All you need to do now is click on the protected USB drive and select “Turn Off BitLocker.” Enter the password or select other options and choose to enter the recovery key.Right-click on the icon and go to “Manage BitLocker.” This step takes you to the BitLocker Drive Encryption window, where a list of all storage units and their encryption status display.If the icon has a padlock, BitLocker was enabled for the device. Open “File Explorer” and look for the storage device you have in mind.If you have the key or password to BitLocker, follow the steps below. If you don’t have either option, you’ll have to reformat the drive. To turn off BitLocker on a USB stick, you must have the password or recovery key. Regardless, Bitlocker is off by default, but you may have activated it before and forgot about it, or someone else did it. Yes, Windows has a Bitlocker decryption tool for Macs too. This scenario also applies when using macOS. Other versions of Windows like Home editions require a separate download to decrypt the data when it comes to USB encryption.
The software primarily gets used for internal drives, but it can also encrypt USB sticks/drives.
Since Windows 7, BitLocker got integrated into Windows 7/Vista Enterprise and Ultimate, and Windows 8 and above Pro and Ultimate editions to protect your data with encryption. Turn Bitlocker Off to Disable USB Write Protection There are several ways to remove write protection from a USB stick if you have a Windows PC. Remove USB Write Protection using Windows If there’s no switch (most common), or you still can’t write to the USB, you’ll need to employ other methods. If that works, your problem is solved, and all you need to do is ensure the switch doesn’t accidentally get moved in the wrong position again.
Take the USB stick you’ve tried to write to and look for that switch, usually located on the side, and it might also be labeled as “Lock” or “Write Protection.” Switch it to the other position, reinsert it, and then transfer data to the memory stick again. Some data storage units have a physical switch for toggling write protection on or off. Check for a Write Protection Switch Firstīefore we go into details about write protection removal in different operating systems, there’s one thing to check first. They expect you to copy the data to another drive and replace it. According to SanDisk, if the USB drive experiences a power fluctuation or other potentially damaging error, it shuts off write access, and there is no way to get it back. Note: Some SanDisk USB sticks (flash drives) and possibly other brands have an internal protection mechanism. There’s even a solution if you’re working on a Chromebook.
Luckily, there are quick and easy methods to solve the write protection issue, whether you’re on a Windows PC or a Mac. Failed write attempts can be quite an inconvenience on a USB stick.