How to Turn Off SSD Read Only Mode | SSD Write Protected Fixes

The world is moving fast, and so we must move along with it. With a faster transfer rate and better durability against physical impacts as compared to conventional HDDs, SSDs are becoming more and more popular nowadays. But with every new tech comes its own set of problems. One such problem is when the user is unable to use the SSD as it shows “SSD Read Only Mode.”

You can try to format the drive, but to no avail. Again, a message pops up: “Cannot Format SSD Write Protected. Such situations can be baffling, with users having no idea how to solve the issue. But fear not; in this article, we will discuss some possible solutions through which you can navigate this situation and reach the solution.

SSD is stuck in read-only mode could be a serious issue, such as wear leveling or potential data corruption. while this protective feature is designed to prevent further damage, it can also leave your files and directories inaccessible. In some cases, you may encounter the error, “file or directory is corrupted and unreadable,” indicating that the drive’s file system has been corrupted.

What is SSD Read Only Mode?

SSD is said to be in Read Only Mode when the data stored in the drive can only be viewed but not modified. To elaborate, you can read and view files saved on the drive. You can also copy the files from the disk. But you cannot store new files, delete data, or copy data to the drive. Hence the data on the drive can only be viewed and not modified, and hence the name Read Only Mode or Write Protected, Often SSD becomes read-only before complete failure.

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Why is my SSD Write Protected?

Write Protection is a feature provided to the user so that they can protect valuable data from being accidentally modified. This feature is very extensively used by users to save important data on HDD or SSD. However, it can prove to be an annoyance if it is activated without the user’s intent.

Here are some reasons why this is happening

Due to the device being infected by a virus or malware, SSD may get into Read Only Mode.
Sometimes, users themselves activate SSD write protection without meaning to.
There may be some bad sectors present on the SSD. This may send SSD into write protection.
Sometimes, external software may add write protection to the SSD.
SSD’s lifetime write has exceeded its limit, and is now physically not possible to write on the SSD.

No matter what the cause of this issue may be, it can be resolved in a myriad of ways.

Also Read: How to Fix SSD Not Showing Up Issue?

Methods to Remove Write Protection from SSD

SSDs (Solid-State Drives) have a limited number of write and erase cycles. If your SSD exceeds this limit, it will no longer be able to modify the data stored on it. In such a case, the only options are to replace it with a new one or recover data from SSD.

For other issues, different methods can be deployed to resolve the problem.

Method 1: Manually Remove Write Protection from SSD

If the user has manually set the SSD in Read Only Mode using a password, they can easily remove it using the same password.

If third-party software is used to achieve this task, the software would have to be opened, and using it, the write protection may be removed.

Method 2: Check the SSD for Viruses and Malware

Viruses and Malware can cause the SSD to become infected and may cause it to go into Read Only Mode, so if you observe that your SSD is in Read Only Mode and you have not set this up. Then, the first thing that you should do is scan the SSD for viruses and malware. Windows has its own Windows Security for Virus and Threat protection. You can also download other trustworthy antivirus software and scan the drive. If viruses and malware are found, antivirus software will prompt you to take necessary action to remove these threats. After the threat is removed, the SSD Read Only Mode problem will resolve on its own.

Method 3: Edit the Registry Key

Editing the Registry Key is an easy and efficient way to remove read-only mode from SSD. To do so, follow the following steps.

Press the Windows Key. In the search bar, search for Registry Editor and open it.
Write in the path bar or manually navigate to the path-

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies

Double-click the WriteProtect Option and change its value from 1 to 0.
Click OK to save the changes.
Restart the computer and see if the issue has been resolved.

Note: During Step 2, if there are no StorageDevicePolicies, you will have to create a new one. Right-click on the Control folder, Select New>Key and name the key as StorageDevicePolicies. After that, click on the blank space, select New>DWORD(32-bit) value, and rename it WriteProtect.

Method 4: Fix Read Only on SSD via Diskpart

Press the Windows key. In the search section search Command prompt and open it.
In the Command Prompt, write Diskpart and press enter.
Input the command “List disk”. It will display all the disks along with its size.
To select the desired SSD with issues, write the command “Select disk #”, where # i the numerical value of the disk from the list. Now, the desired SSD is selected.
Enter the command “attributes disk clear read-only.”
After that, Input “clean” followed by the command “create partition primary” and finally,” format fs=ntfs” to format the read-only SSD to a compatible file system; then you will be able to access data inside it.

Note: Using this method will wipe the data present in the drive. It is advised to back up the data before proceeding with this method. In case backing up fails or is not performed, and the data is deleted, do not panic. You can use the SFware Data Recovery Software to retrieve the deleted data.

Method 5: Run CHDSK to remove Read Only from SSD

Suppose there are bad sectors in your SSD. It can result in showing the SSD in read-only mode. This issue can be resolved using the CHDSK utility to repair disk errors.

Press Windows Key. In the search bar, search Command Prompt.
In the Command Prompt, enter the command “chkdsk e:/f,” where e stands for your SSD drive letter.

In certain situations, you might receive an error stating, “Windows is unable to perform disk checking on this volume due to write protection.” If this occurs, consider using an alternative command, such as “chkdsk g: /f /r /x,” to eliminate the write protection on the SSD.
CHDSK will automatically search for any irregularities in the disk and fix them.

CHKDSK can also help to resolve other drive errors like 0-byte errors.

Conclusion

We have listed all possible causes for the error to occur and the solution for each case. Following the given methods, you will be able to solve the problem with your SSD and be good to go. If you are still unable to resolve the issue, feel free to contact us. We will be happy to help.