How to format sd card when it is write protected​？

I. Write Protection

What is write protection?

Write protection is a security feature that prevents any data from being written to, modified, or deleted on a storage device like an SD card. It’s designed to safeguard the data already on the card from accidental deletion or overwriting. There are different reasons an SD card might be write protected. It could be due to a physical switch on the SD card itself (in case of some SD cards that have a small lock switch), or it could be due to software – based restrictions or file system errors.

Physical write – protection switch

Some SD cards have a small tab or switch on the side. If this switch is in the “locked” position, it will put the card in a write – protected state. You need to check your SD card to see if it has such a switch. If it does, simply slide the switch to the “unlocked” position to remove the physical write protection.

II. Software – Based Solutions

A. Check for Disk Utility (For Mac)

Opening Disk Utility

Click on the “Applications” folder, then go to the “Utilities” sub – folder and open “Disk Utility”.

In Disk Utility, you’ll see a list of all the storage devices connected to your Mac, including the SD card.

Unmounting the SD card

Before attempting any formatting or write – protection removal operations, it’s a good idea to unmount the SD card. Select the SD card in the Disk Utility list and click on the “Unmount” button. This will ensure that no other applications are accessing the card and can prevent data corruption during the process.

Checking and disabling write – protection in Disk Utility (if possible)

Some Macs may show an option to disable write – protection directly in Disk Utility. However, this option may not always be available depending on the cause of the write – protection. If it’s available, you can click on the appropriate button to disable write – protection and then proceed to format the card as needed.

B. Using Disk Management (For Windows)

Opening Disk Management

Right – click on the “Start” button and select “Disk Management”. This will open the Disk Management console, where you can view and manage all the disk drives and storage devices connected to your Windows computer.

Locate the SD card in the list of drives. It’s usually labeled with its capacity and may have a drive letter assigned.

Removing write – protection in Disk Management (if possible)

In some cases, you might be able to remove write – protection through Disk Management. Right – click on the SD card partition and look for an option like “Properties”. In the Properties window, there may be a tab related to security or write – protection. However, this option is not always present and depends on the specific circumstances causing the write – protection.

Another way is to try changing the read – only attribute. Right – click on the SD card partition and select “Properties”. In the General tab, if the “Read – only” checkbox is checked, uncheck it and click “OK”. But this may not always work if the write – protection is due to other factors such as a corrupted file system or firmware issues.

III. Using Command – Line Tools

A. For Windows (Using Diskpart)

Opening Diskpart

Press the Windows key + R to open the “Run” dialog box. Type “diskpart” and press Enter. This will open the Diskpart command – line utility.

Listing the disks

In Diskpart, type “list disk” and press Enter. This will display a list of all the disks connected to your computer. You need to identify the disk number of the SD card. The disk number is usually a small integer, and you can usually identify the SD card by its size and other characteristics.

Selecting the SD card disk

Once you’ve identified the SD card disk number, type “select disk [disk number]” (replace [disk number] with the actual disk number of your SD card) and press Enter.

Clearing the read – only attribute (if applicable)

Type “attributes disk clear readonly” and press Enter. This command will attempt to clear the read – only or write – protection attribute of the selected disk. However, it may not always work if the write – protection is due to other complex issues such as a damaged file system.

Formatting the SD card (after write – protection is removed)

After successfully clearing the write – protection (if possible), you can format the SD card. Type “clean” to erase all the partitions on the disk. Then, type “create partition primary” to create a new primary partition. Finally, type “format fs = [file system type] quick” (replace [file system type] with the desired file system such as NTFS or FAT32) to format the new partition quickly.

B. For Linux (Using fdisk and mkfs)

Identifying the SD card device

Open a terminal. You can use commands like “lsblk” to list all the block devices connected to your Linux system. The SD card will usually be listed as something like “/dev/sdX” (where X is a letter representing the device). You need to be careful to correctly identify the SD card device to avoid accidentally formatting the wrong device.

Using fdisk to manage partitions (if needed)

If the SD card has existing partitions that you want to modify or remove, you can use the “fdisk” command. For example, type “sudo fdisk /dev/sdX” (replace /dev/sdX with the actual device name of the SD card). In the fdisk prompt, you can use commands like “d” to delete a partition, “n” to create a new partition, and “w” to write the changes to the disk.

Removing write – protection (if possible)

In some cases, the write – protection might be due to incorrect permissions. You can try changing the permissions of the SD card device. For example, type “sudo chmod 666 /dev/sdX” (replace /dev/sdX with the actual device name of the SD card). This will give read – write permissions to all users for the device. However, this may not always work if the write – protection is caused by other factors such as a hardware – based lock or a damaged file system.

Formatting the SD card

After dealing with the write – protection (if possible), you can format the SD card. Use the “mkfs” command followed by the file system type you want to use. For example, if you want to format it as an ext4 file system, type “sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX” (replace /dev/sdX with the actual device name of the SD card). This will format the SD card with the specified file system.

IV. Troubleshooting

If the above methods don’t work

Hardware issues: There could be a problem with the SD card reader or the SD card itself. Try using a different SD card reader to see if the problem persists. If the SD card is damaged, it may not be possible to remove the write – protection or format it. In some cases, you can try using data recovery software to salvage any important data before discarding the card.

File system errors: A corrupted file system can also cause write – protection – like symptoms. You can try using specialized disk repair tools. For example, on Windows, you can use the built – in “chkdsk” command. In Disk Management, right – click on the SD card partition and select “Properties”. In the Tools tab, click on “Check” to run a disk check. On Mac, you can use “Disk Utility” to repair the disk. Select the SD card in Disk Utility and click on the “Repair Disk” button. On Linux, you can use commands like “fsck” to check and repair the file system. For example, if the SD card is formatted with an ext4 file system, type “sudo fsck.ext4 -p /dev/sdX” (replace /dev/sdX with the actual device name of the SD card) to automatically repair the file system.

Firmware issues: Some SD cards have firmware that can cause write – protection. In such cases, you may need to contact the manufacturer of the SD card to see if there are any firmware updates available that can resolve the issue.

V. Precautions Before Formatting

Backup your data

Formatting an SD card will erase all the data on it. So, it’s crucial to back up any important data before attempting to format the card. You can use data backup software or simply copy – paste the files from the SD card to another storage device such as a hard drive or another SD card.

Check the card’s compatibility

Make sure the file system you plan to format the SD card with is compatible with the devices you’ll be using the card with. For example, if you’re formatting an SD card for use in a digital camera, it may work best with a FAT32 file system. However, if you’re formatting it for use in a computer for storing large files, NTFS or exFAT might be more suitable.