How to Change Permission on an SD Card?

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Facing permission error on your SD card? Wondering how to fix this issue and change permission on the SD card? Don’t worry, we have provided all the necessary information in this article on how to solve your SD card’s permissions and resolve SD card problems.

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What Do You Mean By Permission Error on an SD Card? 


Permissions determine who has access to the files and folders on an SD card. The permissions determine who can read, write, or execute files and folders. This can be useful for protecting sensitive information stored on the SD card. Here are some of the common types of permissions.

Read: Permission to view the contents of a file or folder 

Write: Permission to modify or delete the contents of a file or folder

Execute: Permission to run or execute a file 

The permissions can be set for three types of entities the owner of the file or folder, the group of users that the file or folder belongs to, and all other users. 

File on SD card gives read only error. Unable to change permissions.

Source: Reddit

Methods to Fix Permission Errors on SD Cards

Unlock the SD Card

If your SD card is read-only, then follow the below steps to unlock it:

  • Connect your SD card to a computer or device.
  • Go to “My Computer” or This PC and find the SD card.
  • Right-Click on the SD card and select “Properties”.
  • Click on the “Security” tab.
  • Check if the card is locked, if so, click on “edit” and then “Remove”.
  • If a password is set, enter the password to unlock the card.

Save the changes and close the window.

Note: If the SD card is locked with a password, you will need to know the password to unlock it. If you don’t know the password, the card cannot be unlocked, and its contents will remain inaccessible.

Remove Viruses and Malware on your SD Card

Firstly, find out if your SD card is corrupt or not. If it is corrupted, then remove the virus or malware from it by following the below steps:

  • Disconnect the SD card from your device and connect it to a computer.
  • Run a reliable antivirus scan on the SD card.
  • Delete any infected files identified by the antivirus software.
  • Format the SD card to erase all remaining virus files.

Note: We recommend you transfer files from SD card to computer before formatting it. If you have formatted and lost your files before taking a backup, then use Remo Recover

Use CHKSDK to Check Space

CHKDSK (Check Disk) is a Windows utility used to check the integrity of the file system and disk space on a storage volume, such as a hard drive or SSD. It can also scan for and recover bad sectors. To run CHKDSK on Windows, follow these steps: 

  • Open File Explorer and right-click on the drive you want to check.
  • Select “Properties.”
  • Go to the “Tools” tab and click the “Check” button under Error-checking.
  • Choose “Scan drive” and let CHKDSK run to completion.

Note: CHKDSK can only be run on an offline drive, so you may need to restart your computer and boot into Windows to run the utility.

Use DiskPart to Disable Write Protection

Is your SD card not storing any files? Use Diskpart to Disable write protection on it.  

Here are the steps to disable write protection on an SD card using Diskpart:

  • Insert the SD card into your computer
  • Open Command Prompt run as administrator
Windows powershell
  • Type Diskpart and press Enter
Type Diskpart
  • Type List Disk and press Enter
Disk part list
  • Identify the Disk Number of your SD card
  • Type Select Disk [disk number]” replace [disk number] with the number of your SD card)
  • Type Attributes Disk clear read-only” and press Enter
Attribute Disk
  • Type Exit to exit Disk part

Now, the write protection on your SD card should be disabled and you should be able to write to

Try to Remove Write-Protection 

Registry Editor is a Windows tool that allows users to view and modify the Windows registry, which is a database that stores configuration settings for the Operating System and applications.

To remove write protection through Registry Editor:

  • Press Windows Key + R, type Regedit, and press Enter.
  • Navigate to the key where the write protection is applied.
  • Right-click on the key and select “Permissions
  • Click on the “Advanced” button, go to the “Owner” tab, and select the Administrators group.
  • Check the “Replace owner on sub containers and objects” box and click “Apply” and “OK”
  • Go back to Permissions and select Administrators, click “Edit” and select “Full control”.
  • Apply and OK, close Registry Editor.

Conclusion

It can be frustrating when you are unable to add new data to a file or folder due to a permission error on an SD card. Several factors can contribute to this issue. However, you can easily resolve permission errors on SD cards by following the solutions provided in this article. With this, you can regain access and add new data to files or folders easily.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I set permissions on SD cards?

You can set permissions on an SD card through the following steps:
 
Connect the SD card to a computer
Right-click on the SD card’s icon and select “Properties”
Go to the “Security” tab
Click “Edit” to change the permissions
Select the user or group you want to modify
Check or uncheck the boxes for “Read & Execute,” “Read,” and “Write” to set the appropriate permissions
Click “Apply” then “OK” to save the changes.
Note that the steps may vary slightly depending on the operating system you are using.

2. How do I change permissions on the SD card

To change the permission on an SD card, follow these steps:
 
Connect the SD card to your computer
Right-click on the SD card icon and select “Properties”
Go to the “Security” tab
Click on “Edit” to change permissions
Select the user or group you want to modify
Check or uncheck the appropriate permissions (e.g. “Read & Execute”, “Write”, “Modify”)
Click “OK” to save changes
Repeat the steps for other users or groups, if necessary.
Note: The exact steps may vary depending on your operating system.
How to make my SD card read-only on Android?
You can make your SD card read-only by mounting it as read-only in the Android file system. This can be done by:

3. How do I make my SD card read-only on Android

Accessing the terminal or ADB shell on your Android device
Running the command: mount -o ro, remount /path/to/mount/point
The SD card should now be mounted as read-only and changes made to it will not persist.

4. How do I Change SD card permission on Mac

You can change the permissions on an SD card on a Mac by using the following steps: 
Connect the SD card to your Mac
Open Finder and locate the SD card
Right-click (or control-click) on the SD card and select “Get Info”
In the Info window, click the “Sharing & Permissions” section
Click the lock icon at the bottom right corner to unlock it
Change the permissions for each user or group as desired
Close the Info window and eject the SD card when finished.

About the Author: John Harris

With a decade of experience in data recovery, John Harris, Senior Editor at Remo Software, is your go-to specialist. His focus includes partition management, Windows solutions, and data troubleshooting, delivering insightful content that serves both users and search engines. John's expertise shines through in illuminating blog posts, untangling data loss intricacies across diverse storage platforms.…