Solved: DiskPart Format and CHKDSK Fail on SD Card

Why DiskPart format and CHKDSK fail on SD card?

There are several reasons why DiskPart format and CHKDSK may fail on an SD card. These issues usually point to physical problems with the card or logical corruption that Windows tools cannot repair. Below are the most common causes:

1. Write protection enabled

If the SD card is write-protected (either via a physical lock switch on the card adapter or a software-level protection), Windows cannot format or repair it. DiskPart and CHKDSK will throw errors because they cannot write new data.

2. Severe file system corruption

When the file system (FAT32, exFAT, or NTFS) is badly corrupted, CHKDSK might not be able to rebuild it. DiskPart may also fail to format because it cannot properly access or overwrite the damaged partition table.

3. Bad sectors or NAND flash damage

SD cards use NAND flash memory, which wears out over time. If the card has too many bad sectors, CHKDSK cannot repair them, and DiskPart may fail during formatting. This is often a sign of physical damage or the card nearing the end of its lifespan.

4. Fake or counterfeit SD card

Some low-quality or counterfeit SD cards report a larger storage capacity than they actually have. Once the real capacity is exceeded, data corruption occurs, leading to failures in formatting and disk checking.

How to fix DiskPart format and CHKDSK fail on SD card

If you encounter problems such as “DiskPart has encountered an error” or “CHKDSK cannot continue in read-only mode”, don’t worry—there are several ways to restore your SD card. Below are practical fixes explained step by step.

Fix 1. Remove write protection

If your SD card is write-protected, you won’t be able to format or run CHKDSK successfully. To resolve this:

Step 1. Check the physical lock switch on the SD card and ensure it’s set to the unlock position.

Step 2. If the card is still protected, open Command Prompt and type:

diskpart

list disk

select disk 1 (replace 1 with your SD card number)

attributes disk clear readonly

Fix 2. Use Disk Management to format

If write protection is not the issue, use Windows Disk Management to check partitions and perform a format; this GUI often succeeds when command tools fail.

Step 1. Open Disk Management: press Win + R, type diskmgmt.msc, press Enter.

Step 2. Locate the SD card by size and current status (e.g., RAW, Unallocated, Healthy).

Step 3. If the volume has no letter, right-click → Change Drive Letter and Paths… → Add a letter.

Step 4. If the volume is RAW or has a file system error, right-click the partition → Format… → choose exFAT (recommended for >32 GB) or FAT32 (for older devices) → check Perform a quick format if you want a faster, non-thorough option → OK.

Step 5. If the partition is unallocated, right-click the unallocated area → New Simple Volume… and follow the wizard to create and format a partition.

Step 6. If Disk Management fails with errors, note the error text and move to fixes 3–4 below.

Fix 3. Run CHKDSK alternative command

When CHKDSK fails, try variations or alternative repair tools — PowerShell’s Repair-Volume, OS native utilities (fsck), or recovery tools that can rebuild partitions.

Step 1. Try the full CHKDSK command as Administrator (may succeed where a simple call failed):

chkdsk F: /f /r /x (Replace F: with the SD card drive letter. /f fixes errors, /r locates bad sectors, /x forces dismount.)

Step 2. If CHKDSK refuses to run or reports “RAW”, run PowerShell (Admin):

Repair-Volume -DriveLetter X -OfflineScanAndFix

Fix 4. Format with third-party tool

Third-party SD tools often succeed where Windows fails. If DiskPart format and CHKDSK repair both fail on your SD card, you can turn to a more powerful third-party tool—AOMEI Partition Assistant. This professional disk management software is designed to handle stubborn formatting issues and repair damaged file systems more effectively than Windows’ built-in utilities.

Its user-friendly interface makes the process straightforward—even beginners can quickly format an SD card and bring it back to normal use. For severe corruption, you can also try the “Wipe” or “Rebuild MBR” features to fully reset the card before formatting.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant, install and run it. In the main interface, right-click the target drive and select “Format Partition”.

Step 2. In this small window, specify the file system of the drive based on your own demand and click “OK”.

Step 3. Preview the operation. Then, click “Apply” and “Proceed” to perform it.

Fix 5. Recreate partition on SD card

Recreating the partition table removes corrupt partition entries and allows a fresh filesystem. This erases everything — use only after recovering needed data.

Step 1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Step 2. Enter DiskPart and select the card:

list disk

select disk 1 ← (carefully confirm 1 is the SD card)

clean ← (this deletes partition table and all data)

create partition primary size =100000

list partition

select partition 2

format fs=ntfs quick label ← (or format fs=fat32 quick if you need FAT32)

assign letter=G

Step 3. Check that the card now appears in File Explorer and is usable. If format fails, try using a third-party formatter (Fix 4).

Conclusion

DiskPart format and CHKDSK may fail on an SD card due to write protection, severe file system corruption, bad sectors, or counterfeit hardware. These issues often prevent Windows tools from repairing or formatting the card. To fix them, remove write protection, use Disk Management, run advanced commands, or rely on third-party tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant to repair and format the card. If all else fails, recreate the partition.