How to Remove Write Protection from Flash Drive to Recover Data

Flash drive write protected!!! You can’t access it anymore…

Do you think so? Well, it’s true that you can’t access write protected flash drive. But, you can remove the write protection from flash drive to make it accessible.  Here I have listed out few techniques that can be useful to remove the write protection from flash drive. Try it out-

Procedure 1: Unlock Write Protect Switch

Some flash drive comes with Write Protect Switch. So first check whether your flash drive has this switch or not. If flash drive has the switch and it’s in locked position, move it to the unlocked position. And, try to open your flash drive. Still getting Write Protected error? Then try next one…

Procedure 2: DiskPart Command

  1. Go to start menu and run command Prompt
  2. Type diskpart in command prompt and click Enter
  3. In a new command line window, type list disk and then press Enter
  4. Check here for disk number which is write protected
  5. Next, type select disk number ex: select disk 3 and Enter
  6. Now, type attributes disk clear readonly and hit Enter
  7. Type Exit

Go to your flash drive and now try to open it. Still unable to open your flash drive, then move to the next procedure.

Procedure 3: Windows Registry

I will recommend you to use this method only if you are technically aware of registry. Otherwise it is better to take any expert advice.

  • Type regedit into the Search programs and files field and click on enter to open Registry Editor window
  • In the Registry Editor window, search for key named WriteProtect in the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
  • If you find WriteProtect, right-click on it and click on Modify and set to value 0
  • Click ok and close Registry Editor

Remove your flash drive and then connect it back to check whether it is write protected or not.

Procedure 4: Format

In case, all the methods mentioned above fails to remove write protection from flash drive, the next option is to format the flash drive. I know, what you’re thinking? Yes, formatting erases all the data, but at least you can reuse your flash drive and by using Flash Drive Recovery tool, you can get back your erased data from flash drive.  You know how to format the flash drive, right? Right click on flash drive and press Format option.

If your flash drive shows write protection error due to corruption, then you can’t even format it.  But, you can recover your data from flash drive with the help of Remo Hard Drive Recovery tool.

Recovering Data from Write Protected Flash Drive using Remo Recover-

The software scans inaccessible flash drive in few minutes and locates all the data. The tool comes with two options - Formatted/Reformatted Recovery and Partition Recovery option.

Formatted/ Reformatted Recovery- Select this option, if you have formatted your flash drive in order to reuse it.

Partition Recovery- Use this option to recover data when you are unable to format your flash drive and it is still inaccessible.

Most importantly, the tool can be used to recover data from all popular brands of the flash drives, such as Kingston, SanDisk, HP, Sony, Transcend, etc. Apart from flash drives, it recovers data from write-protected memory cards, external hard drive, and other storage devices.

How to Use Remo Hard Drive Recovery tool to Restore Data from Write Protected Flash Drive-

Download and install Remo Hard Drive Recovery software. Then, attach a flash drive to the system on which you have installed the software and do as follows:

  • Download and install Remo Recover 6.0
  • Connect your formatted USB drive and start the recovery process
  • Choose the formatted USB drive you want to recover and click on Scan
  • The tool will automatically initiate Quick Scan. Once the Quick Scan is completed, the tool runs Deep Scan where it restores data sector by sector. Open the Dynamic Recovery View to easily recover the files simultaneously while the Deep Scan is running.
  • You can also search for the specific file format in the search bar with the Advanced Filter option
  • After the partition | USB drive are scanned the recovered data will be presented to you which can be Recover
  • Make use of the Preview option to view the recovered files
  • Choose the files from the formatted USB drive, and click on Save a browse for a location to save the recovered data.

Also Read:

  1. 6 Easy ways to Disable Write Protection in SD Cards
  2. Convert Hard Drive or Flash Drive from FAT 32 to NTFS
  3. How to Remove Virus from Pen Drive without Losing Data?
  4. Do's and Don'ts for Using USB Flash Drives
Default image
John Harris

Senior Editor, Content Analyst and a fan of exceptional customer service. John develops and publishes instructional and informational content regarding partition management, Windows hot-fixes, data management and computer troubleshooting.

As a tenured data recovery specialist, John shares exceptional insights and blog posts about data loss and data recovery across any storage device. With 8+ years’ experience in writing for Data Recovery for both Mac OS and Windows OS computers, he is an avid learner who always wants to polish and simplify the data recovery process. John passes his free time playing Chess and reading Science Fiction novels.

Articles: 517

Leave a Reply