“Dash cam not recognizing SD card” is a vexing issue that prevents you from accessing files stored on the SD card or storing new files on it. Now, this step-by-step guide will walk you through the methods to fix this issue and recover files from the unrecognized SD card with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.

About the Dash Cam Not Recognizing SD Card Issue

You may wonder what this error means. The dash cam not recognizing SD card indicates the device cannot read or detect the SD card, thereby preventing the storage and access of files. Thankfully, resolving issues with dash cam SD cards is relatively simple. The initial step is to determine what the causes of the SD card not being recognized on dash cam might be, and then select the suitable solution. Keep reading to get more detailed instructions.

Possible Causes of Dash Cam Not Recognizing SD Card

The potential reasons why the dash cam not reading SD card issue occurs are as follows:

  • Incompatible SD Card File System: Many dash cams utilize the FAT32 file system. If you don’t know what is your SD card’s file system, it’s advisable to consult your dash cam’s user manual for confirmation. If you insert an SD card that isn’t formatted to match your dash cam’s file system, the cam will be unable to recognize it.
  • Insufficient SD Card Memory: In dash cams where loop recording is turned off, you might encounter issues with the dash cam not recognizing SD card. This indicates that the memory card is nearing its storage limit and requires formatting for ongoing use.
  • Improper Connection: If the SD card is not inserted correctly, the dash cam not detecting SD card issue may appear or your dash cam may ask to format the SD card.
  • Damaged SD Card: Your SD card can suffer from both logical and physical damage. It’s recommended to inspect your SD card for any damage if you face the issue of the dash cam not detecting SD card. Physical damage is typically easy to identify—look for broken casings, a damaged write-protect switch, missing or worn connector pins, and damaged NAND chips. Signs of logical damage on an SD card include slow operation, disappearing files, and inability to mount, among others.
  • Firmware Issues: The issue may stem from the dash cam rather than the SD card. Specifically, corrupted or outdated firmware can lead to problems like the dash cam not recognizing SD card.
  • SD Card Quality: All SD cards deteriorate over time and with use. While high-quality SD cards can endure for several years, lower-quality cards might fail within a year or two. Dash cam SD cards may require more frequent replacements as they are consistently being recorded over, especially if you drive often.

Recommendation: Recover Files from the Unrecognized SD Card on Windows

Before proceeding with the specific methods, the first thing you need to do is get back the files you lost from your SD card if the card works fine. What is the best data recovery tool on Windows? MiniTool Power Data Recovery absolutely.

With MiniTool Power Data Recovery in hand, things will become easier. It is a user-friendly free data recovery software that allows you to recover files in just a few simple steps without any damage. Furthermore, this software is effective for recovering files from SD cards and ensures that there is no additional damage to your files caused by compatibility issues.

Step 1. Download and Install MiniTool Power Data Recovery

If you trust our product, you should first get MiniTool Power Data Recovery by clicking on the download button and installing this software properly on your computer. Then move to the next step to recover your files from the SD card.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 2. Scan the SD Card via MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Insert the SD card into a card reader and connect it to your computer. Next, open the software to enter its home page. If the SD card does not show on this software, you should click the Refresh button to allow MiniTool Power Data Recovery to detect your SD card or reconnect the SD card to your computer.

click Refresh to show your SD card in MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Typically, SD card partitions are identified with USB symbols. You can select the partition that holds your lost files under the Logical Drives tab and click the Scan button. Alternatively, you can navigate to the Devices tab to scan the entire SD card in one go.

click Scan to scan the lost files from the SD card via MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Step 3. Preview and Check the Desired Files

This MiniTool program employs a sophisticated algorithm to ensure a rapid disk scanning speed. The duration of the scan varies based on the volume of files and the size of the partition. It is recommended that you do not disrupt the scanning process while it is underway in order to locate all files on the selected partition.

After the scanning process is complete, you can utilize the following five features for quick file recovery and verification.

  • Path: By default, all detected items on the SD card are displayed under this tab. The files are structured in a tree structure according to their file paths. You can sequentially navigate through the folders including Lost Files, Existing Files, and Deleted Files, to find the files you need. This method is perfect for recovering files while preserving their original folder hierarchy.
  • Type: This section categorizes all files according to their file type and specific formats within each category. This categorization is ideal if you are looking to recover files of a particular type, such as Document, Picture, Audio, Video, and others.
  • Search: The search functionality located in the upper right corner is specifically designed for precise file searches. Simply enter the file name keyword in the search box and hit Enter to retrieve all files and folders containing that keyword in their names. It is particularly useful for finding a specific file among a large collection.
  • Filter: This feature mainly allows you to filter out files that do not satisfy the filter criteria based on file type, file size, date modified, and file category. It effectively narrows down the file selection and assists you in quickly locating the files you require.
  • Preview: Since MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free permits saving only up to 1 GB of files free of charge, it is crucial to preview files before recovery to avoid consuming the free recovery limit. Previewing a file is very straightforward; just double-click on the desired file.
use the five features provided by MiniTool Power Data Recovery to filter out the unnecessary files

Step 4: Save the Recovered Files

After you have confirmed and selected all the files you wish to recover, press the Save button located in the bottom right corner. You will then be prompted to choose a directory to save the files, and it’s important to select a different location to prevent data overwriting. Choose a secure location, then click OK. Once you see the message indicating that the files have been successfully recovered, you can navigate to the chosen location to access them.

click OK to save the recovered files via MiniTool Power Data Recovery

Keep in mind that if you have recovered 1 GB of files and still have additional files pending recovery, you will need to upgrade to a more advanced version of the software. For personal users, I suggest opting for MiniTool Power Data Recovery Personal Ultimate.

