How To Fix Sd Memory Card Corrupted

Are you having trouble accessing files on an SD card because it's corrupted or damaged? We understand your pain, which is why we've put together this comprehensive overview of 11 solutions on how to fix a corrupted SD card and repair logical damage.

Common Signs Indicating SD Card Corruption/Damage

how to fix a corrupted sd card

It's possible for a perfectly working SD card to fail without warning, but most SD cards first show certain tell-tale signs of corruption/damage before they stop working. If you learn to recognize these signs, you'll become able to back up your data in time and fix the underlying problem while you still can.

Signs of SD card corruption/damage :

No SD card detected : You insert your SD card into your digital camera or laptop, wait, wait some more, but nothing happens. No sound, no message, nothing. An experience like this can be alarming, but it doesn't necessarily mean that your SD card is dead. In the next section of this article, we explain how to fix an SD card that's no longer detected.
Read/write issues : When transferring data to/from an SD card, there shouldn't be any error messages indicating read/write issues, and you definitely shouldn't have to attempt to transfer the same file multiple times just for the transfer to finish successfully. Every read/write issue you encounter should be a major reason for concern.
Connection issues : If you have to reinsert the SD card several times before it finally mounts properly, you might be dealing with SD card corruption or even physical damage. SD cards are notoriously fragile, and it doesn't take much for them to crack, bend, or twist. When that happens, the small metal pins may come out of alignment and cause connection issues.
Windows format error : When you see the dreaded Windows format error (You need to format the disk in drive X: before you can use it), you know there's something wrong with your SD card. If the SD card is empty, you can simply format it, and it should work again. But if it contains important data, you need to fix it using one of the methods described below.
Slow performance : Corruption or damage can negatively impact the performance of your SD card and make data transfers take a very long time. In extreme cases, it might take you as much as several hours to transfer just a few photos or video files.

Ways to Fix Corrupted/Damaged SD Card

Let's take a look at 11 ways to fix a corrupted SD card so that you have plenty of solutions to choose from when you recognize the first signs of corruption or damage.

1. Try Another USB Port or Change Adapter/Card Reader

This is by far the easiest fix you can try, which is why you should always start with it before you move on to other ways to fix a corrupted/damaged SD card.

If you have a laptop with a built-in SD card reader, we recommend you purchase a USB card reader and try several different USB ports, preferably on more than one computer.

You should also rule out that your microSD card to SD card adapter is to blame by using a different adapter or connecting the microSD card directly to your computer via a microSD card reader.

2. Fix a Card by Trying CHKDSK Command to Check for Memory Card Errors

Included in all versions of Windows is a command-line utility for checking the file system and file system metadata of a volume for logical and physical errors. This utility is called CHKDKS, and it's actually much easier to use than most people think.

To fix a corrupted SD card using the CHKDSK command :

If you're wondering how to fix corrupted a microSD card, we have good news for you: this and all other methods described in this article can be used for all types of SD cards.

3. Use SD Card Data Recovery Software to Recover Files

SD card corruption and damage may result in the loss of important files. To get them back, you can use SD card data recovery software like Disk Drill.

Disk Drill is a reliable data recovery solution with support for all types of SD cards, including SD, SD High Capacity (SDHC), and SD Extended Capacity (SDXC). It can quickly recover any files (pictures, videos, audio, documents, etc.), and you can preview recoverable files before recovery.

FAM!! I DELETED SOME FILES BY ACCIDENT ON MY MEMORY CARD!! LITERALLY 15MINS WORTH OF FOOTAGE! I TRIED MANY RECOVER PROGRAMS ALLLLLL NIGHT! PROBABLY SPEND $300 ON SCAM ONES! FINALLY GOT ONE! BIG TIP FOR ANY YOUTUBERS WHO NEED THIS IN THE FUTURE! USE DISK DRILL!
— Cash ✌🏾HYPE (@CashNastyGaming) June 8, 2020

The free version of Disk Drill lets you recover up to 500 MB, and it comes with several handy data protection and backup features, which you can use to protect your SD card against future data loss.

