How to Repair Micro SD Card Not Detected On Windows/Android?

Sometimes, when you connect your SD card to your Windows PC, Android phone, or camera, you may find that the micro SD card not detected/recognized by your device. It may happen due to a corrupt file system, outdated drivers, or any other reasons. But nothing to worry!

Today in this guide, I’ll show you how to fix micro SD card not showing up issue using a few easy and effective methods. Also, you will get to know the common reasons behind this issue.

So, without any further delay, let’s get started……!

Why Is My Micro SD Card Not Showing Up On PC?

Most of the time, your PC/ laptop fails to detect or read your micro SD card. It might be due to any of these reasons:

• Loose connection between the devices.
• Faulty or damaged USB port/card reader.
• SD card file system might get corrupted.
• Due to the outdated device drivers.
• If the memory card is physically damaged.
• The card is infected by a virus/malware.
• SD card drive letter conflicts.

So, these are the most possible causes that can often lead to SD card not detecting issues. As you know the causes, now it’s time to learn the fixes in how to repair micro SD card not detected.

How To Repair Micro SD Card Not Detected On Windows PC?

Here is the list of the most effective fixes that can help you fix your undetected or unrecognized SD card. So, go through all of them one by one.

#1: Try Basic Troubleshooting

If your micro SD card not showing up in disk management or file explorer, you can do the following things to fix this issue.

• Check if the SD card is properly connected to your computer.
• Connect your SD card to another computer or try changing the USB cables or ports.
• Examine your SD card for any physical damage or scratches. If found then try replacing the card with a new one.

#2: Repair Undetected Micro SD Card Using CMD

CHKDSK is a Windows command-line utility that checks the integrity of the file system and attempts to repair the file system corruption.

Therefore, if your micro SD card not detected due to a corrupt file system then you can use this utility to repair corrupt memory card and make them accessible again.

• Insert an undetected SD card into a card reader and connect it to your PC.
• Go to the search box, type “CMD” and press ENTER. A new command prompt window will open.

• Now, type the following command: “chkdsk /X /f H:” or “chkdsk H: /f” and hit ENTER. Here you need to replace H: with your micro SD card letter name.

After this, Windows will start scanning your SD card for errors and issues. If any corruption is found, it will attempt to repair it.

#3: Update SD Card Drivers To Fix Micro SD Card Not Detected

If your SD card is not recognized or detected then it may be because of outdated drivers installed on your PC. So, in that case, you have to update the drivers to make the microSD card readable and recognized.

To update drivers, follow the below steps:

• Connect your SD card to the system.
• Press the Windows + X keys together & choose Device Manager to open it.

• In the new Window, you need to expand the Portable Devices option.
• Now, here you’ll find your connected SD card reader, just right-click on it & choose the “Update Driver Software” option.

#4: Change The Drive Letter For The Unrecognized SD Card

Sometimes it happens that you cannot see your SD card in the system, in that case, you need to check whether the card drive letter is present.

In case, if you find that it is missing then you can simply fix this issue in very simple steps. You can do this by simply changing the drive letter and to do so, follow the below steps:

• Firstly, you have to press the Windows + R keys to launch the Run dialog box.
• After this, you have to type msc and then press OK.
• You can then find the memory card and then right-click on the drive and simply select the option Change Drive Letter and Path…

• After this, you have to click Add just to assign a new drive letter to the SD card and then simply click the option OK to save.

#5: Format MicroSD Card to Repair Micro SD Card Not Detected

Formatting SD card is another solution you can try to make an SD card detected and recognized. It will delete all the data saved in it so make sure that you take a backup of the complete data.

To format an SD card, you have to follow the below steps:

• First, connect your Micro SD card to your Windows computer.
• Then, right-click on “This PC” and then select “Manage”.

• On the left side, click on “Disk Management”.
• Now, right-click on the Micro SD card and click on the “Format” option.

• Perform a quick format.

Wait for the format process to get complete.

Note: You may get the following errors:

• “Windows was Unable to Complete the Format” or
• “Card is write-protected”.

