The phone does not see the memory card, what should I do? The PC does not see the memory card: SD, miniSD, microSD. Search for reasons

The available memory size of modern Android smartphones allows you to store a huge amount of data.

But when the initial volume for everyday needs is not enough, microSD cards come to the rescue. Unfortunately, embedded equipment does not always work as expected for various reasons. Let's try to figure out why the memory card refuses to work on the phone and how it can be fixed.

Problem with contact

If the removable drive recently worked properly, first of all you need to check that it is connected correctly to the smartphone. Even a slight misalignment of the SD card can lead to a data reading error. In addition, during operation, the contacts of a mobile device may become clogged, which becomes a common cause of failures and errors.

To solve this problem, you need to remove the memory card from the device and carefully clean the slot paths, removing any dust particles that have gotten inside. When reconnecting the microSD to the phone, you need to make sure that the memory card is inserted right side and securely fastened.

Device incompatibility

Before purchasing a new memory card, you need to check its compatibility with your mobile phone. Modern smartphones use the microSD media type. This format, in turn, has four generations (SD 1.0, SD 1.1, SDHC and SDXC), the main difference between which is the amount of available memory and data reading speed. For example, SD 1.0 can hold from 8 MB to 2 GB, while SDXC can hold up to 2 TB.

As for support from mobile devices, it is backward compatible. Smartphones that work with a certain microSD format will also function with older versions.

Smartphone malfunction

In some cases, errors in displaying SD card data may be caused by Android system. Incorrect operation of applications and the action of virus files can block reading information from external media. This may cause the memory card to appear to be faulty.

The simplest and most obvious way out of this situation is to remove the malware and then reboot the device. To do this, you need to download a good antivirus program. If the SD card is in working condition, but the smartphone refuses to recognize it, you can try doing a factory reset. You need to understand that all data from the phone will be deleted.

Incorrect formatting

Software glitches that occur during the microSD cleaning procedure may cause it to not work. In this case, you will need to re-format via a computer.

First, you need to insert the removable storage medium into the card reader and wait until the system recognizes it automatically. After this, you need to right-click on the microSD in Explorer and select “Format”. In the “File system” section, you must specify “FAT32”, since Android does not support other formats.

Memory card failure

When none of the above methods help, the cause may be an internal problem with the memory card. This happens when, after prolonged use, the contacts wear out and the signal does not reach the board. Sometimes breakdown occurs due to mechanical damage SD card or manufacturing defect.

You can check the performance of the media using another smartphone or computer. If none of the devices sees it, you just need to buy new map memory. If the data stored on it is important, you can contact a service center for help. There is a chance that the data can be recovered.

We talked about the main types of SD card faults and how to fix them. Most problems can be solved on your own, but if the equipment fails, you will have to replace it.

Good day to all! I propose to discuss what to do if the computer does not see the memory card.

One day, a friend’s son took his father’s flash drive and connected it to the PC, but it couldn’t be read. The teenager didn't come up with it best solution than to format the media. The accessory contained important documents. It's good that they are only copies. To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, read what to do when your computer does not see the SD card in this article.

The memory card is connected to a desktop computer via a card reader. Lack of contact between the PC and the flash drive is sometimes explained by a damaged USB or socket.

It’s easy to check this assumption: try connecting the media using a different cable (if you have one) or to any device: tablet/laptop.

Also test the socket by inserting another accessory into it. If both the hole and the adapter are ok, move on.

Problem and solution: identical letters

It happens that the name of the memory card and hard drive denoted by the same Latin letter, for example, F. This is common cause why the computer does not see removable media.

You can do two things:

To see the flash drive, go not to “My Computer”, but to “Disk Control Panel”. In Windows version 7/8, to do this, press Win + R, and then enter diskmgmt.msc in the drop-down line. For G8, just press Win+X and select “disk management”. After this, a window will appear on the monitor displaying all connected devices.
Now you need to change the name of the memory card, forever solving the problem of recognizing the accessory. Right-click on it and select “Change drive name or path.”

These tips are relevant for a new PC or flash drive. If a computer that has been in use for a long time suddenly stops seeing an already familiar drive, most likely the problem is a cunning virus and you need to contact a professional.

Problem: incompatible standards

There are many types of memory cards: micro SD, mini SD, SD, xD, MMC, etc. They differ not only in form factor, but also in the way they are read. Externally, a flash drive may fit perfectly into the card reader connector, but this does not mean that it will see its contents.

You can understand why the PC does not read the memory card by carefully studying the adapter instructions. If its specifications indicate only the SD standard, this means that it will not accept SDHC, although they are the same in size and have the same contacts. The obstacle lies in the addressing mechanism: for SD it is byte-by-byte, while for SDHC it is sector-by-sector.

Most consumers prefer 2-in-1 accessories using an SD to MMC adapter. I agree, cheap, although not always convenient. Often, when connecting a flash drive of a larger form factor, the contacts become broken and can be significantly damaged. My friend forcibly pushed the camera card into the wrong conductor, which is absolutely forbidden to do. Don't repeat these mistakes and use compatible card readers.

