How to fix “Media Is Write Protected” error in Windows

Write protection is a feature intended to prevent users from accidentally deleting or changing data on disks or other storage devices. Unfortunately, sometimes Windows refuses to work with a drive because it detects it is write protected when it shouldn’t.

The good news is that there are many fixes for the “Media is Write Protected” error in Windows. Consider, starting with the most obvious fixes.

Table of Contents

Check your vehicle for a Write Protection Switch

If you have problems formatting or writing to the USB flash drive, SD card or similar external storage device, check the write-protect switch. This is a physical slide switch that can be turned on and off, as shown in the image above.

If it’s accidentally pushed into a write-protected location, you won’t be able to format or write to the drive until you move it back. Make sure to remove the drive first before flipping the switch!

Remove write protection from files and folders

If your problem is write protection of specific files and not the whole disk, it is easy to fix:

Open Data management program.

Navigate to write-protected files and/or folders.
Select files and/or folders.

Right click on your selection and select Characteristic.

Under Shared tab, make sure the box is labeled Just read not checked.

Option Application And after that ALRIGHT.

If you have selected a folder containing other files and folders, you will be asked to confirm that the property change will also be applied to all files and folders inside the home folder.

Run disk scan

A bit of housework to do before you start messing with your operating system is to physically scan the drive in question. If the disc is damaged or damaged, it may cause a write protection failure.

To run a full disk scan in Windows:

Open Data management program.

Right click on the drive you want to scan and select Characteristic.

Go Tools navigation.

Option Test.

Option Scan and repair drives.

If the scan detects and repairs any problems on the drive, try using the drive again.

Run a full malware scan

Certain malware may write protected drives to prevent their own deletion. That’s not the most likely reason you’re getting write-protect errors, but because Scan for malware quick and easy to do, well worth the effort anyway.

If removing the malware from the system or disk does not fix the problem, follow the steps mentioned below to get the drive back to normal.

Check system files for errors

The final piece of prep work needed when trying to make a drive rewritable is to run the System File Checker (SFC). This will compare all your important system files with the gold standard original. If any files have been changed or corrupted, pristine new versions will be downloaded and installed.

Payment procedures Use these Command Prompt commands to fix or repair corrupted files for instructions on how to use the SFC.

Use advanced formatting tools

If all you want to do is format the drive, but you’re being blocked by write protection, the answer might be to use a slightly more opportunistic formatting utility. Many users swear by HP USB Formatting Tool to bully burn protected external discs into cooperation.

It is also one of the few utilities that allows you to format large disks to the FAT32 format, a necessity from time to time. Remember that you need to run this application with administrator privileges for it to work. Reported results are mixed, but the following solutions are a bit more complicated, so if you want to take your chances with a formatting utility app first, this is an option.

Remove write protection with DiskPart

DiskPart is a powerful command-line utility in Windows that can erase properties from an entire disk or specific partition.

First, insert a write-protected USB drive, if available.

Open Start Menu and type diskpart.

Choose command to run diskpart from the results.

If you are asked for administrator rights, say Yes.

At the command line for DiskPart, enter disc list and press enter.

Find your USB disk in the list of drives, make a note of it disc number. You will need it shortly!
Now, type select disk #, but replace # with the correct disk number. Then press enter.

Type disk properties erase read-only and then press enter Key.

After receiving the confirmation message, enter Exit and press enter.

Remove write protection with Regedit

Sometimes a drive is marked as write protected and you will get a “Write protected media” error because the corresponding value in the Windows registry is incorrect. If possible, avoid cluttering your registry. If this is your last resort, please consider backing up your registry in case something goes wrong.

With that being said, here’s how to remove write protection from a USB drive in Windows:

Insert the drive you want to modify into the USB port.

Open Start Menu and type Registry Editor.

Option Registry Editor from the results.

In the registry editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > StorageDevicePolicies.

Double click WriteProtect. This will open Edit DWORD Windows.

Search Value data boxthen enter 0 as new value.

Option ALRIGHT and close the registry editor.

Restart your computer and check the disk again.

What if there is no StorageDevicePolicies value to change?

Create StorageDevicePolicies

If you’re unlucky you don’t have the right registry value to change, you’ll have to create it yourself. Don’t worry, you’ve got this.

Open Registry Editor as detailed above.

Towards HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control.

Right click on a the empty area of the right pane and choose New > Key.
Name the new key StorageDevicePolicies and press enter confirm.