There are situations where you might want to disable USB/CD device access in your computer, if someone wants to copy your files to removable devices (USB stick or CD). In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to block read/write access to USB/CD drive in Windows 10, 8 and 7.
Method 1: Using Group Policy
- Open up the Run box by press the Windows key + R. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
- When the Local Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to the following location:
User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Removable Storage Access
If you want to block access to removable devices for ALL Windows accounts, navigate to this location instead:Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Removable Storage Access
- In the right pane, there are lots of settings for denying read/write access to removable disk, CD and DVD. If you want to deny read access to all external removable hard drive or USB flash drive, just double-click on the policy “Removable Disks: Deny read access“, and set it to Enabled.
- In order to make your changes take effect immediately, open an administrative Command Prompt and run the following command:
gpupdate /force
- Once your group policy takes effect, a user will see the following message box whenever they attempt to open a removable storage device.
In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to block read/write access to USB/CD drive in Windows 10, 8 and 7. Method 1: Using Group Policy. Open up the Run box by press the Windows key + R. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. When the Local Group Policy Editor opens, navigate to the following location. Software Write Blockers. Software write blockers can be either tailored to an individual operating system or can be an independent boot disk. Their main upsides are with ease of use, since they are on a CD and do not require you to open up the case, and speed since they do not become a bottle neck. Open Source Linux software write blocker. Software Write Blockers. Software write blockers can be either tailored to an individual operating system or can be an independent boot disk. Their main upsides are with ease of use, since they are on a CD and do not require you to open up the case, and speed since they do not become a bottle neck. Open Source Linux software write blocker. Welcome to Legility. We’re transforming the way legal services are delivered. In the process, we’ve brought together Counsel On Call and DSicovery to offer an even more flexible range of services. Windows USB Blocker is the free tool to quickly Block or Unblock USB Storage Devices on any Windows system. USB devices are one of the primary causes for spreading virus/malware from one system to another without the user knowledge.
Method 2: Using Registry Trick
However, not all editions of Windows has a Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc). If you’re using a Home edition of Windows, you have to use this registry trick to disable the USB/CD drive access. Here’s how:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter.
- In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USERSOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsRemovableStorageDevices
If you want to block access to removable devices for ALL Windows accounts, navigate to this key instead:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsRemovableStorageDevices
- In the left pane, right-click on RemovableStorageDevices, select New -> Key and type in {53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b}.{53f5630d-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b} is GUID of the generic USB storage device. If you want to block CD/DVD access, type the GUID {53f56308-b6bf-11d0-94f2-00a0c91efb8b} instead.
- In the right pane, right-click on an empty area and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value and type Deny_Read and press Enter, modify its value to 1.If you want to deny write access, create a new value Deny_Write and set its value to 1.
- Close the Registry Editor. Restart your computer to apply changes.