It's about the drivers

Often when the computer reads it incorrectly microSD cards the user does not know what to do and simply formats the media. Don't rush - a flash drive can store a lot of important information(I recommend using backup media rather than primary storage). Besides, this doesn't always help.

For example, the computer does not see the tablet’s memory card (but the iPad itself recognizes it perfectly) - this may indicate outdated drivers or the absence of them. You need to install the drivers from the disk that came with your PC.

If you reinstalled Windows and the disk is formatted, just search on Google for the program for your operating system - preferably on the official website, where there is detailed step-by-step instruction on installation.

Problem: BIOS settings

When using this program, constant problems arise when reading removable media. But if you like the BIOS and don’t want to give it up, just adjust the settings.

Check if the latest version is installed. If it becomes outdated, update the BIOS.
Make sure the USB controller is ok. Its ports must be enabled and, most importantly, running version 2.0. The main difference between USB versions is the power supply level; in 1.0 it is much lower, which interferes with reading modern maps SDHC standard.

If with cable and software everything is in order, but the memory card is still not readable, try inserting it into a laptop (usually it has a built-in card reader) of a compatible standard.

Problem: PC does not see smartphone

It often happens that when you connect your phone to a computer, the latter only performs the function charger, but does not see the memory card.

There may be several reasons:

Outdated Windows (XP is not suitable for new Androids, try installing “seven”).
A pattern has been installed to protect files on the phone - just enter it when opening the section.
The smartphone is connected as another device: for example, as a wifi router or usb modem. Disable this option and you will see the memory card.
When connecting an Android phone as a camera, the computer may not see the memory card if the file transfer mode is not enabled.

Armed with knowledge, you can be sure to reduce the hassle of reading a flash drive on your PC to a minimum. See you on the expanses of my blog!

Topic - what to do if the tablet does not see the memory card.

If you want to stay informed, I'm in instagram, where I post new articles that appear on the site.

Thank you for your attention! Sincerely, Rostislav Kuzmin.

Memory cards (microSD) are often used as additional data storage on mobile devices. Losing access to this storage can be a real disaster for the user, because many people keep photos and other personal files on them, which often exist in a single copy. In addition, access to applications that were located on this media is lost.

Why can’t my phone see a memory card or USB flash drive that was working and read properly just yesterday? How to solve the problem on your own?

How to figure out the culprit

The source of the problem can be software and hardware errors both in the memory card (flash drive) itself and in the phone.

The reason is most likely in the card (flash drive) if:

It is not detected or detected but not read by different devices.
It stopped being read immediately after using it on another device.
It has visible mechanical damage.
When inserting a card into the slot (connecting a flash drive), the phone freezes, reboots or turns off. Provided that it reacts normally to other removable media.

The culprit is most likely the phone if:

It does not detect or detects but does not read any microSD card or flash drive.
When installing any card or connecting any flash drive, it turns off, reboots or freezes.
The card slot (USB connector) has visible mechanical damage.
The failure was immediately preceded by some actions with the phone: installing applications, updating firmware, anti-virus scanning, resetting to factory settings, etc. Or accidents - impacts, falls on the floor, etc.

When connecting flash drives with a full-size USB type A connector to mobile gadgets, OTG cables and adapters are used, which are also often the cause of such situations.

Unfortunately, in many cases there are no obvious signs of “guilt” of one or another device. For example, when a card or flash drive is not detected by a specific phone, while others read it normally, and the phone regularly reads all drives except this one.

Why are memory cards and flash drives no longer detected and read?

In about half of the cases, the cause of the failure is a drive failure. I already talked about the site. The same thing can happen with a card. In addition to the problems described, they often encounter another one - the formation of an oxide film on the surface of the contact group, which creates an obstacle to the exchange of data between the card and the phone. In addition, being small and fragile, micro SD cards are easily broken mechanically, much more often than flash drives.

Another group of reasons is programmatic in nature, that is, it is associated not with the drive, but with its contents. Among them:

Unrecognized file system. This can happen if the card or flash drive was previously used on a PC running Windows and formatted in NTFS. Or it was in another smartphone and was formatted in exFat. So that removable media can be read normally on any Android versions, it should be formatted as FAT32.

The removable drive is infected with malware. The reason for the lack of access to it may be blocking by the antivirus that runs on the phone, or the actions of the malicious program itself.
The file system of the memory card or flash drive is damaged. Reasons: incorrect shutdown (for example, during recording), use on a faulty device (including connection to a faulty reader or adapter), unstable power supply, viruses, etc.

Why doesn't my phone detect or read memory cards and flash drives?

Reasons on the phone side can also be hardware or software. The first group includes:

Mechanical failure of the memory card slot or USB connector. Often easily identified by eye. In this case, the phone most likely will not recognize any SD card. And if the USB socket on it is broken, then there will be problems not only with reading flash drives, but also with charging.

Malfunctions in the electronic components of the board. A failure can manifest itself in the fact that when installing any drive into a slot, the phone freezes, reboots, etc. Or an apparently intact slot and a working card are not detected in the system in any way. Or they are identified and disappear.
Malfunction of devices connected to the phone (SIM cards, etc.). It manifests itself in the fact that problems with recognizing a memory card (flash drive) arise only when connected together with a faulty device.

