[Solved]Android Doesn't Detect SD Card

To release the internal memory, people tend to insert an external SD card into the handset, in the meantime, to enlarge the storage of the phone. However, some users usually complain that the SD card can't be detected or read by the device. In this way, let's find out the reasons why SD card doesn't work and the solutions to deal with it.

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• Part 1. How to Fix SD Card Not Detected on Android?
• Part 2. Solve SD Card Not Recognized on PC

Part 1: How to Fix SD Card Not Detected on Android?

Section 1: Why SD Card Cannot Be Recognized

1. Check Your Phone's Compatibility

If you find out that your Android phone cannot detect SD card, the first thing you should do is to check for the compatibility of your device and the SD card. As there are different types of SD cards
in the market, you need to make sure that it can fit to your smartphone before you buy a new one. For example, most of the lower-end devices don't support SDXC microSD cards(a type of SD cards). In addition, many smartphones don't even have microSD slots and thus you can't use a SD card on it.

2. Card Slot Get Rusty and Twisted

Most of users pay little attention on preserving their SD cards from dust, greasy dirt, etc. The dirt on the card may hinder the SD card detection by the device. In addition, many SD cards support hot plug, which means you can insert or remove the card in or from the phone while it is running. However, frequently insert or take out SD card may bring about metal wires in the card slot twist or rust.

Section 2: Fix SD Card Not Detected on Android

If you find out that your phone is not incompatible with the SD card, you should swift to the one can work. Also check whether there is dark spot around the metal area of the card. If it is, clean it with alcohol or water. Then, dry it out before put it back to the phone.

However, most of the users cannot even find out the reason why their Android phones fail to detect SD card. In this case, you are recommended to try to format it. Please check it out below in details:

1. Back up SD card data before formatting.
2. Connect your microSD to your computer with the adapter.
3. Open "This PC" where you can see your hard drives as well as the SD card you just plugged in.
4. Right-click on your SD card and choose "Format". Now you are able to set it up on the pop-up window. Please make sure you have set the File System to FAT32.
5. Check "Quick Format" on the optional box and click on the "Start" button.



Note: When the SD card cannot be recognized on Android but you still tend to retrieve the data back, it is allowed to recover the data on your memory card with Data Recovery which can scan your SD card as removable drive and find the deleted files & existing data back.

By the way, if you fail to connect SD card successfully, you should firstly check for the adapter and make sure it is suitable for your SD card and PC. Still fail? Please go to part 2 for further solution.

Part 2: Solve SD Card Not Recognized on PC

If you fail to solve the issue and the SD is still not showing after you try to troubleshoot the problem in part 1, please continue to read and now I would introduce the way to solve SD card not recognized on PC. As many of the users complaint that their SD cards are not detected on windows 10, I would take it as an example and operate on Windows 10 system.

Step 1 Plug Your SD Card into PC
First of all, please plug your SD card into your computer with the adapter that is matched.

Step 2 Go to Device Manager
From your computer, please navigate to "This PC"(where you can see your hard drives). Right click on the interface and choose "Properties". On the left pane, you are able to see the "Device Manager" option and please open it.

Step 3 Find SD Reader and Uninstall It
Under the option of "Disk drivers" or "Universal Serial Bus controllers", please find out your SD Card Reader. Right click and uninstall it.



Step 4 Install Device Driver Software
Now please click on the "Scan for hardware changes" icon and it will install the device driver software for you.



After the process is done, you would able to see your SD card is showing up on your computer. A

In order to make the SD card detectable and readable by the Android device, we should preserve the card carefully and keep it in good condition. Furthermore, back up the data stored in SD card is also necessary in case the card is broken.