“The SD Card is write protected” is a pretty common message witnessed by many people who use memory cards in their everyday lives. There are multiple different ways to remove write protection on SD cards. Any kind of error that we face on the SD card, when trying to transfer important files feels annoying if we don’t know the right solution.
You can’t format or make any changes while the SD card is write-protected. The memory card will stay in a read-only state and cannot make any transfer or deletion of data at this stage. Don’t worry, as we have come up with quick fixes that will remove write protection on SD cards. Be it any brand, you can try these solutions and fix the write protection error on the SD card.
Main Reasons for Write Protection Error on SD Card
The phenomenon where the SD card doesn’t let you make any changes like transferring or deletion of data is witnessed on Write protection mode. The removable disk will completely stop the users from making any kind of modifications and only works as a read-only drive. Here, are a few reasons why you see write protection errors on SD cards.
- SD card Physical Lock
- Third-party software for write-protection locking the SD card
- Any kind of physical damage on the SD card
- Removable drive encrypted by malicious virus or malware
These were the main causes for write protection on the SD card. We have provided our best methods to help you remove this error and make your SD card work perfectly for data transfers and regular use.
How to Remove Write Protection on SD Card
1. Check the SD Card’s Physical Toggle Switch
On a full-size SD card, most companies provide a toggle switch on the side or the bottom of the card. The switch acts as a write-locking mechanism that puts the SD card on the Read-only and Write-Protection mode if turned on. You can easily turn off the switch and bring back the SD card to normal mode.
- Eject the SD card from the device.
- Slide the Switch upwards, which is opposite to the lock.
In this way, you can turn off the write protection mode physically using the switch on the SD card.
2. Disable Write Protection and Free up Space on the SD Card to Avoid Errors
In some cases, you may have accidentally enabled the write protection in the properties of the SD card while formatting. This will prevent you from making any changes to the SD card and put it in a read-only state.
Check your SD card properties by going to This PC and hovering your cursor on the Removable SD card that you have inserted. Right-click on the SD card drive, select Properties and see if the checkbox is turned on for the “Read-only (Only applies to files in folder)” attribute. If it is enabled, you need to disable the checkbox to remove write protection.
3. Changing Attributes of SD Card using Command Prompt
You can manually reset the attributes of the SD card and remove the write protection error using the diskpart in the command prompt. The following method will help you clear the read-only state and bring back the SD card to a writable disk.
- Insert the SD card into your system.
- Launch Run using Win + R keys.
- In the Open dialog box, type
diskpartand hit Enter. - Type
list diskand press Enter in the command prompt window. - Select the SD card by typing
select disk [number] - Lastly, type
attributes disk clear readonlyto remove write protection on the SD card.
Give it some time and you’ll see a message stating “Disk attributes cleared successfully” on the command prompt window.
4. Remove SD Card Write Protection using Registry Editor
The Registry Editor has a wide range of reach on your Windows computer helping in editing, creating, and modifying registry keys and values. The editor works as a database on the system which stores all the settings and options of Windows. In our scenario, the registry editor will help us in removing the write protection on the SD card. Make sure you backup your Registry Editor before making any changes to it, so you can restore it to the previous state if something goes wrong.
- Launch Run using Win + R keys.
- Type
regeditin Run dialog box. - In the Registry Editor window, go to the below-mentioned location from the left pane menu.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies. - And, if you can’t find the StorageDevicePolicies folder, create it inside the Control folder.
- You can do that by right-clicking on “Control” > Click “New” > “Key”.
- Now, name the new key “StorageDevicePolicies”.
- Right-click on the StorageDevicePolicies and click “New” > “DWORD Value”.
- Name the new DWORD Value as “WriteProtect”.
- Double-click the “Write Protect”, change the value data to “0” and Click OK.
You can close the Registry Editor after the changes are made and re-insert the SD card on your system. This time, you should have an SD card that works without any write protection.
SD Card on Write Protection? Fix it Now
Hope, these methods that we have mentioned have helped you in recovering your SD card to its normal state. These methods work most of the time and help you avoid those frustrating situations of SD card troubles while having important workflow. Alternatively, you can use third-party software or anti-virus software that helps you remove the write protection error on the SD card. If none of the above solutions work, then your SD card might be damaged or corrupted. You may need to buy a new one and try recovering the data from the damaged SD card.
Which method worked for you in removing write protection on the SD card? Do let us know about your experience with SD card errors in the comment section below.
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