How to Remove Write Protection and Format Write Protected SSD [6+ Fixes]

Can't format SSD? Is your SSD showing as read-only on Windows 10? Your SSD might be write-protected. Check out the reasons and learn how to easily remove write protection from SSD on Windows 10/8/7.

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The solution on this page also applies to fixing and removing write protection from hard drives on Windows computers. If you're having the same problem with an external storage device, like a USB, you can refer to Format Read-Only USB for assistance.

"Unable to format the write-protected SSD, seeking help"

I just bought a new Samsung 840 Evo SSD. It tells me that I cannot format the SSD because it's write protected. It seems like Windows is unable to format a write-protected SSD.

After searching online, I found that the write protection should be removed first before formatting. However, there is limited information on how to remove write protection or format a write-protected SSD. Any suggestions?

Typically, when an SSD is write-protected, you cannot access it and perform any operations on the disk. Also, you cannot format the SSD when it is locked in write protection.

Don't worry. Below, you'll learn why SSD is write-protected and how to remove write protection from SSD with some tips to prevent your SSD from being write-protected again.

Reasons - Why is my SSD Write Protected?

Write protection is a mechanism used to safeguard crucial data and files on storage devices from being deleted, formatted, or removed. It is commonly employed by individuals to prevent alterations to solid-state drives, hard disk drives, external hard drives, USBs, and other storage devices.

Yet, “disk is write protected” is one of the most concerned issues for both hard drive and SSD users. Once your storage device is in write protection status, you can't access or open it.

If you see any of the following symptoms, your SSD might be write-protected:

Symptom 1: You can't access your SSD, and Windows warns you that “The disk is write protected. Remove the write protection or use another disk.”

Symptom 2. Your SSD is shown as read-only in Disk Management, as shown below:

Sometimes, for data security, you might want to manually add write protection to an SSD. However, sometimes your disk might become read-only due to some other reasons.

Here are some reasons why an SSD might become read-only:

• A virus or malware infection has enabled write protection on your SSD.
• Bad sectors on your SSD can cause the drive to be write-protected.
• You manually added write protection to your SSD.
• A third-party software has applied write protection to your SSD.

Now, click these buttons to help more users understand the reasons for write protection.

Solution - 6 Fixes to Remove SSD Write Protection

Then how to remove write protection from SSD? If you have the same issue, just stay here. According to the known causes, we've collected 6 practical fixes with detailed tutorials to get your SSD back to work.

• #1. Unlock Write-Protected SSD Manually with Password
• #2. Fix Bad Sectors and File System Errors to Unlock Write-Protected SSD
• #3. Run CMD Alternative Tool - Write Protection Removal Tool
• #4. Remove Write Protection from SSD Using CMD
• #5. Remove Write Protection from SSD Using Registry Editor
• #6. Remove Write Protection from SSD by Cleaning Viruses

Let's look at how to fix a write-protected SSD.

Solution 1: Unlock the Write-Protected SSD Manually with a Password

If you manually set a password or encrypted your SSD, you can remove the write protection yourself.

If the SSD is locked by third-party write protection software or an app, run the software and use the password to unlock the SSD.

Step 1 Run the write protection software.

Step 2: Select Remove Write Protection from SSD.

Step 3: If prompted, enter your password.

Fix 2: Repair Bad Sectors and File System Errors to Unlock Write-protected SSD

When your SSD has bad sectors or unknown file system errors, it might get locked or become read-only. The best fix is to repair the bad sectors and file system errors on the SSD.

A one-time solution is to turn to a disk partition tool like Partition Master. You can easily run its "Check File System" feature to fix bad sectors and file system errors on SSD in one go:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant on your computer. Then, locate the disk and right-click the partition that you want to check and choose "Advanced" > "Check File System".

Select “Check Partition”

(2) In the Check Disk Utility dialog box, select the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then click Start.

Step 3: The software will now check the partition's file system on the disk. When it's done, click “Finish”.

Finish the partition check

Next up, we just need the American English translation:

4 Quick Fixes for an SSD Freezing on Windows 10/11

Is your SSD freezing on Windows 10/11? Annoying, right? Let's tackle this issue the right way and apply the correct solutions.

Fix 3: Run CMD Alternative - Write Protection Removal Tool

Step 1. Download and install Partition Master, go to the Toolbox section, and click on “Write Protect.”

Click on "Remove Write Protection".

Step 2. Select the USB flash drive, external hard drive, or SD card that you want to unprotect and click “Disable.”

