Disk Read-Only Fix: How to Change Drive from Read-Only to Read/Write (5 Ways)

Read-only is a file system permission that allows users to read or copy stored data but prohibits the writing of new information or editing of existing data. It can be set for files, folders, or entire disks to prevent accidental modification of their contents. Read-only entities are also referred to as "write-protected."

On this page, we will focus on fixing disk read-only issue. The troubleshooting steps to change a hard drive from read-only mode are similar to the methods to remove write protection from a hard drive, USB flash drive, portable drive, or SD card, even if it's no longer read-only.

1. Format a Read-Only Drive to a Recognizable File System 2. Use Diskpart to Clear the Read-Only Attribute 3. Remove the Read-Only Attribute with Software 4. Change Read-Only Permissions in Properties 5. Fix Read-Only Status of Disk via Registry

"Drive is read-only"

"I'm trying to figure out why my D drive became read-only after the upgrade to Windows 10. It's a separate physical hard disk, not a partition of another drive. I can open all files, but I can't modify them. ”

A hard drive in read-only mode means you can't modify its contents. In other words, once data is written to it, you can read it, but no other actions are allowed. This often occurs with HDDs and is also common with removable disks like SD storage cards and USB flash drives.

In short, if data is read-only, you can read it with a device, but you cannot modify, delete, add to, copy, or move it. The point of read-only is to control how you use the data.

Method 1: Formatting the Read-Only Disk to a Recognizable File System

When USB drives, flash drives, floppy disks, SD cards, or external hard drives have an unsupported file system type on a Windows PC or Mac, these devices will also show as read-only. In this case, you can resolve the read-only issue on the disk by converting the incompatible file system to one that's recognizable by Windows, Steam, or the specific device.

Here, you can download a tool called Partition Master, a reliable free partition manager, to reformat the disk to the file system you need, such as NTFS, FAT16/32, EXT2/3/4, and more.

Note: Back up important information before formatting, as formatting a disk will delete all data on it.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click the partition on the external hard drive/USB/SD card you want to format and choose "Format".

Step 2. Specify a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size for the selected disk partition, then click “OK”.

<Step 3> Click Yes in the warning window to continue.

Step 4. Click on “Perform 1 task” on the top left corner to preview the changes and hit “Apply” to start formatting the external hard drive/USB/SD card.

Smaller cluster sizes reduce wasted disk space. However, the smaller the cluster size, the larger the File Allocation Table (FAT). The larger the FAT, the slower the operating system handles the disk.

Method 2: Manually Remove the Read-Only Attribute using DiskPart CMD

Devices and media are often described as being in read-only mode, but actually, users can change them to read-write mode for further use. When the drive is locked in read-only status, you can try the simple command below to fix the read-only error via the Diskpart utility.

Step 1: Click on the "Start" menu, type cmd in the search box, and press "Enter".

Step 2: Type diskpart, then press "Enter". This will open a new Command Prompt window.

Step 3: Type list disk and press "Enter." (Make sure your device is listed, for example, as Disk 0.)

Step 4: Type select disk 0 and press "Enter."

5. Type attributes disk clear readonly, and press “Enter.”

You have now removed the read-only attribute from the drive. Type exit, and press Enter to leave the DiskPart utility.

1. Open cmd
2. Run command diskpart
3. list disk
4. select disk 0 (Replace '0' with the number of the read-only disk displayed on your device)
5. attributes disk clear readonly
6. exit

Diskpart can be a little intimidating for those who don't have a lot of experience using computers. As such, sharing this article could serve as a guide for others.

Method 3: Automatically Remove the Read-Only Attribute with Third-Party Write-Protection Removal Software

If you don't consider yourself very computer-savvy or 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 such tool that can help you fix these issues on your disk without having to understand command lines.

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

Step 1: Download and install CleanGenius (a free program) on your computer.

Step Two: Run CleanGenius on your computer, choose Optimization, and then select Write Protection mode.

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

Method 4: Change Read-Only Permissions in Windows 10/8/7

This might be due to your device or specific file/folder permissions being changed to read-only after a Windows upgrade or update, preventing you from having write access. To resolve this issue, you can modify the Windows Properties settings to gain read and write permissions.

Step 1: Open "My Computer" (on Windows 7) or "This PC" (on Windows 10).

Step 2: Right-click on the read-only drive and select "Properties."

Step 3: Under the "Security" tab, check the "Read and write" box under "Allow." Click "Apply."

Method 5: Change the Hard Drive Read-Only Status in the Registry Editor

Fixing the hard drive as read-only through the Registry is the most advanced and complicated method, so we only recommend it for experienced users. Before you make any changes to the Registry, make sure you back it up first.

* Modifying the Windows Registry can indeed help remove write protection and read-only attributes from storage devices. However, we have found that this typically works on earlier versions of Windows, such as Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Step 1: Connect your laptop to your desktop.

Step 2: Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run box. Type “regedit” into the empty field and press Enter.

Step 3. Click on “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE” to expand “System.”

Step 4. Under System, expand Current Control Set, then click Control.

Step 5: Look for a key named Storage Device Policies. Change the value of the DWORD entry to 0, and click OK to save the change.

Note: If you don't find a key named “Storage Device Policies,” you'll need to create it: Right-click on “Control,” then create a new key and name it “Storage Device Policies” → right-click on this new key to open a “DWORD Value,” and name it “write protect” → double-click it, and change the number.

Use the Right Methods to Fix Disk Read-Only Status

On this page, we've gathered 5 methods to help you successfully fix a read-only hard drive, SSD, external hard drive, USB, SD card, and the like:

• Utilize the Diskpart tool and enter the command "attributes disk clear readonly"
• Use the CleanGenius Windows cleaning tool with its write protection removal feature
• Alter the read-only permission settings
• Modify the write protection value via the Registry Editor
• Format an unsupported device to a supported file system using the Partition Master tool

If your device is write-protected, try Methods 1 and 2 to quickly resolve the issue. If your device can only be read due to permission issues, try Method 3.

And, if your device has an unsupported file system, your best bet is to use Partition Master to format it to a supported one.

Frequently Asked Questions on Fixing Read-Only Disk Error

If you have more questions about read-only disk issues, refer to the list of problems here and find the answers below:

1. How do I remove the read-only status?

When your drive becomes read-only, you can try the recommended solutions on this page to make the device writable again.

When your files or individual documents become read-only, you can use File Explorer to remove the read-only status:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the drive that contains your read-only file or document. 2. Right-click the read-only file, then click "Properties." 3. Uncheck the "Read-only" checkbox.

How do I remove the read-only attribute from all files on a drive?

1. Open Windows File Explorer, right-click on the read-only drive, and select "Properties." 2. Switch to the "Security" tab, then choose the user name. 3. Click "Edit," and under "Permissions for Verified Users," check the box for "Full Control." 4. Click "Apply" and then "OK."

Why is my drive showing as read-only?

There are several reasons why a drive may become read-only, and most of the time, it's because:

• The drive is locked or write-protected.
• The computer or user account doesn't have read/write permissions for the drive.
• The target drive has an unsupported file system that's incompatible with your operating system.
• The drive is infected with a virus or malware.