How To Get Rid Of Write Protection Errors On Usb Flash Drives

Sometimes when we plug our usb flash drives into a new computer, maybe in office or at a friend’s place, we find a write protection error that keeps popping up every time we try to copy something on them. Here are some ways to easily fix this:

1) Check for viruses

It might be the case that your pen drive is infected with a virus. Viruses can cause the pen drive to relay Write Protection messages.

Scan your pen drive with a good antivirus software. Just to be sure, scan it with two different antivirus softwares.

2) Check If the File is Read Only

It may be possible that the file you are trying to copy on to your USB flash drive is Read Only. To change this, right-click on your file and select ‘Properties’. An information box will open where near the bottom there will be a small box with Read Only written next to it. Uncheck the box and click Apply.

3) Diskpart

Open the Start Menu and type in cmd in the search box. Open the application that comes up. We will be using Diskpart, which is an inbuilt disk-partitioning tool found in Windows operating systems.

1.    In the command window, type in diskpart and press Enter.

2.    Type list disk in the new window that opens.

3.    In the list that shows up, find your pen drive and note the number(0/1/2/3…) mentioned next to it.

4.    Type select disk 3. Press Enter.

5.    Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter.

6.    Type exit and press Enter.

That’s it. Your USB flash drive is now ready to be written on.