Remove write protection from hard drive - how it works

If a PC detects a hard drive as new, it may be write-protected. You can remove the write protection with "DiskPart".

Remove disk write protection with DiskPart

The Windows standard tool "DiskPart" allows you to change or remove attributes of a hard disk - including write protection:

1. Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time. Alternatively, open the "Run" program from the start menu.
2. Enter "diskpart.exe" and confirm with Enter.
3. Enter the "list disk" command in the new window and confirm with Enter.
4. Select your hard drive with the "select disk X" command and confirm again with Enter. (For "X", replace the number in front of your hard drive.)
5. Now enter "attributes disk clear readonly" and confirm again with Enter.

Remove write protection by formatting

If there are no important files on the hard disk, you can also remove the write protection by formatting the data medium:

1. Open the Control Panel and click on "Administrative Tools". In the new window, select "Computer Management".
2. Click "Disk Management" in the left column.
3. In the overview of all hard drives found, right-click on the volume that you want to format. Then select "Format ..." in the context menu. Keep in mind that the entire contents of the hard disk will be lost.

For emergencies: tools for data recovery

If the write protection can only be removed by formatting, you should first save all important files on another data medium. If this no longer works with conventional methods, for example via Windows Explorer, we recommend using a recovery tool. You can get good and free programs for data recovery with Recuva and Disk Drill.

In this you will read how to create and delete partitions on USB sticks with DiskPart.