SD card showing as read-only? Here’s how to fix it (4 solutions)

Question: How do I fix a micro SD card that's become read-only?

What error causes an SD card to become read-only on Android? My Android phone's external storage suddenly switched to read-only mode, and I can't add, write, or delete any files. How do I fix a read-only SD card that won't mount properly?

"SD card read only", also referred to as write protected SD card, is a memory or micro SD card that you can read but not modify the data on it.

Chinese to English translation refers to the process of converting text from Chinese into English. This could be sentences, paragraphs, articles, or any other form of text. For instance: "你好，你怎么样？" can be translated into "Hello, how are you?" "行动胜于言语." translates to "Actions speak louder than words." In practical applications, this often requires a deep understanding of both languages' cultural backgrounds and contexts to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the translation.

SD card is showing read-only symptom.

Often, the memory SD card or USB flash drive might be set to “read-only” mode, which could be due to the card being old, corrupted, damaged, or infected with a virus. Sometimes, human errors can also make an SD card read-only.

When your Android or camera's external SD card is mounted in read-only mode, it prevents you from writing, deleting, copying, or moving data on it. Here, we'll teach you how to fix a read-only SD card by [1] checking the write protect switch, using [2] Windows commands, [3] an auto-unprotect software, and [4] a third-party FAT32 to NTFS converter. Once you successfully remove the read-only permission from the SD card, you can proceed to format the SD card as you wish.

Method 1: Unlocking a Read-Only SD Card with a Physical Write-Protection Slider

Most SD cards used for Android or Nintendo Switch devices have a physical write-protection switch. If your card has one of these, make sure it's slid to the unlocked position to remove the read-only attribute.

Step 1: Remove the memory card from the device while it's in read-only mode.

Step 2: Check if it has a physical lock switch.

Step 3: Turn the lock switch from ON to OFF, then unlock your SD card.

This is a basic troubleshooting step when your SD card becomes read-only, so share it to let others know.

Method 2: Remove the Read-Only Attribute from the SD Card using CMD

1. Insert the micro SD card into your Windows computer's card reader as a read-only card.

Step 2: Click Start > Run, and type cmd.

Step 3: Type diskpart.

Step 4: Type in list volume. This will show you all the connected drives, so you can locate your memory card.

Step 5: Type select volume #, where # is the letter assigned to your memory card drive.

Step 6: Type attributes disk clear readonly> to remove the read-only protection.

Copy all the commands here:

diskpart
list volume
select volume #
attributes disk clear readonly This is a series of command-line instructions in the Windows operating system used for managing disk partitions. Translated into Chinese, it reads: diskpart
列出卷
选择卷 #
清除磁盘只读属性 Here, "diskpart" is the command for the disk management tool, "list volume" lists all volumes (partitions), "select volume #" chooses a specific volume, where "#" represents the volume number, and "attributes disk clear readonly" clears the read-only attribute of the selected disk.

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Method 3: Repair the Read-Only SD Card with Write Protection Removal Software

If you consider yourself not very computer-savvy or not very familiar with command lines, don't worry. There are graphical solutions that can help you with removing the write protection from your hard drive, USB drive, or even SD card.

CleanGenius is a tool that helps you fix these hard drive issues without having to mess with the command line.

This is a simple and straightforward guide on how to use this tool to address your concerns:

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

Step 2: Run CleanGenius on your computer, choose Optimization, and select Write Protection mode.

Next up, just translate this sentence into American English:

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

You should now be able to open your SD card and edit, delete, copy, or move files around without issue.

Method 4: Change a Read-Only SD Card with a Free FAT32 to NTFS Converter

SD cards are usually formatted with the FAT32 file system. One solution to fix the SD card read-only issue is to convert FAT32 to NTFS for free. You can do this with the Diskpart command, but it will cause data loss. A simpler and safer way to convert without losing data is by using the Partition Master Free tool.

Step 1. Install and launch Partition Master on your computer.

2. Right-click on the FAT32 partition in the "Disk Partition Manager" and select "Advanced" -> "Convert NTFS to FAT."

Step 3: Click “Proceed” in the dialog box that pops up.

Step 4: Click on the “Apply” button to start the conversion process. Wait for it to finish.

How to format a read-only SD card to its normal state

Many of you may have tried to format an SD card on Android in read-only mode, only to fail with the error “Windows was unable to complete the format.” Just like how you can't format a write-protected SD card with Windows Disk Management, you need to remove the read-only attribute from the SD card before you can format it and restore its full capacity.

Using a free partition manager allows you to easily format the read-only SD card. Just insert your SD card that you've fixed the read-only issue with, and follow simple steps to resolve the problem completely.

Step 1: Locate your SD card, then right-click on the partition you want to format and select “Format.”

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

Step 3: Click "Yes" in the popup window to proceed.

4. Click “Run 1 Task” in the toolbar, then click “Apply” to begin formatting your SD card.

Formatting an SD card that's mounted as read-only can help restore its full capacity and get it working like new again.

Related article: How to fix External hard drive read only on Mac issue.