Having problems on your Android phone or any other with a memory card? Can't read data from it or your Android phone/tablet doesn't detect it?
You can repair a damaged micro SD card if it is damaged using a computer, check it for errors, or completely reformat it.
In general, the fact that the SD card is not readable is not something unusual. If you have a lot of data stored on it and you use it extensively on your phone, there is always a chance that you might have a problem reading the content.
But this does not mean that the card should be thrown away immediately. There is always a chance to restore the SD card.
Sometimes the solution may be to check the file system for errors in saved files, repair bad sectors, format the card, or completely delete the partition (card structure) and re-create it. Below we will look at all these solutions.
How can I restore the functionality of an external SD card?
To fix a damaged SD card you will need:
- computer or laptop running Windows;
- any way to connect an SD card directly to a computer.
You can connect it to your computer using an adapter - if not, you can buy a USB card reader.
Method one - repairing a damaged file system CHKDSK
If your device says sd card is damaged, here's what you can do. The first and easiest way is to use the Windows system disk recovery tool, that is, CHDSK.
This tool is from Microsoft and is only available on Windows computers. CHKDSK does this without deleting any files, so you won't lose any card data.
First, connect the SD card directly to your computer or laptop and launch “My Computer” or “This PC” (Windows 8 and later).
In the list of drives, find the included SD card and note which drive letter it was assigned to. For the purposes of this guide, let's assume the card was assigned the letter "D".
Press the Windows + R key combination to bring up the Windows Startup window. In the Run window, enter the following command to enable the command prompt: CMD.
A new command prompt window will appear. Now you must enter the appropriate command that will scan the memory card and fix the errors on it. The command looks like this: chkdsk D: /f
Of course, instead of "D:", write your drive letter (don't forget the colon). Press the "Enter" button to start scanning.
After scanning, you can check your memory drive and see if everything is working.
Method two - formatting a damaged SD card
The second way to fix a damaged SD card is to format it by deleting all data. This option can help if CHKDSK failed to check and you are still having problems (for example, errors reading individual files).
Of course, you will lose all your data, but chances are that formatting will fix the card.
To do this, connect the drive to your computer, and then call up “My Computer” or “This Computer.” In the list of drives, find the connected SD card and right-click it.
Select Format from the context menu. A new format window will appear for the specified drive (SD card in this case).
Click the "Default Allocation Size" button and make sure "FAT32" is selected as the file system.
You can format with the “Quick Format” option selected, but to get more accurate results I recommend that you uncheck this box - formatting will take much longer, but is done more carefully, which can help solve problems with the card.
After formatting, reinsert the card into your smartphone, tablet, digital camera, or whatever device you are using and make sure the card is working properly.
Method three - completely delete all partitions and re-create them again
An SD card is no different from a regular disk - it can have one or more partitions. By default there is always only one section.
You can format the card in such a way as to completely remove the partition and leave it unallocated.
This is called low-level formatting. Please note that this will also permanently delete all data on the memory card.
After formatting, you can create a new partition. This often helps when the memory card appears as "RAW" after connecting and does not show any partitions that can be accessed.
For this formatting, you can use a program called “HDD Low Level Format Tool”. You can download it below.
Connect the drive to your computer, and then run the Hard Drive Low Level Tool.
You'll see a list of all your drives on your computer, including your connected external drive. Find your SD card in the list and select it.
Make sure you choose correctly. Once selected, click Continue and go to the Format this device tab.
The card will be completely formatted and all partitions will be deleted. This will now be a clean, undistributed surface.
That's not all - the card is in such a state that it will be useless. Now go to the Start menu and find the Windows Administrative Tools folder and select Computer Management.
A new window will appear. In it, select “Disk Management”. A new window will appear displaying all drives, both internal and external, connected via USB.
Find your drive, the surface of which is displayed in black. Right-click on the black unallocated area and select New Simple Volume.
You will see a wizard that will guide you step by step through the process of creating a partition. You don't need to change anything, just click Next. Pay attention to the File System field and make sure that FAT32 is selected instead of NTFS.
Confirm the creation of the new partition. Your micro SD card will now appear in the My Computer window with a drive letter automatically assigned. You can disconnect it from your computer and connect it to your phone or tablet. Good luck.