To recover files from an SD card using data recovery software :

4. Try to Use Card on Another Device/PC

It's possible that your SD card is perfectly fine and that all the issues you're experiencing with it are caused by your computer. To rule out this possibility, you should try to use the card on another computer or device.

You can ask your friend to let you use his/her computer, or you can visit a public library and use one of their computers to verify that the issues you're experiencing happen on every device.

If you're trying to diagnose a microSD card and have a smartphone with a microSD card slot, you can use it as a convenient test device and verify your card's functionality without a computer. Just be careful because your smartphone might ask you if you want to format the SD card, so make sure you don't accidentally erase it.

5. Assign a New Drive Letter

Surprisingly many SD card errors can be solved by assigning a new drive letter to the SD card. The errors solved by this method typically have something to do with conflicting drive letters, which may happen as a result of the operating system not updating drive letter information properly.

To assign a new drive letter to an SD card :

6. Reinstall Card Drivers

Windows automatically downloads and installs the most recent drivers through Windows Update, but not all driver updates go exactly according to plan. If you suspect that your SD card is misbehaving because of a faulty driver update, you should reinstall it manually.

To reinstall card drivers :

If Windows doesn't automatically find a suitable driver, you can look for it on the manufacturer's website and install it manually by selecting Browse my computer for driver software in step 4.

7. Fix SD Card/USB Drive Using Windows Repair Tool

how to fix corrupted micro sd card in windows Included with Windows is a graphical tool capable of checking drives for file system errors. This tool is commonly referred to as Windows Repair Tool, and Windows sometimes automatically launches it when you insert a corrupted drive. That said, you can also invoke it manually and use it to scan any drive for errors.

To fix an SD card/USB drive using Windows Repair Tool :

If you see a warning message saying that Windows can't repair the drive while it's in use, save any unsaved work on the SD card and choose to repair it now or on the next restart.

8. Fix SD Card by Formatting a RAW SD card to FAT32

An SD card may seem to be corrupted if it has no file system on it. Such an SD card is typically referred to by experts as RAW, and most operating systems won't display it as an available storage device and allow you to write files to it.

Since a RAW SD card shouldn't have any data on it, formatting it to FAT32 is a relatively safe operation. Just make sure to select the RAW SD and not some other storage device.

To format a RAW SD card to FAT32 :

Diskpart is a useful command that can do a lot more than format RAW partitions, as we explain in the next chapter.

9. Use the Diskpart Command in CMD (without Formatting)

how to fix sd card without formatting Not being afraid of the command line pays off because it means that you can use powerful tools like Diskpart to fix SD card issues without formatting.

When using Diskpart, keep in mind that you must first select the correct drive and then apply commands to it. As a safety measure, we recommend you disconnect as many drives as possible to minimize the possibility of selecting the wrong one.

To fix an SD card using Diskpart :

That's how to fix a damaged SD card without formatting it using Diskpart. You can learn more about this useful tool and everything it can do on Microsoft's website .

10. Format to Repair Corrupted SD Card

Formatting is a drastic way how to fix a corrupted SD card, but it can quickly and effectively replace a faulty partition table with a new one and recreate a damaged file system.

While there are many different ways how to format an SD card, they all accomplish the same goal, so there's no reason to use unnecessarily complicated third-party tools since the formatting tool in Windows is more than enough to get the job done.

To format a corrupted SD card :

The difference between Quick Format and Full Format is that the latter scans the formatted device for bad sectors, while the former only removes address files from it.

11. Nothing Worked? Use SD Card Data Recovery Center to Restore Lost Files

how to fix corrupted micro sd card professionally Have you tried all 10 solutions described so far in this article and found no success with any of them? Then, it's probably the right time for you to take your SD card to a data recovery center and let professionals restore all lost files for you.

