Removing Write Protection on USB Flash Drives

Do you have a USB flash drive that you can't use or format because there is always an error message showing that it is write protected? I will give you the instructions on how to remove the write protection of a USB flash drive with no physical switch.

First, click the START button and type regedit into the search bar. You can also type it on Run command. Hit Enter and the Registry Editor will open.

Locate the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE", click the triangle beside it to expand.

And then follow these:  SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control

Find the StorageDevicePolicies and click it. A list will show on right pane of the window. Double-click WriteProtect and change the Value Data field to 0. Then click OK so the new DWORD value will be saved.

If StorageDevicePolicies is not present at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control. Follow these steps:

• Right Click Control and add a new KEY.
• Name the new KEY as StorageDevicePolicies
• Right-click StorageDevicePolicies and add a new DWORD VALUE
• Name the new DWORD VALUE as WriteProtect
• Double-click WriteProtect and type 0 in the Value Data field then click OK to modify.

Now unplug your USB Flash Drive then after few seconds plug it again into your computer. The write-protection is now removed.