Developer:
http://hddguru.com/
OS:
Windows
Interface:
English
Many new models of Android smartphones and tablets have a small amount of built-in memory, and the main storage medium in them is an SD card. There are often cases when the Android device does not see the memory card. This can happen for various reasons. And in such a situation, the user is completely deprived of the ability to interact with files.
If you encounter such a problem, do not immediately run to the store and spend money on a new memory card. It is possible that the problem can be easily solved. In this guide, we will explain why Android often does not see the card, and consider several ways to solve this problem.
The memory card may no longer be recognized in the device for one of several reasons.
System failure
The first step is to try a simple reboot of the device. It is quite possible that Android has crashed and the flash drive is not detected correctly.
In most cases, after performing a reboot, most of the minor glitches in the system are eliminated. If rebooting does not help, then it is not a system error.
There may be a problem with the contacts of the memory card or slot. Often the contacts become clogged or get wet.
Try removing the memory card, cleaning it from dust and inserting it back. If after these steps there are no changes in its operation, you need to establish that the reason is in it, and not in the contacts of the device. To do this, you can insert the memory card into another device. If it is not detected on other devices, then the problem is definitely not in the contacts of the device, but in the card.
Formatting error
What to do if Android does not see the microSD memory card? It may be that the error is due to unsuccessful formatting. To fix the problem, the flash card must be reformatted on the computer.
To do this you need:
Important! If the PC displays the contents of the drive, this does not provide an absolute guarantee that there are no problems with it. Therefore, formatting must be performed in any case, having first made a copy of the files on the PC.
Damage to device contacts
If, as a result of the check, it turns out that the problem is in the contacts of the device, you can try to carefully clean them using a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. At the same time, it is strictly not recommended to use various solvents for this purpose, since their use can further aggravate the situation.
If cleaning does not help, it is likely that the contacts in the slot have come loose. In this case, you will need the help of specialists.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, no one is immune from memory card failure or device malfunctions. If the problem cannot be solved on your own, you may have to take your device to a service center (if it turns out that the problem is with the device) or fork out money to buy a new memory card.
What to do if Android does not see the microSD flash drive? This question often worries owners of smartphones and other gadgets, regardless of manufacturer and cost. Problems of obtaining data from a DVR or installing software on a tablet or smartphone can be solved independently if you know the main causes of the malfunction and how to solve them.
How the problem manifests itself
The malfunction manifests itself as follows: after replacing the micro-SD card, after rebooting, flashing or simply turning on the device, the gadget does not see the flash drive or its contents. As a result, data or installed software is lost, the camera and programs begin to write information to the internal memory of the device. The latter quickly becomes clogged, there is no space left for recording OS service information, and the gadget loses performance and begins to freeze.
As a result, if the internal memory is small, it becomes impossible to work without a memory card.
To fix the problem, you need to determine the cause of the breakdown. Very often it is possible to eliminate a defect yourself, without going to a workshop.
The phone does not see the flash drive due to formatting problems
The partition table can become corrupted on any file system (NTFS, ExFat, Fat32). As a result, Android cannot read files written to SD. Most often this happens when the user tries to format the memory card himself and performs incorrect actions. Another option is to insert a card with a different file system, for example, from a camera. You can restore the card's functionality by formatting it again. This can be done either with the phone itself or another Android device, or using a computer with a card reader.
The menu of some phones allows you to format the SD card by selecting the appropriate item in the settings. If it is not there, you can reboot the phone, enter “Recovery” mode and format the file system of the card by selecting “Wipe cache partition”.
Important: errors when working with the device in “Recovery” mode can lead to the loss of all data and even inoperability of the OS. Therefore, inexperienced users should not use this method.
It is easier and safer to format flash drives on a computer. To do this, you need a card reader and a formatting program (standard, built into the OS, or any other). You need to remove the flash drive from the device, insert it into the card reader and format it in exFAT or FAT32 format. After formatting, Android should begin to “see” the flash drive. If this does not happen, the problem is more serious.