When selecting a data recovery center, look for the following:

Clean rooms and professional equipment : There are many people online who offer data recovery services but lack the necessary equipment and expertise. Even though they might charge cheaper prices than professionals, the extra risk is almost never worth the discount.
Recovery guarantee : Avoid data recovery centers that charge money even for failed data recovery attempts. True professionals don't charge their customers for jobs they don't finish successfully.
Positive reviews : Always read online reviews when selecting a data recovery center. If you stumble upon a data recovery center with a suspiciously high number of negative reviews, we recommend you avoid it unless you're ready to write your own negative review in the future.

One data recovery center that meets these criteria is CleverFiles Data Recovery Center , whose offline data recovery services are provided by ACE Data Group, one of the most respected players in the data recovery industry.

Tips to Protect Your SD Card from Data Loss

fix corrupted sd card

We could go on and on about the fragile construction of SD cards or how easy it is to format them by accident. But instead of telling you something you already know, we want to give you some useful tips to protect your SD card from data loss.

Always safely eject the SD card from your computer before removing it.
Don't subject your SD card to extreme temperatures and keep it away from dust and water.
Avoid writing data to the SD card if there's a risk of a sudden loss of power (such as when recording video using a camera that hasn't been charged in a while).
Regularly transfer files from the SD card to your computer or cloud storage.
Use multiple SD cards and avoid filling them up to their maximum capacity.

With these simple tips, you can prolong the lifespan of your SD card and protect it from data loss.

Conclusion

SD cards can become corrupted or damaged for many different reasons. Luckily, there are just as many effective solutions that you can use to fix them. In this article, we've described 11 proven ways on how to fix a corrupted SD card, including a versatile data recovery software solution called Disk Drill .

FAQ

To fix a corrupted SD card :

Connect your SD card to computer
Type "this PC" in the search on the taskbar and select This PC .
Right-click on your SD card and select Properties .
Click Tools and select the Check option.
Click Scan and repair drive .

To fix a corrupted SD card on Android :

Connect the Android SD card to your computer.
Open File Explorer and select This PC from the left pane.
Right-click on your SD card and select Format .
Select FAT32 as the new file system and click Start.

You can also try to fix a damaged SD card using an Android app like SD Maid .

To recover photos from a corrupted SD card :

Connect the SD card to your computer
Download and install Disk Drill.
Launch Disk Drill, select the SD card, and click Search for lost data .
Select the photos you want to recover.
Click the Recover button at the bottom.
Specify the recovery destination and click OK to begin the recovery of your photos.

To recover data from a corrupted memory card :

Connect the memory card to your computer.
Open Command Prompt as administrator.
Type the following command: chkdsk x: /r (replace x: with the drive letter of the SD card).
Press Enter and wait until the process completes.

To recover a corrupted memory card without formatting :

Connect the corrupted memory card to your computer.
Type "cmd" in the search box on the taskbar and select Run as administrator .
Enter the following command (make sure to replace X with the letter assigned to the SD card you want to fix) and press Enter: chkdsk X: /f
Wait for CHKDSK to finish.

To repair your SD card without formatting :

Initiate a work order with CleverFiles Data Recovery Center .
Pack and ship your media.
Wait for a free failure report and a guaranteed price quote.
Approve the quote and give CleverFiles Data Recovery Center some time to repair your SD card.

Some of the most common causes of SD card corruption include improper use, malware, accumulated bad sectors, manufacturing defects, and physical damage. The good news is that most cases of SD card corruption can be fixed without formatting.

Here are the top 5 most common signs of SD card corruption :

No SD card detected when inserted
Persisting read/write issues that have no other explanation
Connection issues when transferring data to/from the SD card
The Windows format error message.
Slow performance during data transfers.

Yes, unless the corruption was caused by physical damage, it's usually possible to reuse the SD card after the corruption has been fixed.

David Morelo

David Morelo is a professional content writer in the technology niche, covering everything from consumer products to emerging technologies and their cross-industry application.His interest in technology started at an ...

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This article has been approved by Brett Johnson, Data Recovery Engineer at ACE Data Recovery. Brett has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Systems and Network, 12 years of experience.