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SanDisk Write Protected? SanDisk Write Protection Removal Tool Recommend

Are you bothered by the 'SanDisk write protected' error on SanDisk storage devices? This instruction provides several SanDisk write protection removal and formatting tools with effective steps to help you fix SanDisk write-protected memory card, USB flash drive, pen drive, SSD, etc., and format them with ease.

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Updated by Tracy King on Mar 21, 2024
Written by Brithny

This page covers complete solutions to help you resolve "How to remove write protection from SanDisk pen drive" issue in two parts. Have you ever encountered such a similar Sandisk write-protected issue? Now, it is no longer a problem.

Please select one of the following listed SanDisk write protection removal tools; you can remove the write protection from the Sandisk device and then easily format it. Follow to unlock it now:

These methods also work to remove write protection from SanDisk Cruzer, SanDisk Ultra, SanDisk Adapter, etc., serials of USB, SD, external hard drives on Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista for free.

Notice:
To get rid of the write protection error from your SanDisk device and make the device work again, you will need to use the recommended write protection removal tools in Part 1 first, and then format it to a recognized status using the formatting utility in Part 2. 

We're going to learn how to remove write protection from SanDisk Pen Drive/USB/SD card. Share this article to help more.

SanDisk Write Protection Removal Tool

Part 1. How to Remove Write Protection from SanDisk Pen Drive/USB/SD Card

Notice:
If your SanDisk USB, pen drive, or SD card is physically locked, unlock your device first.  
If the device becomes accessible after turning the switch ON, you can open the SanDisk device and make use of your data again.
If the device still displays "The disk is write protected" error, turn to a reliable SanDisk write protection removal tool to clear the error immediately.

Here, we collected five write protection removal tools and followed the respective tutorials below to bring your SanDisk USB pen drive or SD card, etc., back to life. Let's check how to remove write protection from SanDisk USB, pen drive, SD card, etc., with each tool now. 

Method 1. Using SanDisk Write Protection Removal Tool

Applies to: Remove write protection from SanDisk storage devices using a one-click write-protection removal tool.

EaseUS Partition Master Free is an all-in-one SanDisk write-protection removal tool, and with its "Write Protection" feature, you can unlock your SanDisk storage devices without damaging any data content.

Sandisk Write Protection Removal Software Download:

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Windows 11/10/8/7100% Secure

Step 1. Download and install EaseUS Partition Master, go to the Toolkit section, and click "Write Protection".

Click Remove write protection

Step 2. Select your write protected USB, USB external disk or SD card, and click "Disable".

Click Remove write protection

After this, you should be able to reuse your SanDisk and the saved content again. No further issues would occur. Also, if you think this method is helpful, feel free to share this tool with more of your friends online:

 

Method 2. Unlock SanDisk Write Protected Device Using CMD

Applies to: Unlock write-protected SanDisk device using DiskPart CMD command for free.

CMD attribute disk clear command is a free and practical resolution that you can apply to fix a write-protected Sandisk SD card or USB flash drive.

Tip
As CMD write protection removal commands require to clear the whole device, which may result in data loss, we would like to recommend you run data recovery software to bring the lost files back.

Connect your SanDisk device to your computer, and follow to remove the write protection in a few simple steps:

Step 1.  Press "Windows + R" and enter cmd. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Step 2. Type diskpart and hit Enter.

Step 3. Type the following command lines and hit Enter each time:

  • list disk
  • select disk # (# is the number of your SanDisk USB/SD card/SSD drive that you want to remove write protection from.)
  • attributes disk clear readonly

Remove write protection using diskpart command.

Step 4. Type exit and hit Enter to close DiskPart.

When the above process completes, re-connect your Sandisk USB flash drive or pen drive again, and you will find the write protection is removed. The device is no longer write-protected.

Step-by-Step Video Tutorial: How to  Write Protected USB Drive or SD Card

  • If you get "The Disk is Write Protected" Error on your SD card or Micro SD card, this video is going to fix the issue with Diskpart.
  • Type command line - 1:07

Method 3. Remove Write Protection from SanDisk Pen Drive using Regedit.exe

Applies to: Manually remove write protection from SanDisk pen drive, USB, SD, etc. using Registry Editor - Regedit.exe, free.

