How to Unlock a Write Protected Memory Card?

Memory Cards SD | microSD | CFast | CFexpress | CompactFlash
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I get the message “The disk is write-protected“ when copying files or formatting a device. What can be done in such a situation?

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Hi @NoelRichardson ,

Have you checked our knowledge base articles?
(Get Support for Your SSDs and Flash Products | SanDisk)

Try these

Have you opened a Support Case?
If not, contact SanDisk Technical Support for assistance.
(Contact Support | SanDisk)

3

Hi,
Yes, I opened a Suport Case.
But, I have already solved this problem.
I recover my memory card using the command prompt and the Diskpart command using the example described in this article: How to Unlock a Write-Protected USB Drive, Memory Card, or a Hard Disk

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If your SD card is write-protected, try unlocking the SD card physical switch, or use the Diskpart command, gpedit.msc, or regedit utility to remove write protection from the SD card. But often, removing write-protection from SD card, makes it susceptible to virus/ malware attacks or corruption, resulting in loss of data. You can refer this article to unlock a write-protected memory card.

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In this case, you can read data from the memory card, but you cannot save, delete, or modify any files on it. Therefore, you need to take some steps to remove the write protection on your memory card. The simplest method is to check the physical write protection switch. You just need to toggle it to the unlocked position. For more solutions, take a minute to read to this full guide:

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You can use the Diskpart command to fix the issue. This option clears the read-only attribute of your drive to make it writable. This works for your internal drives, external drives, USB drives, and even SD cards:

    1. Press Windows + R keys and type cmd in the box that opens. This will launch Command Prompt.
    1. Type diskpart in the Command Prompt window and press Enter.
    1. Type list disk and press Enter to view the available disks.
    1. Type select disk 2 and hit Enter. Replace 0 with the write-protected device number.
    1. Type attributes disk clear readonly and hit Enter.
    1. Once you finish writing protection removal, type exit to quit Diskpart.

After this, restart your PC and check if you can access and use the saved data on your USB or hard drive again.
For more detailed info refer to this post:

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Have you ever tried to move, copy, or remove files from your memory card and been met with the annoying message “The disc is write protected”? You’re not alone, so don’t worry. Many users frequently encounter this problem, particularly when using USB drives, SD cards, or microSD cards. To begin, see if your SD card has a physical lock switch. If so, slide it to the “unlock” position. Try using Windows’ Diskpart to remove the read-only status or adjusting the Windows Registry to turn off write protection if there isn’t a switch or it doesn’t work. However, use a trustworthy third-party tool like the BLR Data Recovery Tool if these steps don’t work and you’re worried about losing important data. It assists with data loss-free photo, video, and document recovery from write-protected or even corrupted memory cards.

I use the BLR Tools data recovery software to recover my Windows C: Drive data, and it’s working well. If users want to see more about the software then they can use the free trial edition first before buying the complete edition of this tool.

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