What Is USB Write Protected Formatter and How to Use It? [2024 Guide]
Key Takeaways of USB Write Protected Formatter:
- 1. The disk is write-protected errors may often occur to your external USB drives, SD card, etc.
- 2. To fix this issue, the best way out is to turn to a reliable USB write-protected formatter tool for help.
On this page, we'll be showing you two reliable USB write-protected formatters that you can turn to successfully rescue your USB drive from the write-protection state and format it to store and transfer files as fresh as new again.
What Is USB Write Protected Formatter?
What is USB Write Protected Formatter? Here is the definition:
USB write-protected formatter is firstly a USB formatter that enables all levels of USB owners to successfully remove write protection from USB drive and reset the USB drive to a desired file system format so as to make the drive available for storing files, transferring data, and creating bootable USB for Windows installation, etc.
A reliable USB write protected formatter tool could be applied to fix this issue on all types of USB drives, including:
- USB external HDD/SSD
- USB pen drive
- USB memory stick
- USB 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 flash drives
When Do I Need a USB Write Protected Formatter
So when do you need a USB drive write protected formatter? Here is a list of symptoms and situations, and if you are having one or two of the listed issues, it means that your USB drive is write-protected, and you'll need a reliable USB write protected formatter for help:
- You set a write protection password to your USB, and you forgot it.
- Your USB drive gets locked or encrypted by an unknown virus or malware.
- Windows computer warns, 'The disk is write protected when you try to format a USB drive.
- The computer warns you, 'The disk is write protected. Remove the write protection or use another disk' while copying files or folders to the target USB drive.
So how do I successfully fix "the disk is write protected" or remove write protection from USB on Windows 11/10, etc., successfully? If you have essential files saved on the USB drive, please follow this guide for help:
How to Remove Write Protection from Pen Drive Windows 11
In this guide, we have compiled a list of 3 effective solutions that will help you remove the write protection from the disk to make it work again.
And, if you just want to directly format USB from the write-protected state to a normal working state, you can refer to the next two recommended USB write-protected formatter solutions for help immediately.
USB Write Protected Formatter Recommend and Free Download
In this part, you'll find two reliable USB formatter tools provided by Qiling software and Microsoft. They are listed here:
What's the difference between the two USB write-protected formatters? Check the pros and cons that are listed here below, and you'll learn which one to select:
| Comparison | Qiling Disk Master | Diskpart |
|---|---|---|
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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For Windows beginners, or if you prefer an easier solution, we recommend that you turn to Method 1 and apply Qiling Disk Master Free for help.
You can now refer to the respective method and apply the recommended formatter to remove write protection from the USB and format it back to a normal state.
#1. Format Write Protected USB with Qiling Software - Partition Master
Follow the guidelines here provided by Qiling software; you can simply repair the USB to work normally again on your own with only a few simple clicks.
First, Unlock the Write-Protected USB
Step 1. Download and install Qiling Disk Master, go to the Disk management section.
Step 2. Right-click your write protected USB, USB external disk or SD card, and select "Avanced" -> "Remove disk readonly".
Next, Format the USB after Removing the Write Protection
The next step is to format your USB drive after removing the USB drive from the write protection state. Before you start, you can first connect the USB to the PC and see if you can access the USB drive and find some useful data.
If not, direct format the USB drive to make it usable again. Qiling Disk Master Free Edition will offer you a seamless formatting process on the drive.
If yes, copy and save those files to another safe location. Then start the USB formatting process as listed here:
Step 1. Select the USB drive to format.
Connect the USB drive or pen drive to your computer. Download and launch Qiling partition software. Right-click the USB drive you intend to format and choose "Format".
Step 2. Set the drive letter and file system on USB.
Assign a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size to the selected partition.
Step 3. Apply the changes.
Click the "Proceed" button to format the USB drive.
Step 4. Check "Yes" to confirm formatting USB.
Click "Yes" if you see the Warning window. If you have important data on it, back up the data in advance.
Once the process completes, no, it's ok to have your USB for storing new data again.
#2. Format Write Protected USB with DiskPart Command Prompt
What is DiskPart? DiskPart is a Windows built-in disk management utility that processes DiskPart commands on Windows 10, Windows 11, or older operating systems to execute disk partitioning operations for free. This tool also supports you removing the write protection from storage devices and formatting it to function well again.
Here is the process of how to use the USB write protected formatter - DiskPart to unlock an encrypted or locked USB drive with ease:
Step 1. Connect the USB correctly to your PC and press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog.
Step 2. Type cmd and hit Enter.
Step 3. Type diskpart and hit Enter.
Step 4. Type the following command lines one by one and hit Enter each time:
- list disk
- select disk * (Replace * with the disk number of your write-protected USB.)
- attributes disk clear readonly
After this, you can type exit to close DiskPart and open File Explorer to see if you can access the USB drive. If yes, copy and save useful data to another device. If not, continue with the next step.
Step 5. Press the Windows + R keys, type cmd, and hit Enter to open the Command Prompt.
Step 6. Type the following listed command lines one by one and hit Enter each time:
- diskpart
- list disk
- select disk * (Replace * with the USB disk number.)
- list volume
- select volume * (Replace * with the USB volume number.)
- format fs=ntfs quick (or, replace NTFS with FAT33 or exFAT.)
- exit
Wait patiently to let the formatting process complete. Then, you are free to use your USB drive to store files, videos, games and even burn the system ISO image files on it again.
Conclusion
On this page, we collected 2 reliable USB write protected formatter tools to assist you in efficiently fixing USB drives inaccessible with write protection errors on Windows PCs. If you are looking for an easier solution, try Method 1 and apply Qiling Disk Master for help.
If you have further questions about write protection, follow and find answers below.
FAQs about USB Write Protected Formatter
1. What is the best write protected USB format tool?
- For Windows beginners, Qiling Disk Master is the best.
- For experienced Windows users, Diskpart is an ideal USB write-protected formatter that you can rely on.
2. How to format write protected USB using CMD?
- Connect the USB to the PC and open the Command Prompt.
- Type the following commands and hit Enter each time:
- list disk
- select disk * (replace * with USB disk number)
- attributes disk clear readonly
- list disk
- select disk * (replace * with USB disk number)
- list volume
- select volume * (replace * with USB volume number)
- format fs=fat32 quick
3. Why can't I remove write protection from USB?
When the USB is locked or write-protected by its physical switch, you can simply unlock it by moving the lock to the off side.
However, when the USB gets write protected by other reasons, such as viruses, or third-party encryption tools, you can't remove write protection from a USB drive without professional tools. To do so, you can turn to a reliable USB write protection removal tool for help.
4. What does it mean when a USB is write-protected?
When a USB drive is write protected, it means that your USB drive is locked and even encrypted, that you can neither open the drive nor make changes to the saved content in the drive.
First, the USB drive is locked. Second, you can't directly make changes to the USB content. Last, you can't format the drive to fix the write protection error on USB.
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