SD card write protected?

I am having an issue with my micro SD card.
A few days ago, I set it to read-only using a Micro SD to SD adapter on my laptop, and then I put the card back into my camera using that same adapter.

I received a message stating that the card is write-protected. I have been unable to format it in my camera, on my smartphone, or even on my laptop.

I assumed the issue might be with the lock/unlock slider on the adapter, so I tried a different adapter and a Micro SD to USB adapter, but nothing worked.

Neither a quick nor a full format will work, so I attempted the following:

1. Click Start > type “regedit” and open “Registry Editor”.

2. Once the registry editor is open, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/StorageDevicePolicies

3. You should see a “Write Protection” option. Double-click it and change the value data to ‘0’.

Once you have set the value to ‘0’, try copying files to or formatting your SD card again.

If you are still unable to format the SD card after completing these steps, please proceed to the next stage.

The problem was that "StorageDevicePolicies" didn't exist, so I had to create that folder myself.

I also tried this:

Open the Command Prompt, type “diskpart” and press Enter.
After opening diskpart, type “list disk” and press Enter again.
Next, type “select disk 1” to choose your SD card and press Enter.
To clear the write protection from the SD card, type “attributes disk clear readonly” and hit Enter.
That is almost everything. Just type “exit” and press Enter one last time to close the menu.

Finally, right-click on your SD card and select the Format option to format the card.

I also tried running the "clean" command.

I can still open the card and view all the photos stored on it perfectly fine. Everything works as intended, except for the fact that it remains write-protected.

By the way, I have already scanned it with Norton AV and Malwarebytes.

Edward Peterson70 said:I'm running into a headache with my micro SD card.
A few days ago, I toggled the write-protect switch on my micro SD to SD adapter while it was plugged into my laptop. Then, I popped it right back into my camera using that same adapter.

Now, I keep getting an error saying the card is write-protected. It’s being stubborn—I can't format it in the camera, my phone, or even on my laptop.

At first, I figured the issue was just that little lock/unlock slider on the adapter, so I tried a different adapter and even a micro SD to USB reader, but no luck. Still nothing.

Neither quick nor full formats will go through, and I've already attempted these steps:

I noticed "StorageDevicePolicies" wasn't there, so I went ahead and created that folder myself.

And this:

I even tried running the "clean" command.

The weird part? I can still open the card and view all my photos perfectly fine. Everything works normally except for this constant "write-protected" nonsense.

By the way, I ran scans with Norton AV and Malwarebytes just to be safe.

I dealt with something almost identical a couple of months back with a microSD card. Neither Windows 10 nor Linux would touch it; they'd both just insist it was write-protected.

Eventually, I tried it on an old laptop running Windows 7, and that thing actually managed to format it. Once that was done, it worked perfectly fine again on both Windows 10 and Linux.

I have attempted to use Paragon PM on two different cameras, my phone, and my laptop, yet I still haven't been able to successfully complete the formatting process.

Just swap out the SD adapter—same thing happened to me, and turns out the adapter was some cheap junk from China.

Is there still an issue with the card or the adapter?

Handle it with care. These aren't designed for constant swapping; you'll eventually break them.
I used to swap mine out daily—or maybe it was more frequent—but after about three months, my entire PC tower fried. I ended up with nothing left but small electronics, though I did manage to scrape enough data off to copy it to a new card.

If you're trying to save it and the lock slider on the card is worn down inside the camera or laptop...
Try putting a small piece of paper over the side slider and securing it with some Scotch tape. It can provide enough mechanical leverage to work.

Here is a YouTube video. It's in German, but the visual should make my point clear.