The memory card has failed
Flash memory has a limited number of read-write cycles. In addition, the device may be damaged due to microcracks on the board or under the influence of static voltage. In this case, after installation in the card reader, the computer does not detect the flash drive. It is also not readable on other devices.
It is impossible to restore a damaged memory card or the data on it. This cannot be done either from the Android device itself, or by connecting it to the computer as a flash drive via USB, or from the computer via a card reader. All that remains is to purchase a new flash card compatible with your device.
Important: sometimes, due to a board malfunction, phones and tablets can “burn” memory cards. Therefore, if a short time after replacing the flash drive it fails again, it is necessary to diagnose the Android device.
Memory card and Android devices are not compatible
A smartphone or tablet may not see the flash card if it is simply not designed to work with modern storage media. When there is a suspicion that the card does not correspond to a tablet or phone, then you should try to read it on a computer with an adapter for memory cards. If the gadget does not see the card, but the computer does, the reason is incompatibility.
All gadgets have restrictions on the maximum size of the memory card: 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB. This happens if, for example, you bought a 64 GB card, but the limits of your smartphone (tablet) are 32 GB.
Another option is that the flash drive is made to a technical specification that is unknown to your device. In this case, the gadget does not recognize it. Therefore, before buying a memory card, you need to study the documentation of your tablet or phone to buy an SD card of the appropriate size and type.
In addition to incompatibility, device damage or software failure may occur. In this case, the computer will also see the flash card, but the phone (tablet) will not.
Software error
In this case, the gadget either does not see the memory card at all, or certain programs do not see it. If you know, the card is empty, although it shows that the space is occupied, the problem is in the settings or performance of the OS and software of the phone (tablet). If Android does not see the SD card in applications, but does see it in recovery, try looking at the settings first. It is possible that the save path for applications is not set to the card, but to the internal memory. Fix it.
Another solution when only one application does not see the card is to reinstall or update it, and also check its own settings.
Important: often the phone OS begins to see the inserted card only after a reboot. If the flash card is not visible without rebooting, and then works fine, nothing else should be done.
When the above does not help, you should try updating the firmware of your tablet (phone). Often, after updating the OS to a newer version, the device begins to work correctly with the SD card.
Broken SD card slot
If a smartphone does not see a flash drive installed from another smartphone, and it meets the technical requirements of the device, the problem is in the smartphone itself. In this case, you can try to insert the card so that the contacts in the phone fit tightly to its tracks. To do this, you should try to clean and bend them a little. If the problem is not with the contacts, but with damage to the controller or card slot, all that remains is to send the gadget for repair or replace it with a new one.
For example, the HTC srochnyi-remont.ru workshop repairs all models of this manufacturer, as well as other brands. Look for a service center for your phone in your city.
Do not rush to panic and call all service centers, but try to identify the cause of the problem: you can get rid of most problems associated with microSD yourself with the help of our article, in which we will describe how best to do this.
If your phone doesn’t see your memory card, don’t rush to throw it away
So let's get started.
This problem is one of the most common: it can come to visit the owner of both a newfangled smartphone and the owner of an old device. We suggest that you consider the causes of this problem and how to resolve them.
Causes:
- The flash drive may not adhere to the contacts, and because of this, the device does not read it.
This problem is easy to solve: you just need to remove the battery and check the location of the card.
- Malfunctions of the flash drive itself.
Solution: check it using a card reader, placing a microSD in it and connecting it to the computer. Or insert the information drive into another device. If the second device sees the card, it means that the problem is hidden in your smartphone, which is why it does not read it.
What to do if, even after checking the above situations, the phone does not see the memory card? Let's dig deeper: the next block of reasons is technical. It has to do with formatting, location of the flash drive, and compatibility with your phone. We invite you to consider these problems in more detail:
More often than not, when you buy a drive or decide to clean out an old one, you are confident that you can connect it yourself. And due to lack of time or excessive confidence that if you do everything yourself step by step and according to the instructions, the formatting will be done correctly, everything turns out completely the opposite. When faced with such a task, take the time to test your skills as a qualified mobile phone repair technician. This may cause your device to experience new problems, including the inability to see the memory card.
What to do in this case?
