Unlock USB Drive | Decrypt Write Protected USB Drive & Recover Data

Here are two practical methods to unlock a USB drive. The table below summarizes these methods. Read on for details.

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How do you lock your USB flash drive?

If you can't add, write to, copy, or transfer files to a USB drive because it's locked, you need to first determine the real cause of the problem so you can find the appropriate troubleshooting solution.

1. Connect the flash drive to a different USB port on the same computer, or try another computer. Make sure it's not a USB port issue that's causing the drive to become locked.
2. Check for a lock switch on the portable USB drive. SD cards often come with a lock switch. It's easy to accidentally switch it to the locked position. See How to Unlock a Memory Card for more help.

After getting familiar with the two possible reasons that can lock your storage device, you can focus on the write protection removal solutions presented later in this guide. Most such cases are caused by the “disk is write protected” issue in Windows 10/8/1/8/7. Try these two methods to unlock your USB drive.

Solution 1: Request Permission with a Password

This solution is for users who have the administrator password to unlock encrypted USB drives, partitions, or even write-protected files. Follow these steps to unlock your USB drive with the password:

Step 1. Connect the USB drive to your computer and open Computer/This PC.

Step 2: Right-click the USB drive and select Properties and then Security.

Step 3: Click “Edit,” and enter your administrator password.

4. Next, under “Groups and Users,” select your username, then in the “Privileges” section for “Authenticated Users,” click the radio button next to “Allow” and choose “Full Control” and “Write.”

Step 5: Click "Apply" and then "OK".

Now you should be able to access the encrypted USB drive and use its important files once more.

Solution 2: Edit the Windows Registry (Regedit)

If you forget the password to an encrypted USB drive or file, what can you do to decrypt a read-only USB drive? Well, follow the steps below to locate StorageDevicePolicies on any version of Windows and change the WriteProtect value as instructed.

Step 1. Press Windows + R to open the "Run" dialog, type regedit in the search box, and then press Enter.

In Registry Editor, locate the following key:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies.

Step 3: In the right pane of Registry Editor, double-click the “WriteProtect” value. Change the “Value data” from 1 to 0, and then click “OK” to save the changes.

Edit the registry to unlock USB drive

4. Close Registry Editor, and then restart your computer.

Check the USB drive's status to see if the data stored on it is accessible.

How to Recover Lost Data after Unlocking USB Drive

If you're still unable to access the data on your USB drive after trying the above methods, you might need to use a professional data recovery tool to safely retrieve your files.

You may try using the Data Recovery Wizard tool, which is fully compatible with all Windows systems and allows users to recover data from an encrypted USB drive or storage device after it has been unlocked.

Please download this USB Recovery Tool and follow the steps below to recover data from your encrypted or write protected USB drive, flash drive, SD card, or other memory card.

Step 1. Select the USB drive to scan

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard, select the USB drive where you lost important files, and click “Scan” to begin.

Step 2: Preview and Check USB Drive Data

Once the scan is complete, you can use the “Filter” feature and the “Search” option to locate specific file types quickly.

Step 3: Recover Data from Flash Drive

Once the scan is complete and the lost USB drive files are found, click “ Recover ” to restore them. You should save the recovered files to a secure location on your computer instead of the USB drive.

Video Tutorial: How to Recover Lost Data after Unlocking USB Drive

Frequently Asked Questions about USB Drive Unlocker

Want to know more about unlocking USB drives? We've prepared four additional FAQs to help you out:

How do I remove write protection on USB in Windows 11?

There are five methods to fix the “disk write protected” error in Windows 11:

1. Remove write protection using a physical lock switch. 2. Remove write protection from the USB device via the CMD command line. 3. Use a third-party write protection removal program. 4. Fix the issue through the Registry Editor.

Why is my USB device blocked?

The USB blocked error might be caused by any of the following issues:

• 1. The lock side is where the hardware switch for the USB is located.
• 2. The USB has been accidentally set to read-only mode.
• 3. BitLocker encryption is enabled on the USB disk partition.
• 4. A third-party encryption software or virus might be causing the write protection error on the USB.

How can I unlock a Bitlocker USB drive without a password?

You can try unlocking a BitLocker USB drive without a password using the following methods:

1. Try using your previous password, or use the BitLocker recovery program. 2. Recover your forgotten BitLocker recovery key. 3. Format your encrypted hard drive.