How to Fix an SD Card That Stops Working on Windows

Quick Answer: What to Do When an SD Card Stops Working

If your SD card stops working on Windows, first reconnect it, try another card reader or PC, and check whether the card appears in Disk Management. If Windows detects the card but cannot access it, update the card reader driver, assign a drive letter, or run CHKDSK when appropriate.

If the SD card contains important files, recover the data first before formatting or other operations that may overwrite the data. For a physically damaged or repeatedly failing card, replacing the card may be necessary.

Why Does My SD Card Stop Working on Windows

SD cards are very popular due to their versatility and convenience, but sometimes SD cards can have problems, such as SD cards suddenly stopping working. Here are a few common reasons why an SD card stops working on a Windows computer.

• Physical damage: Damage to the SD card or card reader can cause connection problems. SD cards also have a limited lifespan, and repeated use can eventually lead to wear and failure. If the card is old or physically damaged, Windows may no longer detect it.
• File system corruption: If the file system of the SD card gets corrupted due to improper ejection, sudden power loss, or other factors, it may become unreadable by your computer, causing “SD card not working”.
• Driver issues: Outdated or corrupted device drivers can prevent your Windows computer from recognizing the SD card properly. Updating or reinstalling the corresponding drivers may resolve this kind of issue.
• Compatibility issues: Some SD cards may not be compatible with certain card readers or Windows versions. To avoid your SD card not working, you need to ensure that the SD card is compatible with your PC and the card reader.
• Malware and virus attack: Sometimes, SD cards may be infected by malware and viruses, which can disrupt their functionality. You can use antivirus software to scan your SD card to fix this issue.
• Write protection: If the SD card is write-protected, you won’t be able to write new data to it or modify existing data, resulting in “SD card stops working”. Check if the write protection switch on the SD card is enabled and disable it if necessary.

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How to Fix an SD Card That Stops Working

The following solutions can help fix an SD card that stops working on Windows. Start with the basic checks first, and recover important files before attempting repairs that may cause data loss.

Fix 1: Try Another Port, Card Reader, or Device

When an SD card is not reading, start with simple connection checks. Restart your computer, reconnect the SD card, and make sure it is inserted correctly into the card reader. Then try another USB port or card reader.

If possible, connect the SD card to another computer, phone, or camera to determine whether the problem is with the card or your Windows PC.

Fix 2: Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Sometimes, there may be some problems with your computer, but because you rarely use the SD card on it, you don’t notice these issues. Microsoft provides corresponding troubleshooters for Windows to solve different types of problems. To resolve USB and SD card issues, the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter is needed.

This tool has been removed from Settings in the new versions of Windows (10/11). Fortunately, you can use it through the Command Prompt. Here is the guide.

Step 1: Press Win + R to open Run, then input cmd and click OK.

Step 2: Copy the command msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic, then press Ctrl + V to paste it into the cmd window and hit Enter to run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter.

Step 3: Click Next to start the detection process. If there are any fixes, choose Apply this fix.

Fix 3: Check for SD Card Errors

It’s possible for your SD card to develop errors for various reasons. Fortunately, Windows provides an error-checking tool that can detect file system errors, and it’s suitable for scanning USB drives and SD cards.

Step 1: Insert your SD card into your computer and open This PC.

Step 2: Right-click on your SD card and select Properties.

Step 3: Go to the Tools tab and click Check in the Error checking area.

If a window appears and shows You don’t have to scan this drive, you can click Scan and repair drive to continue to scan your SD card.

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Fix 4: Use the CHKDSK Command

Besides using the error-checking tool, you can use the chkdsk command in the Command Prompt to check your SD card.

CHKDSK is a Windows utility that scans and fixes errors in the file system of storage devices like hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards. It helps maintain the health and stability of the storage device by identifying and repairing logical file system errors.

To fix the “SD card stops working” issue, follow the guide below.

Step 1: Keep your SD card connected to your PC, then open the Run window by pressing Win + R. Next, type cmd and hit Enter to open the Command Prompt.

Step 2: Input chkdsk /f /x *: into the Command Prompt window and press Enter (you need to replace * with the drive letter of your SD card). Then, this utility will automatically fix errors in your SD card.

Fix 5: Change the Drive Letter of the SD Card

In some cases, SD card not showing on Windows may be caused by a missing drive letter. You can fix this issue by assigning a new drive letter to the SD card.

Here is how to do it.

Step 1: Ensure your SD card is properly connected to your computer. Now right-click Start and choose Disk Management in the list.

Step 2: In Disk Management, your SD card will be displayed. Check if there is a drive letter on it.