The first method is to restart your phone. Most often, the fact that the phone does not see microSD can be caused by a normal malfunction of the mobile phone. But in other situations, it may force you to completely delete all information on the card.
The second method, which is the safest and more common, is the stripping method using a computer, which we will tell you about in detail below:
- First, insert the flash drive into the card reader and connect it to the computer.
- Wait for it to start, which should happen automatically. Otherwise, go to “My Computer”, where you will see your card in the “New Devices” section, but only if it is not burned out.
- Right-click on the icon and click on the “Format” function in the context menu.
- Click the "Start" button and wait for the process to complete.
If the problem was in formatting, then this method should have fixed it.
- The memory card has failed.
The causes of this incident may be mechanical damage or thermal damage (from the heat, the microSD can melt and, accordingly, freeze at very low temperatures).
What to do? Unfortunately, all you can do in this situation is to throw away the old card, complain a little for the sake of decency, and buy another one.
- Incompatibility of the drive with the mobile device.
Your old device may simply not be adapted to the new technologies that were used to create the memory card. In this case, your phone will also not read the microSD flash drive.
- Erased tracks in the nest are natural wear and tear of the equipment.
Buying a new mobile device will help solve this problem, since all equipment sooner or later deteriorates, even though it is made with high quality and is designed for long-term use.
We advise you to carefully check your mobile device and the card you purchased for each item. If, after identifying all the possible reasons why the phone does not see the microSD flash drive, you did not find a match with any of the above points or could not fix the problem yourself, you should contact professionals who have been working in this field for a long time. They will conduct a high-quality and thorough inspection of your phone and inform you about the cause of the problem.
Take care of your devices and do not delay identifying possible faults indefinitely! Then your accessory will work for a long time and without interruption.
In this article, we will look at several reasons why the computer may not see the memory card, and also provide options for solving this problem.
In order to fix the problem, you need to find the cause. The reason could be either hardware or software. Let's take a step-by-step look at what needs to be done when the computer does not want to see SD or microSD.
Step 1: Checking the serviceability of the flash card and card reader
Check that your SD card is working properly. To do this, just connect it to another computer or laptop. Also, if you have another memory card of the same model, check whether it is recognized on your computer. If this is the case, then the card reader on the computer is working properly and the problem is in the card itself. The reason for the failure of the memory card may be incorrect removal during operation or its physical wear. In this case, you can try to restore the functionality of the SD card. To do this, experts distinguish 2 methods:
This utility allows you to quickly restore the functionality of a memory card. If it is password protected, then the program will not be able to format the card.
If the card reader itself does not see the memory card, you need to contact the service department for repairs. If you need to use the device urgently, you can use a temporary solution: use a portable card reader that can be connected to a laptop via a USB port. 
It happens that a flash card is not detected by the computer due to lack of power. This is possible if the storage capacity is large, the power supply is faulty, and the USB ports are overloaded.
There may be a problem with model incompatibility. There are two types of memory cards: SD with byte-byte page addressing and SDHC with sector-by-sector addressing. If you insert an SDHC card into an SD device, it may not be detected. In this situation, use an SD to MMC adapter. It also plugs into the computer's USB port. On the other side there is a slot for different types of memory cards. 
Step 2: Check for Windows failure
The reasons why the memory card is not recognized by the computer due to a failure of the operating system may be:
The program is very popular for finding and updating outdated drivers. To use it, do this:
It is best to get drivers from the website of the manufacturer of your memory card. So, for example, for Transcend cards it is better to go to. Remember that installing drivers from unverified sites can harm your computer.
Step 3: Check for viruses
An antivirus program must be installed on your computer. To fix the problem, just scan your computer and flash card for viruses and delete infected files. For this purpose in "Computer" right-click the drop-down menu and select the item there "Scan".
Often the virus changes the file attribute to "hidden", so they can be seen if you change the system settings. To do this, do this:
- go to "Control Panel", then in "System and safety" And "Folders settings";
- enter the tab "View";
- in the parameter "Show hidden files and folders" set the mark;
- click "OK".
Often, after a flash card is infected with viruses, it has to be formatted and the data is lost.
Remember that the data on the memory card can disappear at the most inopportune moment. Therefore, make periodic backups. This will protect you from losing important information.
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