How to Fix Dash Cam Not Recognizing SD Card

After knowing the causes of this issue, let’s move on to the next part about how to fix dash cam not recognizing SD card.

Initial Check: To determine if the issue is with the SD card or the dash cam, connect the SD card to a computer and check if it appears in File Explorer. If it does not, the SD card may be defective. After this, you can choose an appropriate approach to fix this issue based on your actual situation.

Fix 1. Reinsert SD Card

When the issue is simply due to an incorrect connection, for instance, the SD card is not properly aligned with the dash cam’s SD card slot, reinserting the SD card into your dash cam can usually solve the problem.

First, you need to completely shut down the dash cam and eject the SD card. Then, reinsert the card properly and turn on the dash cam to see whether the issue is gone.

Fix 2. Replace the SD Card

If the SD card is physically damaged or partially broken, the dash cam not recognizing SD card may occur. To fix this issue, you need to replace the SD card:

Step 1. Consult the user manual for your dash cam to find the recommended SD card specifications.

Step 2. Acquire a new SD card that has the same capacity or larger than the previous one and satisfies the recommended criteria.

Step 3. Swap out the damaged card and insert the new SD card into the dash cam.

Step 4. Verify whether the dash cam identifies the new SD card.

Fix 3. Format the SD Card

As mentioned above, if you insert an SD card that does not conform to the file system required by your dash cam, the device will not be able to detect the SD card. Therefore, if you are sure that the SD card is not damaged and works fine, and you do not want to buy a new SD card, you can take some measures to change the file system of the SD card.

Guess you have successfully recovered the important data from your SD card, you can follow the next steps to format the card to restore access to file storage:

Step 1. Press Win + E together to open the File Explorer and double-click on the SD card in the This PC section.

Step 2. When prompted to format the disk, select Format….

Step 3. In the following window, choose the file system and fill in the necessary details before clicking Start.

click the Start button to format the SD card

Sometimes, you might not be able to format the SD card using File Explorer for various reasons. If you find yourself in this scenario, there’s no need to be concerned. MiniTool Partition Wizard is available to assist you in easily formatting the SD card to NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, or other file systems. Additionally, the Format Partition feature can be found in the free version.

To begin, click the button below to download and install this free partition management tool, and then use it to format your SD card.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Open MiniTool Partition Wizard to access its main interface. In the right panel, select the SD card and then scroll down to choose Format Partition from the left menu under the Partition Management section.

select the SD card and click Format Partition in MiniTool Partition Wizard

Step 2: In the following window, enter a partition label, select a file system, set the cluster size, and press OK.

Step 3: Review the formatting effects. If you are satisfied, click the Apply button in the lower left corner to implement the changes.

If you want to recover files after formatting, it is possible for you to recover files on formatted partition.

Fix 4. Clear or Repair the SD Card Slot in the Camera

If you find the SD card is working on your computer or other devices, the issue must be with your dash camera’s card slot. Here’s how to check the status of the slot and the method to clear or repair it:

Step 1: Turn off the dash cam and take out the SD card.

Step 2: Examine the card slot for any dust or debris.

Step 3: Clean the card slot using compressed air or a soft brush.

Step 4: If you notice any visible damage to the card slot, think about having it repaired.

Step 5: After repairing the damaged slot, reinsert the SD card into the dash cam.

Step 6: Turn on the dash cam and see if it detects the SD card.

Fix 5. Update Dash Cam Firmware

Many dash cam manufacturers frequently provide firmware updates to fix bugs and enhance the functionality of the dash cam. Updating the dash cam firmware can frequently resolve issues with the dash cam not recognizing SD card. If your dash cam still fails to detect the SD card, follow the instructions below.

Step 1: Go to the manufacturer’s website to locate the most recent firmware update for your specific dash cam model. The process for updating firmware varies by manufacturer and model of the dash cam.

Step 2: Download the firmware update file onto your computer.

Step 3: Place the SD card into your computer’s card reader.

Step 4: Format the SD card (you can follow Fix 3) to guarantee a fresh installation of the firmware.

Step 5: Transfer the firmware update file to the root directory of the SD card.

Step 6: Reinsert the SD card into the dash cam.

Step 7: Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines to upgrade the firmware of the dash cam.

Step 8: Verify if the dash cam now recognizes the SD card after the firmware upgrade.

Fix 6. Transfer the Existing Files to Other Media

Occasionally, full storage of an SD card may trigger the camera not to read/detect/recognize it. In this case, you can choose to delete the files if they are not important or consider using professional data backup software to store them safely. MiniTool ShadowMaker for your reference. You can use it for a 30-day free trial to back up your SD card.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Closing Words

This post shows you six methods to fix the dash cam not recognizing SD card issue and a powerful data recovery tool to recover files from your SD card where files are lost. What’s more, we introduce another two professional computer software to help you format your SD card and protect your important data.

If you need any help with MiniTool products, please feel free to contact us via [email protected]. You will get detailed and professional guidance and answers.

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