How to Fix Micro SD Memory Card Not Detected

Why is micro SD memory card not detected or not showing in Windows?

This problem could be caused by either hardware or software. It could be caused by an obsolete device driver, a corrupted or unsupported SD card file system, erroneous SD card ejection, a non-functioning SD card reader, a defective computer USB connection, SD card write protection, malware/virus infection, logical or physical damage to the SD card, and so on.

1. Having trouble connecting
A lot of the time, there is a link problem. This link problem might be caused by a broken card reader, adapter, or USB port. The issue might not be with the SD card itself but with one of the connections. This is why you can't see the files on the card.

2. The SD card is locked
There's a small button-like thing on the side of your SD card. The trigger comes on sometimes when you handle the card. In this way, the SD card is "write-protected." The SD card can't be read or found anywhere if it has been set to a write-protected mode. Check the same thing on your card.

4. Lost the driver's letter
In Windows Explorer, you can't get to a partition without a driver letter. If you lose the driver letter for your SD card, the system will not see it.

5. Driver corruption
If the Device Manager shows a yellow dot on your SD card but the system does not see it, then the drivers for the SD card are broken. In this case, Windows File Explorer won't be able to see your SD card. Instead, Disk Management will.

6. Physically Damage
In terms of physical damage, your SD card could have been dropped into water, or you might see the plastic shell as damaged. In such cases, it becomes difficult even to get the card inside the reader.

7 solutions to fix micro SD memory card not detected

Now, let’s see how to fix the computer not detecting SD card​ issue.

Way 1. Start up your Windows computer again

When you're having trouble with your computer, restarting it can sometimes fix it. To quickly restart your computer, go to Start > Power > Restart. After that, check to see if your Windows 10 computer can see the SD card.

Way 2. Check hardware connections

We normally utilize an SD card reader to connect the SD card to a computer to view its data. You can first determine whether the problem is caused by hardware issues.

• Change to insert the SD card reader to another USB port on your computer to see if it displays.
• Change another SD card reader to read the SD card to see if it is the SD card reader to blame.
• Plug in another SD card to the SD card reader to see if you can access data on it.
• Plug the SD card reader into another computer to see if it can work.
• You can also clean the SD card and SD card reader to remove the dust and check again if it can be recognized.
• Check if the lock switch on the memory card is in the Unlock status.

Way 3. Update or reinstall SD card reader Driver

When you initially plug in an SD card reader to a computer, most of them will install drivers automatically. If Windows is not detecting SD cards due to a corrupted or outdated SD card reader driver, you can update or reinstall the SD card reader driver using the steps outlined below.

Step 1. Press Windows + X and select Device Manager to open it.

Step 2. Expand Disk drives right-click your SD card device and choose Update driver. You can also choose Uninstall device, and then click Action -> Scan for hardware changes to reinstall the SD card reader driver.

Way 4. Use professional third-party partition manager to check and reformat the SD card

You can also use AOMEI Partition Assistant, which is a free disk and partition manager for Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7. To fix the micro SD memory card not detected on a Windows, use the "Surface Test" and "Check Partition" capabilities, then if necessary, use the "Format Partition" option to reformat your SD card to a compatible file system (this program supports NTFS/FAT32/Ext2/3/4/exFAT).

AOMEI Partition Assistant

The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

Opt.1. Check Partition

Step 1. Download the freeware. Install and launch it. Click the SD card, then select "Test"> “Disk Surface Test” in the top of the interface.

Step 2. Tick “Quick Check” and click “Start” to check whether there are any bad sectors on the disk.

Opt. 2. Format Partition

If you need to format your SD card to an Ext or exFAT file system, this tool can help you. And some users report their computers can’t format a Micro SD card larger than 32GB to FAT32 on Windows, this can also be solved with this tool.

Step 1. Install and run it. Right-click the partition that needs to be formatted to FAT32 and choose “Format Partition”.

Step 2. It will pop up a small window, choose FAT32 among displayed file systems and click “OK”. You are allowed to change the cluster size of this partition and add a partition label to it.

Step 3. Return to the main interface. Confirm your operation and click “Apply”>“Proceed” to commit it.

Way 5. Change the drive letter of the SD card

Step 1. Right-click on the “Start” and select “Disk Management”.

Step 2. Right-click on your SD card and choose Change Drive Letter and Path.

Step 3. Select a drive letter and click “OK” and close the Disk Management tool.

Way 6. Reinstall the Universal Serial Bus controllers

Step 1. Press Windows + R keys on the Keyboard. Type “devmgmt.msc” in the Open text box.

Step 2. Expand "Universal Serial Bus controllers" from Device Manager.

Step 3. Right-click on the drivers and select "Uninstall". Click on OK on the Confirm device uninstall prompt.

Step 4. Restart the computer, and the drivers will get automatically installed on your Windows.

Way 7. Remove write protection on the SD Card

If the SD card is write-protected, then the SD card not showing up in Windows 10 problem may occur. You can follow the steps below to remove the write protection of the SD card.

Step 1. Press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run Command Prompt as administrator.

Step 2. Type the following commands in CMD, and press Enter after each:

• Diskpart
• list disk
• select disk * (please replace “*” with the exact drive letter of the SD card)
• attributes disk clear readonly

Bonus tips: Recover formatted data from SD card

To retrieve formatted SD cards, it is advised that you use a professional data recovery program such as AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery to increase the success rate, especially in difficult data loss cases where the data has been erased or the drive has been formatted due to virus assault.

Conclusion

micro SD memory card not detected is a common problem when you connect an SD card to your computer, keep calm and follow our guide to try to fix it. We also offer the solution if you want to try to retrieve lost data on SD card after you fix your device.