If you previously blocked USB storage ports on your Linux machine to secure it against unauthorized access, you may need to reverse these changes. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to remove the USB block rule, allowing USB storage devices to function normally again.
1. Locate the USB Block Rule
If you’ve followed the previous guide or a similar process to block USB storage, you should have created a rule file in the /etc/udev/rules.d/ directory. The filename for this rule is likely 99-usbblock.rules.
2. Remove the USB Block Rule File
Use the following command to delete the file, thereby removing the block on USB storage devices:
sudo rm /etc/udev/rules.d/99-usbblock.rules
This step deletes the file that contains the blocking rule. Without this file, udev will no longer apply the restriction.
3. Reload udev Rules
After removing the rule file, you need to reload udev rules so that the system updates and stops enforcing the deleted rule:
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
4. Trigger udev to Apply Changes
Finally, trigger udev to apply the updated rules immediately:
sudo udevadm trigger
With these steps, your Linux machine will no longer block USB storage devices, allowing them to be recognized and used as normal.
5. Verifying USB Functionality
To verify that the USB storage ports are no longer blocked:
Plug in a USB storage device (e.g., a flash drive). Use a command like lsblk or fdisk -l to check if the device is detected:
lsblk
If you see the USB storage device listed, then decommissioning was successful, and the system is now allowing USB storage access.

