Step 3: If not, right-click on your SD card and select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Then click Add… and choose a drive letter from the drop-down menu to the right of Assign the following drive letter:. Next, click OK.

Now open This PC, and your SD card should appear this time. If you still cannot find it, go to the next fix.

Fix 6: Update the SD Card Driver or Reinstall the USB Controllers

If your SD card stops working, it can also be due to outdated or incompatible device drivers. Outdated or incompatible device drivers can contribute to system instability, causing some problems like system errors and crashes. In such cases, the SD card reader may fail to function properly or may not be recognized by the operating system.

Updating the corresponding driver will fix such an issue.

Step 1: Ensure your SD card is connected. Type Device Manager in the search bar and open it (or you can right-click Start and choose Device Manager).

Step 2: Double-click Disk drives to expand it. Then right-click on your SD card and choose Update driver.

Step 3: After that, a window will appear. Next, click Search automatically for drivers. If there are any possible drivers, follow the on-screen instructions to install it. Reboot your system after updating a new driver to ensure it works correctly.

If the window tells you The best drivers for your device are already installed, you can try to reinstall USB controllers to fix the SD card stops working issue.

Step 1: Open the Device Manager, and expand Universal Serial Bus Controllers.

Step 2: Right-click on your USB Host Controller and select Uninstall device, then click Uninstall in the pop-up window.

Step 3: After the uninstallation, restart your computer. Then Windows will automatically search for the best USB controller for your computer and install it.

Fix 7: Format the SD Card

If your SD card is not formatted correctly, the Windows computer will not show it in File Explorer. You can resolve this issue by formatting your SD card to the correct format.

However, formatting SD card to FAT32 or other file systems will erase all your data on the SD card, so you need to recover data from the corrupted SD card in advance to avoid data loss.

How to Recover Data From a Corrupted or Damaged SD Card?

To recover your data efficiently, you can use the professional data recovery tool – MiniTool Power Data Recovery. As an excellent data recovery software, it can not only restore data from SD cards but also hard drives and other storage devices. With its brief and user-friendly interface, you can easily master it.

One of the key features of MiniTool Power Data Recovery is its versatility. It supports the recovery of various file types, including documents, photos, videos, audio files, and more. MiniTool Power Data Recovery offers you secure data recovery services, and it can recover your data from various situations, such as SD card not recognized or logically damaged, drive formatted incorrectly, system crash, and so on.

Whether you’re a home user or business owner, you can find the right MiniTool Power Data Recovery license type to regain access to your valuable files and minimize the impact of data loss incidents. For example, MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free allows you to recover up to 1GB of data without charge.

Come to get the free edition now and start your data recovery by following the guide below.

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Step 1: Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery and go to the Devices tab. Here, you can see all your internal disks and the external storage devices connected. Now put your cursor on your SD card and click the Scan button to start the scan process.

Step 2: When the scan is complete, you can begin to select which files to recover. You can use some features to find your files more quickly and easily.

• Path: The scan results will be displayed as a tree structure in this tab by default.
• Type: Under this tab, the scan results will be classified by the file type.
• Filter: You can add specific filtering rules to filter files, like file type, modified date, file size, etc.
• Search: It allows you to search for a certain file by inputting the file name and press Enter.
• Preview: This feature allows you to preview files up to 2GB in size. It is especially useful with the free edition, as the free recovery quota is limited.

Step 3: After you have selected the files you need, click the Save button. Then you need to select an appropriate location as the save directory.

How to Format the Corrupted SD Card?

Now you can start to format your SD card to an appropriate format. Here we take FAT32 as an example.

Step 1: Right-click Start and click Disk Management.

Step 2: Right-click on your SD card and choose Format.

Step 3: In the pop-up window, click the button on the right of File system: and choose FAT32. Then click OK in this window and OK in a new pop-up warning window.

Now the file system of your SD card has been formatted to FAT32. Open This PC and check if your SD card is displayed.

Besides using Disk Management to format your SD card, you can use MiniTool Partition Wizard to format the SD card too. This is a comprehensive disk management software designed for Windows to manage and optimize disks. You can use it to solve SD card errors or other partition problems.

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SD Card Stops Working FAQ

End Words

An SD card stops working on Windows for different reasons, including connection problems, driver issues, file system corruption, and physical damage. Start with the simple fixes above and check whether Windows detects the card before trying more advanced repairs.

If the SD card contains important files, recover them before formatting or making other changes that could cause data loss. If the card remains undetected on multiple devices, it may need to be replaced.

For issues related to MiniTool software, contact us via [email protected].