SD card not working: how to fix it

SD cards are a popular way to expand the storage of Android smartphones with little internal memory, and a favorite of people who play games or take lots of photos and videos.

If your memory card is still not recognized, the fault may be physical and every new attempt counts. Before trying again, see how memory card recovery works, starting with a free diagnosis.

However, an SD card that stops working is a common problem, with many possible causes, such as improper use or careless handling.

If your SD card isn’t working, there are several solutions you can try – and you’ll find some of them in this article.

We’ll also explain the main causes of the problem.

01Why isn’t my SD card working?

The main reasons an SD card stops working are connection problems, hidden files, write protection and file system corruption.

SD card connection problems

SD cards communicate with compatible devices through a row of metal contacts, each with a different function.

Over time, these contacts can wear out or get dirty and cause connection problems that stop your SD card from working.

The files on the SD card are hidden

Some malware hides your files so that they don’t appear in File Explorer.

This can make you think your SD card isn’t working or that the files have been deleted, when in fact they’re still there, just out of sight.

The SD card is locked

Full-size SD cards have a small switch on the left-hand side that write-protects the card, preventing files from being deleted or modified.

If you can open your SD card but can’t format it or delete or change its contents, make sure the switch is in the unlocked position (pushed up, towards the contacts).

Missing or deleted data on the SD card

When your SD card isn’t working properly, you may find that some of its data is missing.

Missing data may also mean that you deleted files by mistake – or on purpose and then regretted it.

Files deleted from an SD card on a computer don’t go to the Recycle Bin. To get them back, stop using the card straight away and use data recovery software or a professional service.

The SD card is corrupted

When your SD card is corrupted, you can’t access the files, and they may seem to have disappeared because the computer can’t open or recognize the card.

To find out whether your SD card has stopped working because of corruption, look out for these signs:

• Missing data: if you notice that some of your photos, videos, notes, spreadsheets or other files are missing, the card may be starting to get corrupted.
• Card not recognized: a message saying that the SD card isn’t recognized may mean its data is corrupted.
  Error messages: if you insert the card and get alerts such as “Access denied” or “Windows was unable to complete the format”, that’s another sign of corruption.
• Read and write errors: if you have trouble reading from or writing to the SD card, it may be corrupted.
• Device malfunctions: a corrupted SD card can make the device it’s in (phone, camera, etc.) misbehave.

02What to do when your SD card isn’t working

An SD card that doesn’t work is enough to make anyone despair. But don’t worry: there are several things you can try.

First, test your card on another PC or card reader. If that doesn’t help, you can assign a drive letter, run CHKDSK, update the driver, remove any virus or recover the data and then format the card.

Here’s how to apply each of these solutions:

Test your SD card on another PC or with another card reader

If the SD card works in your device (for example, you can view the photos on the camera) but not on your computer, the computer’s card reader is most likely faulty.

So one of the first things you can do is leave the card in the camera, phone or other device and connect that device to the computer with a USB cable.

Once it’s connected, you can copy the data to the computer without using the computer’s card reader.

Then check the computer’s card reader, or try an external USB card reader, to find a more permanent solution.

If the SD card doesn’t work in your device (the camera, for example) and isn’t recognized by your computer either, the card itself may be faulty.

Assign a drive letter to the SD card in Disk Management

You can’t open an SD card on a Windows PC unless it has its own drive letter.

Windows normally assigns drive letters to storage devices automatically, but things don’t always go to plan.

To assign a new drive letter to your SD card manually:

• Press Windows + X;
• Select “Disk Management”;
• Right-click the SD card’s partition and select “Change Drive Letter and Paths”;
• Click “Change” (or “Add”), choose a new drive letter and confirm.

Use CHKDSK to repair the SD card’s file system

CHKDSK is a command-line tool that can automatically fix many file system errors and make a card that isn’t working usable again. It writes to the card, so if you need the data, recover it first.

It can be daunting if you’re not used to typing commands.

So if you’re not sure how to use it, send your SD card to a data recovery company, which can get your files and documents back without putting them at further risk.

If you want to go ahead, follow these steps:

1. Press Windows + X;
2. Press Windows + X and select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” or “Terminal (Admin)”;
3. Type chkdsk X: /f (replacing X with your SD card’s drive letter) and press Enter. The /r option also checks the whole card for bad sectors, but it puts a lot of strain on a failing card, so avoid it if the data matters to you.
4. Wait for CHKDSK to finish. Depending on the size and speed of your SD card, it can take a long time.

Update the SD card reader driver

Some card readers have drivers available on the manufacturer’s website, although Windows usually detects and installs standard drivers automatically.

Even so, some card readers work better with drivers made specifically for them.

To update the driver:

• Type “Device Manager” in the taskbar search box and select “Device Manager”;
• Look for your SD card reader (usually under “Disk drives”, “Memory technology devices” or “Universal Serial Bus controllers”);
• Right-click it and select “Update driver”.

Remove viruses or malware

After scanning the SD card with an antivirus, you can use Command Prompt to make the files hidden by the virus visible again. Here’s how:

• Connect the infected SD card to your Windows computer;
• Open the “Start” menu and type cmd in the search bar;
• “Command Prompt” will appear in the results;
• Right-click “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator”. The Command Prompt window opens;
• Type the following command, replacing X with your SD card’s drive letter, and press Enter:

attrib -h -r -s /s /d X:\*.*

• This removes the hidden, read-only and system attributes the virus applied to your files. When it finishes, check that your files are visible again.

But remember: this doesn’t remove the virus itself, and the fix may only be temporary.

If the problem comes back, send your SD card to a specialized professional to recover the data on it.

Recover the data and format the SD card to reuse it

If you have a backup routine, you can simply format the card and then restore your data from your latest backup.

Remember that formatting the SD card erases all the data on it.

So don’t use this method unless you have a recent backup of your documents and files.

If you don’t, leave the data recovery to a specialized company, such as Bot, before formatting anything.

If you do have a backup, follow these steps to format the SD card:

• Connect the SD card to the computer with a card reader;
• Copy any files you can still access to the computer;
• Right-click the SD card in File Explorer and choose “Format”;
• Select the file system you want (exFAT or FAT32 for most cameras and phones). You can leave the allocation unit size as it is;
• Uncheck “Quick Format” so that Windows checks the whole card (this also overwrites all its data permanently);
• Click “Start” to format the SD card.

03Conclusion

Have you tried all the solutions in this article without success?

Then it’s probably time to take your SD card to a data recovery company and let the professionals try to recover your lost files.

But when choosing a data recovery company, make sure it has:

• Clean rooms and professional equipment: many companies offer data recovery services without the right facilities or equipment. That means your drive could be damaged during the recovery process, making things worse instead of better.
• Proven experience: companies that have been in the market for many years offer more security in the recovery process, because they’ve been doing it for a long time.
• Positive reviews: always check online reviews before choosing a data recovery company.

Bot meets these standards, with highly qualified technicians working in a Class 100 (ISO 5) cleanroom, more than two decades of experience in data recovery and a 96% success rate.

Don’t waste time: start your data recovery with us now!