Note that Registry Editor - Regedit.exe is a Windows built-in tool for executing some advanced computer management operations on a computer. If you are not familiar with Registry Editor, try the above 3 methods.

Any false operation may cause programs or Windows features to malfunction. Be very careful with the following write protection removal steps:

Step 1. Click "Start", type Regedit in the search box.

Click "Regedit.exe" to open the Registry editor when you see it is displayed at the top of the list.

Step 2. And then navigate to the following key: 

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

Step 3. Double-click on the WriteProtect value in the right-hand pane of Regedit.exe.

Change the Value data from 1 to 0 and click "OK" to save the change. 

set the value data as 0

Step 4. Close Regedit and restart your computer.

Method 4. Clear Write Protection from SanDisk using Anti-Virus/Virus Removal Software

Applies to: Clear up SanDisk storage devices that display write-protected due to virus infection or malware encryption.

Sometimes, viruses or malware may infect and encrypt a SanDisk storage device, making it inaccessible, displaying as write-protected. The most effective way is to run anti-virus or virus removal software to clear the write protection from SanDisk devices.

Here is a list of 2020 best anti-virus software for you to try and clear device write protection:

  • Norton Antivirus
  • McAfee
  • ESET NOD32
  • Avast
  • AVG

Step 1. Download and install an anti-virus or malware removal tool on your computer.

Step 2. Connect or insert the write-protected SanDisk device to PC.

Step 3. Run anti-virus or virus removal software to scan and clean up the SanDisk storage device.

When the cleaning process completes, you can open the SanDisk storage device and use the saved data again. If you'd like a reliable virus cleaning software, take TotalAV is reliable one and you can give it try:

TOTALAV

TotalAV is an Award Winning Antivirus and Security Software. It Provides Real-Time Protection from Viruses, Malware & Online Threats.

Get Protected Now

Antivirus Protection Enabled

Method 5. Uncheck Read-Only Status, Remove File Write Protection

Applies to: Remove write protection from Read-only files that mislead users to believe the device is write-protected.

Sometimes, when a single file is in a read-only state, it will prevent you from visiting it. It may also mislead users to believe that the device is currently write-protected. 

Here is a quick way to remove the read-only status and remove file write protection on your SanDisk or other brands of storage devices:

Step 1. Connect the SanDisk device to your computer, and open and right-click the file with a write protection error.

Step 2. Click "Properties" and go to the General tab. Check the Attributes option at the bottom.

Step 3. Uncheck the "Read-only" option and click "Apply" to save this change.

unckeck read only on a single file

When you are done with the write protection removal steps, it is not the end yet.

To make your device ready and secure for saving data again, it's highly necessary to reset the SanDisk file system by formatting. In Part 2, you can format the Sandisk device as normal in only a few clicks using a third-party free formatting tool - EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition.

Part 2. Format Device with SanDisk Write Protected Format Tool

Applies to: Format inaccessible, unopenable, RAW SanDisk USB, flash drive, pen drive, SD card, external hard drive, etc., to reusable again.

Before the formatting, if you can access SanDisk, remember to copy and back up your data to another secure location in case of data loss.

Note that the free format tool is unable to format a write-protected device directly, which means you have to remove the Sandisk write protection first. EaseUS Partition Master Free can assist you in formatting an SD card, USB flash drive, pen drive, and other storage devices after you remove the write protection. Download the SanDisk write-protected format tool to solve the write-protected issue. 

Free Download 

Windows 11/10/8/7100% Secure

Let's check how to format your unlocked SanDisk USB pen drive, SD card, etc., to reusable again:

  • Right-click the external drive or USB you intend to format and choose "Format".
  • Set the Partition label, File system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and Cluster size, then click "OK".
  • Click "Yes" to continue.
  • Click the "Execute 1 Task(s)" button and click "Apply" to format the hard drive partition.

