How to fix being in read-only mode: Yes [Tested Safe Methods]

Case 1 - How to Disable USB Read-Only Mode?

"Hello, I tried using Diskpart to remove the write protection from my SanDisk USB flash drive. It worked initially, but now it shows 'Current Read-Only State: Yes.' I am unable to format it or write data to it. How can I restore its normal read and write status?"

Case 2 - The current Micro SD card is in read-only status.

"Does anyone know how to unlock a micro SD card? I have lots of pictures saved on the memory card of my old Android phone, but it appears as read-only on my computer and I can't access them. How do I remove the read-only status?"

For many average users, they don't know what “the current read-only state is yes” error is and how it occurs. Most importantly, they don't know how to change the “current read-only state” of a hard drive, USB flash drive, or SD card from yes to no.

You may also be interested in: 1. Fix External Hard Drive Read Only Error on Mac; 2. SD Card Mounted as Read Only on Android;

Next, this tool will help you fix the issue and get your device working normally again, helping to prevent it from becoming read-only in the future.

Four Ways to Address the Current Read-Only Status

Here, we present four of the best methods – from simple to complex – to help you effectively troubleshoot your device without losing any data:

• #1. Drive Format and Write Protection Removal Tool
• #2. Check and Disable the Physical Switch
• #3. Modify Registry Keys via Registry Editor
• #4. Clear Read-Only Status with Diskpart

Now you can proceed to format the USB, SD card, or external or internal hard drive to remove the read-only status. If you find this method helpful in resolving the read-only status of your USB, please share it with others by clicking the button below!

Solution 1: Format Drive with Partition Master Tool / Disable Read-Only

Please note that there can be numerous reasons behind a disk becoming read-only, such as hardware damage, file system errors, or virus infections, among others.

Option 1: Format read-only device

Therefore, you can try to download the tool - AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to format the corrupted USB flash drive and memory card to reset the device to be available from the "is currently write-protected" issue, which is applicable to brands like SanDisk, Kingston, etc.

It allows you to do things like this:

• Format external/internal hard drives to NTFS
• Format USB, SD cards to FAT32 (for sizes less than 32GB), exFAT (for sizes greater than 64GB)

Before proceeding, make sure to back up all important data to a secure location. Let's begin with the following steps:

- Right-click the external drive or USB you want to format, then click "Format." - Set the volume label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size, then click "OK." - Click "Yes" to continue. - Click "Perform 1 task" and hit "Apply" to format the hard drive partition.

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Option 2: Remove Write Protection

If you don't consider yourself a power user or are not comfortable with the command line, don't worry. There are graphical solutions that can help you unprotect your hard drive, USB drive, or even an SD card.

CleanGenius is one of those tools that can help you fix these disk issues without you having to know your way around the command line.

This is a simple and easy-to-understand guide on how to use this tool to solve your problem:

Step 1: Download and install the free CleanGenius tool on your computer.

Step 2: Run CleanGenius on your computer, choose Optimize, and enable Write Protection mode.

Step 3: Select the write-protected device and click on “Disable” to remove the protection.

Solution 2: Check and turn off physical switches Solution 2: Check and turn off physical switches

Not all USB drives or thumb drives have a lock switch, so check for one first.

Step 1. Take your flash drive and look for a physical lock switch on the side.

If there is a lock switch, slide it to the unlock position.

Step 3: Now connect your USB drive or SD card to your computer and see if it mounts.

If it appears read-only on your computer, try the steps below to make your device and data usable again.

Solution 3: Open Regedit and modify the registry key

If you can't find a switch on your flash drive, you can use the Registry Editor to remove write protection from the device. This method is a bit tricky and requires careful work.

Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1. Connect the read-only USB flash drive to your Windows PC correctly.

Step 2. Press Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit, then click OK.

Step 3: Now that you have the Registry Editor open, navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies.

Step 4: Click on the 'Write Protect' icon and set the 'Value' data to 0. Click 'OK'.

Step 5. Close the Registry Editor and then check your files again on the USB device or external drive.

Solution 4: Clear Read-Only Status with Diskpart Command In the Command Prompt, you can use the built-in Diskpart tool to remove the read-only status from your hard drive. Here are the detailed steps: 1. Press `Win + X` and then choose "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows PowerShell (Admin). 2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter: ``` diskpart ``` 3. The system will prompt you to enter the Diskpart environment. Type `list disk` and press Enter. This will display all the disks connected to your computer. 4. Identify the number of the disk you want to modify (usually a digit like 0, 1, 2, etc.), and then type `select disk `, replacing `` with your disk's number, for example, `select disk 0`, and press Enter. 5. Next, type `attributes disk clear readonly` and press Enter. This will clear the read-only attribute from the selected disk. 6. Finally, type `exit` twice, once to exit Diskpart and again to exit the Command Prompt. Now, your disk should be back to read-write mode. If the issue persists, try alternative solutions.

The last effective solution is to run the Diskpart command with administrative rights to get rid of the “Read-only status is ON” error on the storage device.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Restart your computer and click on your user icon, logging in as an "Administrator."

Step 2. If it's an external drive, connect it to your computer.

Step 3: Type cmd in the Windows search box, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

Step 4: Type diskpart and press Enter.

Step 5: Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one to remount the device as read-write:

• list disk
• select disk 2 (replace "2" with the number of the problematic disk)
• attributes disk clear readonly

Step 6: When you're done, type exit to close the partitioning tool.

After trying these four solutions, you should be able to access and modify your storage device again.

Why? How can I prevent my device from becoming read-only?

The "Read-Only Status Is Yes" error occurs when your device is currently in write-protected mode. When this happens, you can't save new files to the device or use any data that's already saved on it. This is a common issue with many popular brands of removable storage devices, such as SanDisk, Transcend, and Kingston.

Why is your device read-only? This issue could be caused by any of the following:

• The physical switch is locked.
• Your device has a write protect feature.
• A registry key is set to write protect.

Here, you will also find some tips to follow to prevent your storage device from becoming read-only.

1. Keep extra backups of important files in another secure location. 2. Regularly scan your computer for viruses. 3. Avoid frequently encrypting your drives. 4. Properly eject and disconnect your devices. 5. Use a file system compatible with Windows on your device.

Bottom line

On this page, we explain the "Current Read-Only State: Yes" error and how it can occur on your storage device. To resolve this issue, we've gathered four helpful tools, including changing the physical switch position, modifying a registry key, using a write protection removal tool, and running the Diskpart command to change the read-only state from yes to no.

For extra peace of mind when saving your files, we also recommend that you use a partition manager to format your device and reset it to NTFS (for external or internal hard drives), FAT32, or exFAT (for USB flash drives or SD cards).