Click on "Remove Write Protection":

Solution 4: Remove Write Protection from SSD using CMD

If your SSD is read-only and appears as “Read-only” in Disk Management, you can run the following command to unlock it:

Step 1. Type cmd in the Windows search bar, right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: Type diskpart, and press Enter.

Step 3: Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:

• list disk
• select disk # (Replace '#' with the number of the SSD that is write-protected)
• attributes disk clear read-only

4. When Disk Management tells you that the attribute has been successfully cleared, type exit and press Enter to close the window.

Fix 5: Remove SSD Write Protection using Registry Editor

Another handy trick you can try is to change the registry write protection for WORD, which should also help you remove write protection from your SSD:

Step 1: Type Regedit in the Windows search box, then press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

Step 2: Navigate to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies.

Step 3: In the right pane, locate the "WriteProtect" value and double-click it.

Change the “Numeric data” from 1 to 0, and click “OK” to save the change.

Step 4: Exit the Registry Editor, and then restart your computer.

After that, try mounting the SSD again and check your data.

Fix 6: Remove SSD write protection by cleaning viruses

Sometimes, a virus or malware might hijack your storage device and prevent you from modifying the saved data and files. To remove write protection from your SSD, we recommend running an antivirus software first to clean up viruses and malware from your computer.

Step 1: Download and install antivirus software on your computer.

You can run Windows Defender, or a third-party antivirus like Norton Antivirus, Kaspersky Antivirus, or ESET NOD32 Antivirus.

Step 2: Scan the SSD and confirm removal of any detected viruses, malware, or suspicious files.

Step 3: Restart your computer.

Important - Formatting an SSD after removing write protection

After using CMD or Regedit to remove the write protection on your SSD, we recommend formatting the SSD. Please note that formatting will delete all data on it, so proceed with caution. After removing the write protection, copy and back up all important files from the SSD to a secure location.

Partition Master helps you format any internal or external hard drive stored in Windows 10/8/8.1/7/XP/Vista with ease.

It requires no technical skills or formatting experience. Formatting can also help you format a RAW SSD or address accessibility issues on an SSD drive.

Step 1: Right-click on the hard drive partition, and then select the "Format" option.

Step 2: In the new window, set the "Volume Label," "File System," and "Allocation Unit Size" for the partition, then click "OK."

Step 3: A warning will appear. Click "Yes" to continue.

(4) Click the “Run 1 Task” button, and then click “Apply” to begin formatting the hard drive partition.

Conclusion

Solid State Drives (SSDs), commonly used by gamers, system administrators, and individual users as gaming drives or for new operating systems to boost computer performance, can encounter write protection issues when used on Windows computers. Stay calm when this happens with your SSD, HDD, external hard drive, or USB.

In this article, taking SSD as an example, we show you the reasons for SSD write protection and 6 practical solutions to remove SSD write protection.

After removing the write protection, don't forget to format the SSD using a reliable formatting tool, like Partition Master, and set the file system back to NTFS.

Frequently Asked Questions about Removing Write Protection

While adding write protection to storage devices like SSDs, HDDs, external hard drives, or USBs helps keep data secure, it also makes it difficult for people to access and format the devices.

For ordinary users, it's difficult to remove the write protection on an SSD and format it for new storage. As mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, the solution to this issue has been addressed.

If you have more questions about write protection, consult the FAQ and find your answer:

1. How to format a read-only SSD?

To format a write-protected SSD, you first need to remove the write protection. For this, you'll require a write protection removal tool.

1. As suggested on this page, you could first attempt to remove the write protection using DiskPart, the Registry Editor, or the CleanGenius tool. 2. Next, run a virus scanner to clean the disk. 3. Finally, you can format your SSD easily and securely using tools like Windows File Explorer, Disk Management, or Partition Master.

How do I unprotect SSD, HDD, and external hard drives from being write-protected?

To protect your storage device and data, you can try the following methods to prevent write protection:

1. Run virus scans regularly
2. Backup important data to another location
3. Avoid using any third-party encryption tools or software
4. If you tend to encrypt storage devices, keep the password safe

What should I do if my SSD is in read-only mode?

There are two ways to address this problem. One is to fix the read-only file issue on the SSD.

Step 1: Right-click on the read-only file on the SSD and select “Properties.”

Step 2. On the General tab, uncheck the Read-only option, and click Apply to save the changes.

Another way is to clear the SSD's read-only status through the CMD command:

Step 1: Run CMD as an administrator

Step 2: Type diskpart.exe

Step 3: Type "list disk"

Step 4: Type `select disk X`, where `X` is the number of the disk you want to work with.

Step 5: Enter the command attributes disk clear readonly

After that, you can format the SSD and reset its file system to NTFS. Then, you can save your files to the disk again.