When you finish the formatting, your SanDisk storage device is secure for saving data again with no write protection issue. You may save your files back to the SanDisk device again.

If you lost files after formatting, don't worry. You can try reliable SanDisk recovery software to help you fully recover lost files after formatting. 

SanDisk Write Protected Error and Its Causes

"My sandisk ultra usb 3.0 is write protected what to do?" - forums.sandisk.com

"The SanDisk SD card in my digital camera won't let me delete or take pictures. So I want a SanDisk repair tool to fix the problem. When I did the job using the Windows disk management tool, it shows write protected error. How do I get my SanDisk memory card off write-protect!?"

"I bought a 128GB SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 flash drive. But when I tried to reformat it for other usages, Windows says 'the Disk is Write Protected'. How can I remove the write protection from the Sandisk USB flash drive and format it successfully?"

"I cannot format my Sandisk pen drive because it is write-protected. Is there any Sandisk write protected removal tool that can help to format write protected pen drive?"

Sandisk writes protected error usually happens when you trying to format a Sandisk storage device. It is an issue that has disturbed lots of users for a long time. What makes the SanDisk devices write protected? Here are the main causes that you should learn first and then find the respective write protection removal tool to get rid of this error efficiently:

  • Locked SanDisk storage device displays as write-protected
  • SanDisk device gets infected by virus or malware
  • The device gets encrypted by third-party write protection software
  • SanDisk device contains bad sectors
  • Physical damage

Conclusion

Being efficient, safe, and easy, the above guide is the best solution to remove write protection from the SanDisk pen drive. You can try it with no hesitation whenever you have a Sandisk write-protected issue using a Sandisk write-protected removal tool & write-protected format tool.

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Windows 11/10/8/7100% Secure

People Also Ask: The Disk Is Write Protected SanDisk

This page covers three solutions for removing write protection errors from a SanDisk pen drive, USB flash drive, memory card, or SSD disk. Some people also have questions about write protection removal issues.

If you're having the same concerns, follow and check the answers to the following questions:

1. Why does my SanDisk say write protected?

Usually, when a SanDisk device says write-protected, it is locked for the following reasons:

  • 1). SanDisk device locking switch is ON.
  • 2). SanDisk USB, pen drive, SD card, external/internal disk is encrypted by password.
  • 3). SanDisk device is write-protected by viruses or malware.

2. How do I remove write protection from online?

The best way to remove write protection from online is to select the right tool and solution for your device. We would like to recommend you to get rid of this issue with the next two steps:

Step 1. Select a reliable write-protection removal tool online.

As recommended on this page, Regedit.exe, a third-party write-protection removal tool, or CMD can all help to clean write protection from the SanDisk device.

Step 2. Format devices to reusable again.

3. How can I remove write protection from my SanDisk pen drive Windows 10?

This page offers the complete solution of removing write protection from the SanDisk pen drive. The solutions are applicable for Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP. 

First, you need to choose a reliable tool to remove the write protection from the SanDisk pen drive.

As recommended on this page, Regedit.exe, the Write-protection removal tool, or CMD command in Part 1 can all work. 

Next, you need to format the device ready for saving data again.

4. How do you remove write protection on a USB stick?

If you are using a SanDisk USB stick that has a lock switch, make sure the Lock switch on the left side is slid up (unlock position). Otherwise, you will NOT be able to modify or delete the contents on the memory card if it is locked.

If the lock is Off, but the USB is still write-protected, you can use the DiskPart command, Registry, or write-protection removal tool to unlock your device with ease. For a detailed guide, follow to remove write protection on USB

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About the Author

Updated by Tracy King

Tracy became a member of the EaseUS content team in 2013. Being a technical writer for over 10 years, she is enthusiastic about sharing tips to assist readers in resolving complex issues in disk management, file transfer, PC & Mac performance optimization, etc., like an expert.

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Written by Brithny

Brithny is a technology enthusiast, aiming to make readers' tech lives easy and enjoyable. She loves exploring new technologies and writing technical how-to tips. In her spare time, she loves sharing things about her game experience on Facebook or Twitter.

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