In that case, you have to first fix those issues before formatting.

Once the process gets complete you will now be able to access your Micro SD card without any issue.

SD Card Not Showing Up On Android Phone/Mobile?

When inserting your SD card into your Android phone, if it’s not recognized by your device then you can apply the below-mentioned fixes to deal with this issue.

But before knowing the fixes, let’s find the common causes of why your SD card not being detected by your mobile phone.

Why Your Micro SD Card Not Showing Up Android?

These are the most common causes due to which your Android phone may not recognize or read your SD card.

• SD card is not properly inserted into the card slot.
• Presence of dirt or dust in the card slot.
• Any damage to the SD card or SD card slot
• Due to some SD errors or issues.
• SD card is not compatible with your phone.
• If the memory card is corrupt or damaged.

How Do I Fix Undetected SD Card On Android?

If your microSD card is not recognized by your smartphone, you can do the following things to fix your undetected SD card and makes it readable again.

#1: Make Sure Your SD Is Connected Properly

Most of the time, it happens that your SD card is not connected properly to your device due to which it fails to recognize/read your SD card.

So here, you need to make sure that your SD card is properly connected to your Android device. For that, you can remove and re-insert the SD card to the SD card slot.

#2: Clean Your SD Card & Card Slot

Sometimes, your SD card comes in contact with dirt, dust or moisture due to which your device may not be able to read your SD card.

To deal with this situation, you need to clean your memory card gently with a soft cotton cloth. Also, try cleaning the SD card slot with the help of a brush or blowing some air into it.

Once done! Re-insert the SD card back to your phone and check whether it’s recognized by your smartphone or not.

#3: Unmount & Re-mount Your SD Card

Unmounting and re-mounting the SD card is another effective way to fix an unreadable or unrecognized SD card.

This method can help to fix various SD card-related issues such as – SD card unexpectedly removed, SD card saying full, etc.

Here’s how to unmount & remount the SD on Android:

• Open “Settings” on your phone then go to “Storage”.
• After that, click on the “SD Card” > “Unmount SD card” option.

Once unmounted your SD card successfully, just remove the card and re-insert it again to your device. Now, you need to follow the same process to re-mount your SD card.

• Go to “Settings” and choose “Storage” on your Android phone.
• Again, you need to tap on the “SD Card” > “Mount SD card” option.

• Now, click “OK” to complete the process and restart your phone.
• After restarting your phone, you will be able to access your SD card.

To know more solutions, you need to visit here – 7 Tested Ways to Fix SD Card Not Detected In Mobile

What To Do If SD Card Not Showing Up On Camera?

If your SD card is not recognized by your camera, then you can try the below trouble fixes to resolve this issue.

But before that, let’s find its common causes in the below section:

• SD card is not properly inserted in your camera.
• Physical damage to the SD card and the card slot.
• Presence of dirt, dust, or debris in the SD card slot.
• The file system of the SD card gets corrupted due to improper removal or other reasons.
• Compatibility issues between the SD card and the camera

How To Fix Micro SD Card Not Detected On Camera?

When connecting your microSD card to a camera, if it displays an error “SD card is not recognized” then do not worry!  Just try out the below-mentioned fixes to resolve the SD card is not detected issue easily.

#1: Make Sure Your SD Card Is Connected Properly

As I mentioned above, an improper connection between the SD card and the camera can lead to unreadable SD card issue. To resolve this issue, you need to make sure that your SD card is properly inserted in your camera’s SD card slot.

All you need to do is, remove the card from your camera and re-insert it back into the device. This will help you to re-establish the connection between devices again.

#2: Clean Your Camera’s SD Card & Card Slot

Over time, the accumulation of dirt, dust, or debris into the SD card and the camera’s card slot can lead to poor connection issues.

So here, I’ll suggest you to clean your SD card and camera’s card slot card using a soft clean cloth or compress some air into the card slot to remove dust particles from it.

