How to Remove Write Protection from USB Drive in Windows 7

If you’re having trouble writing to your USB drive in Windows 7 because it’s write-protected, there are a few ways to remove the protection and regain full access to the drive.

Check the Physical Write Protection Switch

Some USB drives have a physical switch that enables or disables write protection. Locate the switch on your drive and make sure it’s in the “off” or “unlocked” position. If the switch is already in the correct position, move on to the next method.

Use the Diskpart Command Line Tool

Diskpart is a command-line tool in Windows that can be used to manage disks and partitions. Here’s how to use it to remove write protection from your USB drive:

1. Press the Windows key R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type cmd and press Enter to open the Command Prompt.
3. Type diskpart and press Enter to launch the Diskpart tool.
4. Type list disk and press Enter to view a list of available disks.
5. Type select disk X (replace X with the number of your USB drive) and press Enter.
6. Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter to clear the read-only attribute.
7. Type exit and press Enter to close Diskpart.

Your USB drive should now be writable.

Edit the Registry to Remove Write Protection

If the above methods don’t work, you can try editing the Windows Registry to remove write protection. Be very careful when making changes to the Registry, as mistakes can cause serious problems with your system.

1. Press the Windows key R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
4. If the StorageDevicePolicies key doesn’t exist, right-click Control, select New > Key, and name it StorageDevicePolicies.
5. Right-click in the right pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Name the new value WriteProtect and press Enter.
7. Double-click WriteProtect and set its value to 0.
8. Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Your USB drive should now be writable.

If you’re still having trouble writing to your USB drive after trying these methods, there may be a more serious issue with the drive itself. In that case, you may need to format the drive or replace it with a new one.