. Right-click on Start button and select Command Prompt(Admin).

2. Type diskpart and press Enter.

3. Now type list volume and press Enter. Now see the volume number the external drive.

4. Then type select volume #, where # is the number of the drive which is showing "write-protected" error. Example,
select volume 3.

5. Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter.

• Executing the above command line will reset the Hard drive USB's properties by clearing the Read-Only behavior, so that it is no longer read-only.

6. Type exit and press Enter. Now check if it allows you do access the drive for writing the content.

Keep us posted if you require further assistance.