#3: Repair Corrupt SD Card Using Windows Utility

If the file system on the micro SD card becomes corrupt or damaged due to some reason, the camera may not be able to read your SD card.

In such a situation, you can use Windows utilities like – the Chkdsk command, error checking tool, etc., to repair corrupt SD card without formatting.

#4: Check for Compatibility Issues

Some cameras have specific requirements such as – the micro SD card type, size, capacity, etc., they support. If your SD card doesn’t meet these basic requirements, you may face the microSD is not recognized issue.

To fix this issue, you need to make sure that your SD card is compatible with your camera. If not, then replace the SD card and buy a new one that is supported by your device.

#5: Re-format Your SD Card

If you are unable to fix the SD card not detected or recognize the issue even after trying the above fixes, do format the memory card to solve this issue.

Though this method will help you fix this issue successfully, additionally it will erase all your data from your camera’s SD card. So, before executing this method, make sure to keep a backup of your important SD card data to avoid data loss.

What To Do If SD Card Data Gets Deleted After Fixing Micro SD Card Not Detected Issue?

After fixing the SD card undetected issue, if you find any of your data has been lost from your SD card, you can use a professional SD Card Recovery Tool to regain your lost or deleted data from the SD card.

This tool not only recovers data from SD card but also retrieves files from USB drives, pen drives, external hard drives, and other external storage devices. It deeply scans your card and extracts data from it effectively.

With the help of the SD Card Recovery Tool, you can:

• Restore lost, deleted, missing, erased, or inaccessible stuff from SD cards.
• Recover media files from corrupt, damaged, virus-infected, write-protected, or formatted, memory cards.
• Extract data from SD card, SDHC, SDXC, miniSD, MicroSD, xD card, MMC, CF, TF, memory stick, and many more.
• Supports SD card recovery from various memory card brands – SanDisk, Lexar, Transcend, Samsung, Strontium, Kingston, Toshiba

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* Free version of the program only scans and previews recoverable items.

So, just quickly download this software on your Windows or Mac PC and follow the below steps to recover deleted data from your SD card with ease.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why Is My Micro SD Card Not Showing Up?

Your micro SD card not showing up due to damaged card reader, corrupted or outdated drivers, card is not compatible with the device, corrupted USB port, etc.

What Do I Do If My SD Card Is Not Detected In My Phone?

If your SD card is not detected by Android, then follow the below tricks:

• Reboot your Android phone.
• Try the card on another mobile.
• Update your Android to the latest version.
• Unmount SD card.
• Format SD Card.

How Do I Uncorrupt An SD Card On PC?

In order to uncorrupt SD card on PC, follow the below steps:

1. Try another USB Port
2. Change card reader or adapter.
3. Run the CHKDSK command.
4. Try to use the memory card on another computer.
5. Reinstall the card drivers.
6. Assign the new drive letter.
7. Format the memory card.

How Can I Recover My Corrupted SD Card?

If you have kept a backup of your crucial SD card data on another storage media or PC then you can easily restore them from a backup folder. In the absence of a backup, you should go for the best SD card data recovery software. It has ability to retrieve data from formatted, damaged, virus infected, dead or even corrupted SD card.

[Bonus Tips] How To Prevent Memory Card Issues?

Follow these prevention tips to avoid memory card errors and issues in the near future.

• Always handle your SD card with proper care and treatment.
• Do not insert or remove the card from your device in an improper way.
• Avoid using the same SD card in different devices.
• Never connect your memory card to a virus-infected PC.
• Stop using the microSD card when it shows any error like “Memory card is full.”
• Always use good and superior-quality of memory cards.

Conclusion

There can be several causes that can make your microSD card undetectable, unrecognized, or unreadable. However, the solutions mentioned in this post are very effective and will surely help you to fix the micro SD card not detected issue.

In this post, we have categorized three sections to fix an undetected SD card. So, if you are facing this issue on your PC, Android phone or camera, keep trying out the methods mentioned above. Hope you’ll able to solve this issue effectively.

Thanks for reading…..!