How to remove write protection from external hard disk​?

I. Remove write protection from an external hard disk

What is write protection?

Write protection is a security feature that prevents any data from being written, modified, or deleted on a storage device. It’s like a lock that stops you from accidentally or maliciously changing the contents of the external hard disk. This can be useful in situations where you want to preserve the integrity of the data, such as when the disk contains important archival or reference materials.

It can be implemented through software settings or physical switches on the device. For example, some external hard drives have a small physical toggle switch that can set the drive to read – only mode.

II. Check for Physical Write – Protection Switches

Locate the switch:

Examine the external hard disk carefully. Many external hard drives, especially older models, have a physical write – protection switch. This switch is usually located on the side or the back of the hard drive enclosure. It might be a small slider or a toggle button.

The position of the switch can vary depending on the manufacturer and model of the hard drive. Some switches are labeled with “Lock” and “Unlock” or have symbols like a padlock to indicate the write – protected and unlocked states.

Change the switch position:

If you find a write – protection switch, make sure it’s in the “unlocked” position. Slide or toggle the switch to the position that allows writing to the disk. After changing the position, try accessing the hard drive and see if you can write to it. Sometimes, the operating system may need to be restarted or the drive remounted for the change to take effect.

III. Check Disk Properties and Permissions in the Operating System

A. Windows

Check the disk’s read – only attribute:

Open “File Explorer” and right – click on the external hard disk drive icon. Select “Properties” from the context menu.

In the Properties window, under the “General” tab, look for the “Attributes” section. If the “Read – only” checkbox is checked, uncheck it and click “OK”. This should remove the write – protection at the basic file system level. However, in some cases, you may receive an error message if there are other factors causing the write – protection.

Check user permissions:

Right – click on the external hard disk drive again and select “Security”. In the “Security” tab, you’ll see a list of user accounts and groups with permissions for the drive.

Make sure that your user account has the necessary permissions to write to the drive. If your account doesn’t have the “Write” permission, you can click the “Edit” button and modify the permissions. Select your user account in the list and then check the “Allow” box next to “Full control” or at least “Write” in the permissions list.

Keep in mind that if the drive is formatted with a file system that doesn’t support user – level permissions (such as FAT32), this step may not be relevant.

B. macOS

Check disk permissions:

Open “Disk Utility” (you can find it in the “Utilities” folder within the “Applications” folder). Select the external hard disk from the list of available disks on the left – hand side.

Click the “First Aid” button at the top of the Disk Utility window. This will check and repair any disk permissions or other file system issues that might be causing the write – protection. After the process is complete, try writing to the disk again.

You can also check the “Info” button in Disk Utility to view more details about the disk’s settings and permissions. If the disk is set to read – only in the information panel, there may be an underlying issue with the disk’s formatting or how it’s being mounted.

IV. Use Command – Line Tools

A. Windows

Diskpart Utility:

Open the “Command Prompt” as an administrator. To do this, type “cmd” in the search bar, right – click on “Command Prompt”, and select “Run as administrator”.

In the Command Prompt, type “diskpart” and press Enter. This will open the Diskpart utility.

Next, type “list disk” and press Enter. This will display a list of all the disks connected to your computer. Identify the disk number of your external hard disk.

Type “select disk [disk number]” (replace [disk number] with the actual number of your external hard disk) and press Enter.

Then type “attributes disk clear readonly” and press Enter. This command should clear the read – only attribute of the disk. After running the command, close the Diskpart utility and Command Prompt and try writing to the disk.

Regedit (in case of registry – related issues):

Warning: Modifying the registry can cause serious problems if done incorrectly. Make sure to back up the registry before making any changes.

Open the “Registry Editor” by typing “regedit” in the search bar and pressing Enter. Navigate to the following key: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies”.

If you see a “WriteProtect” DWORD value in this key, double – click on it and change its value from “1” (which indicates write – protection) to “0”. Then close the Registry Editor and restart your computer. Check if the write – protection on the external hard disk is removed.

B. macOS

Terminal Commands:

Open the “Terminal” application (you can find it in the “Utilities” folder within the “Applications” folder).

To check the disk’s read – only status, you can use the command “diskutil info [disk identifier]” (replace [disk identifier] with the actual identifier of your external hard disk. You can find the disk identifier in the Disk Utility). If the “Read – Only Media” field is set to “Yes”, there may be an issue.

To try to remount the disk in a writable state, you can use the command “diskutil mount – readwrite [disk identifier]”. This command may require you to enter your administrator password. If the disk was previously set to read – only due to a software or configuration issue, this may solve the problem.

V. Update Device Drivers

For Windows:

Out – of – date or incorrect device drivers can sometimes cause write – protection issues. To update the drivers for your external hard disk, open the “Device Manager”. You can do this by right – clicking on the “Start” button and selecting “Device Manager”.

In the Device Manager, expand the “Disk drives” category. Right – click on your external hard disk device and select “Update driver”. You’ll be given the option to search for updated drivers automatically or browse your computer for driver software. Follow the on – screen instructions to complete the driver update process. After updating the drivers, restart your computer and check if the write – protection is removed.

For macOS:

macOS usually updates device drivers automatically as part of the system updates. However, if you suspect that a driver issue is causing the write – protection, you can check for software updates by clicking on the “Apple” menu and selecting “Software Update”. Install any available updates and then try accessing the external hard disk to see if the write – protection is resolved.

VI. Format the External Hard Disk (as a Last Resort)

Warning:

Formatting the external hard disk will erase all the data on it. Make sure you have a backup of all the important data before proceeding with this step.

Formatting in Windows:

Open “File Explorer” and right – click on the external hard disk drive icon. Select “Format” from the context menu.

In the Format dialog box, you can choose the file system (such as NTFS, FAT32. exFAT, etc.) and other formatting options. Make sure to select a file system that is compatible with your needs. For example, if you need to use the disk with both Windows and macOS, exFAT is a good choice.

Click “Start” to begin the formatting process. Once the disk is formatted, it should no longer have the write – protection issue, but all the data will be lost.

Formatting in macOS:

Open “Disk Utility” and select the external hard disk from the list of available disks.

Click the “Erase” button at the top of the Disk Utility window. You can choose the file system (such as Mac OS Extended, exFAT, etc.) and other formatting options. Similar to Windows, if you want to use the disk with both macOS and Windows, exFAT is a recommended option.

Click “Erase” to start the formatting process. After the disk is formatted, you can try writing to it to see if the write – protection problem is resolved.

These are the main methods to remove write – protection from an external hard disk. The exact solution may depend on the cause of the write – protection, which could be due to a physical switch, software settings, or other factors.