How to Fix Error Current Read Only State Yes

Theo Lucia

Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions

I can't format my USB pen Drive, it shows the error as "The Disk is Write Protected" I tried various methods to solve this but all are not working. Like regedit.msc, devicemgmt.msc, DOS prompt & safe mode command prompt.

If you've just newly bought a USB flash drive, an external hard drive with hefty storage, or any other external storage device, you might not expect to encounter any problems with it. Unfortunately, most users experience errors not allowing them to make any changes to their device. In this article, we'll provide you with 4 easy and sure ways to remedy this problem.

Overview of "Current Read-Only State Yes" Error

This error usually appears in the prompt Current read-only state yes. This may occur in USB flash drives. If you haven't used an external storage device before or aren't familiar, you might not have any idea what this error suggests. A device in a read-only state is simply unmodifiable. It means you can't add, delete or change any files (if there any) in that device. It only allows computers to read the files on that device. You may be able to view files and copy them but you can't alter anything within it.

How to Fix "Current Read-Only State Yes" Error

This problem may be frustrating to users because it renders your USB flash drives useless. Here we will tell you how to Fix "Current Read-Only State Yes" Error.

Method 1. Check the physical switch

Inspect your external storage device for any physical switch. It should be just a little toggle within the device. The physical switch protects your storage device from being overwritten, accidentally getting deleted, or changed. While it's not very common for manufacturers to include a physical switch, some devices have this feature so make sure to check first before proceeding to the next solutions.

If you've made a thorough inspection of your device and found no physical switch, proceed to the next methods. 

Method 2. Open Regedit and change the registry key

Windows Registry is a built-in feature in Windows that allows users to manipulate settings for the Windows OS and other applications within the computer. It's one of the best ways to solve this issue. Here is a complete step-by-step instruction on how to perform this:

1. Plugin your USB flash drive to your Windows PC. Check if your PC detects the drive.
2. Launch Run by pressing Windows key + R on the keyboard or simply looking for it on the Start menu.
3. Type in Regedit in the space to launch Registry Editor. Then, hit Enter.
4. Follow this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

1. Click on the Write Protection icon and a DWORD (32-bit) value window box will pop up. It will ask you for value data. Enter 0. Select OK to change your read-only device settings.

Method 3. Clear read-only on a USB drive via Diskpart

DiskPart is also a built-in utility tool in Windows computers. It makes use of a command-line to allow users to manage their computer's drivers, disks, and partitions.

As with any troubleshooting method using commands, it's important to make sure you're typing them incorrectly. To be sure, you can opt to copy-paste the commands to avoid errors in mistyping. Failure to input the correct device will not fix the issue and may bring up some errors.

1. Launch Run by pressing Windows key + R on the keyboard or simply looking for it on the Start menu.
2. Type in diskpart in the space and press the Enter key. This will launch DiskPart.
3. In the command line, type the commands below, pressing Enter after each line.

list disk

select disk n

attributes disk

NOTE: n is the name of the drive

1. See if the value in Read-only is Yes. If it is, type in attributes disk clear randomly in the command line and press  Enter. This will disable the read-only setting of your USB flash drive.

Method 4. Use third-party software to format it

If all else fails, you can always make use of third-party software to fix this error such as AOMEI Partition Assistant. It's a powerful program that you can download for free.

If you've decided to use this software to resolve your problem, here is a step-by-step guide on how to use it.

1. Download the installer for AOMEI Partition Assistant. You can find this on their website. Follow the instructions for installation (it should be easy) and launch the program.
2. Look for the drive of concern, right-click on it and choose Format Partition on the drop-down menu.
3. A pop-up box will appear and will ask you to set the file system. Choose in the list and select OK.
4. This will redirect you to the main interface. Select Apply. A Pending Operations window will appear, click on the Proceed button below.

Other third-party partition software you can use are Paragon, Macrorit, and GParted. This software is similar to AOMEI. Just go to their website and follow the instructions for installation.

Final Try: Recover the whole data on the USB drive and replace a normal drive

As quite a few persons mentioned, this issue may be caused by a fake USB flash drive, which has fake storage capacity than it has. When you store an amount of data and the drive is approaching its real capacity, this error will happen and there is no way to fix it. The recommended way is to purchase a new one. However, you're still able to resolve this issue without data loss.

Recoverit Data Recovery software is a powerful tool to handle this task. It can recover various kinds of data from almost all storage devices, even the device happens logical error. Just follow the below steps to recover all data on the damaged USB drive.

Step 1. Select the USB drive for scanning

Install and launch the Wondershare Recoverit software on your computer. Connect the USB drive to the PC and select it on the main interface of Recoverit. Click the Start button at the right bottom to go on.

Step 2. Scan and Recover

The software will start scanning the USB drive automatically. Just wait for it done. Then take a look at the files found by the tool and select the files you want to keep. Next, click the Recover button and choose a location to store these files.

With all done, it's time to purchase a new USB drive and move the recovered data to the new drive.

By following the methods above carefully, you'll be able to change your USB flash drive or any external storage media settings. You'll be able to maximize the use of your device in no time.