How to fix a disk that is stuck in a 'Read-only' state with diskpart

Run DiskPart as Administrator by opening Command Prompt (Admin) and typing diskpart. 2. Identify the affected disk using list disk, select it with select disk X, and check its read-only status via attributes disk. 3. Clear the read-only flag using attributes disk clear readonly and confirm the change. 4. If the command fails, check for a physical lock switch, hardware failure, or system-level restrictions such as the WriteProtect registry key under StorageDevicePolicies, and modify or delete it if set to 1. 5. As a last resort, use clean, create partition primary, format fs=ntfs quick, and assign in DiskPart to erase all data and restore full functionality, ensuring the disk is no longer read-only unless hardware-enforced.

If a disk is stuck in a "read-only" state and you're unable to format, write, or delete data from it, the issue can often be resolved using the DiskPart utility in Windows. This problem commonly occurs due to corruption, file system errors, or the disk's attributes being set to read-only at the partition or volume level. Here's how to fix it using DiskPart.

1. Run DiskPart as Administrator

First, open Command Prompt with administrative privileges:

• Press Win X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows Terminal (Admin).
• Type diskpart and press Enter.

Wait for the DiskPart utility to initialize.

2. Identify the Problem Disk

In the DiskPart prompt, run the following commands one by one:

list disk

This will show all disks connected to your system. Identify the disk that's read-only by its size and status.

Once identified (e.g., Disk 1), select it:

select disk X

Replace X with the actual disk number.

Then, check its current attributes:

attributes disk

Look for a line that says:
Current Read-only State: Yes

If it says "Yes", that confirms the disk is set to read-only.

3. Clear the Read-only Attribute

Now, attempt to clear the read-only flag:

attributes disk clear readonly

If successful, you'll see a message like:
Disk attributes cleared successfully.

Run attributes disk again to confirm the read-only state is now "No".

4. Check for Other Issues if Clear Fails

If the command fails or the disk remains read-only, consider the following:

• Physical switch: Some USB drives and SD cards have a physical lock switch. Make sure it’s in the unlocked position.
• Hardware failure: The disk may be failing or locked by the manufacturer (common with worn-out USB drives).
• Group Policy or Registry settings: In rare cases, system policies may enforce write protection. You can check:
  • Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies
  • If WriteProtect exists and is set to 1, change it to 0 or delete the key.
• Third-party tools: Use manufacturer-specific tools (e.g., Kingston Format Utility, SanDisk Drive Formatter) if the issue persists.

5. Clean and Reinitialize the Disk (Optional)

If you no longer need the data on the disk, you can clean and reformat it:

In DiskPart:

clean
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs quick
assign
exit

This will erase all data and make the disk fully writable again.

⚠️ Warning: The clean command deletes all partitions and data on the selected disk.

Summary

• Use attributes disk clear readonly in DiskPart to remove the read-only flag.
• Confirm the disk isn’t physically locked or failing.
• Check for system-level write protection via the registry.
• As a last resort, use clean to reset the disk completely.

Basically, if DiskPart sees the read-only flag, it can often remove it—unless the lock is hardware-enforced. Most software-level read-only states can be fixed this way.

The above is the detailed content of How to fix a disk that is stuck in a 'Read-only' state with diskpart. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!