Software reasons:

Incompatibility with microSD cards of a certain type or size (lack of driver). In such cases, cards can be detected, but incorrectly and without access.
Operating system failure. It appears as errors “SD card does not work” and other similar ones. Or the removable media is not detected at all.
Installation of blocking applications.
Virus infection of the phone.

How to fix the problem yourself

Below is a sequence of actions that will help you fix the problem in about 80% of cases (in the rest, only a service center or buying a new drive will help you out). If the previous action did not give the desired result, move on to the next one. Recommendations for flashing devices are provided for reference only. They are performed at your own risk.

If the likely culprit is a card or flash drive:

Make sure there are no mechanical failures of the drive. Some of them (the connector blade) can be easily removed with your own hands if you know how to use a soldering iron.
Clean the memory card contact group with an eraser or wipe with alcohol. This will remove the oxide layer from their surface and restore signal transmission.

Connect the media to your computer (if you are using a reader or adapter, make sure they are working). Make sure its file system is supported by your phone. If not, format to FAT32. Do not forget to first copy the information from it to another medium, for example, to a PC hard drive.
Scan the media with an antivirus program.
Check it for file system errors. To do this, you can use a standard Windows tool (the chkdsk utility, which is used to find and fix disk errors): open the drive properties in Explorer, go to the “Tools” tab and click “Check”. In the next box, check “Automatically correct system errors"(by the way, in Windows 10, automatic error correction is enabled by default, so this window does not appear).

If probable cause— failure of the flash drive’s proprietary software (firmware), in some cases it can be restored using service software, which can be found on specialized web resources. However, after this procedure there will be no data left on it. In addition, if the firmware is unsuccessful, the drive may completely fail.

If the likely culprit is the phone:

Make sure there is no mechanical damage to the memory card slot or USB socket.
If slot for a long time has not been used, dust may have accumulated in it. If possible, remove it with a brush or dry cotton wool wrapped around a toothpick. If the slot contacts are accessible, remove the battery from the phone and clean them with alcohol.
Disconnect all external devices from the phone, except for the problematic drive, and restart the system. If after this it is detected normally, the reason is something disabled.
Scan your phone for malware infection.
Uninstall apps that you installed shortly before the crash.
Temporarily remove your antivirus (it may block removable media).
Do a factory reset.
Reinstall your phone's operating system.

If the likely culprit is not identified, use the recommendations from both groups that best suit your situation.

Some smartphones do not have a memory card slot. As a rule, we are talking about flagship devices, where, according to the creators, there is no room for a flash drive. Still, most smartphones support a memory card. This is good, you say, and you will be right. But sometimes the device may not see this same memory card. Why and what to do in this case?

Restarting the device

The first step is to restart your device. For what? If your phone or tablet uses a tray where a micro SD card is inserted, that is, the procedure does not require rebooting the device, this problem can be attributed to the most common failure. Therefore, the first thing you need to do is reboot the device.

The problem is with the contacts

If you have another device at hand, be sure to insert the memory card into it and look at the result.

Format the card

But often everything is much simpler and the problem is related to formatting. You need to format the micro SD card. To do this, insert it into the card reader and connect it to the computer. When the card appears in the list, right-click on it and select Format.

In the new window, select the FAT32 file system and click on the “Start” button.

Unfortunately, this will delete all your data, so we highly recommend moving it to another location if you need it.

After formatting, insert the memory card back into the device.

Another option is to format the card on your phone (if possible). Please note that in this case all data will be deleted.

Go to the "Memory" section.

Then select "Empty SD Card".

Confirm the action if you agree.

The memory card will be formatted.

The problem is in the phone

If the card works on other devices (for example, the computer sees it), but does not work on one device, then the problem may be related to the device itself. For example, something was damaged when the phone fell. In this case, the only thing that needs to be done is to repair the device after diagnosing it.

Memory card problem

This makes it even easier. We insert the micro SD card into other devices and check its functionality. If she shows no signs of life or shows errors, she may be life cycle came to an end. And the only thing that remains is to try to “get” important files from it, if there are any on the card.

Incompatibility of the memory card with the phone

It could also be that the memory card is incompatible with the phone. Such cases are rare, but still occur, if you believe the reviews. In case of incompatibility, the phone simply cannot read information from the card. There is only one way out - replace the memory card.

You can ask your questions using comments.

Quite often, users encounter the problem that their phone does not see the memory card.

In this case, the card can be completely new, undamaged, it can work on other devices, and so on. That is, everything will indicate that the micro SD should work without any problems, but in practice it turns out that this is not at all the case.

Therefore, it would be useful to look at some of the most effective guidelines on what to do in such cases. Their effectiveness has been proven by the fact that users of various forums have written about these methods.

Let's get started!

1. Simple ways

It is not always necessary to do something supernatural with a flash drive, such as formatting it or taking it for repairs.

In some cases, when micro SD is not detected on a mobile phone, it is enough to do the following:

Reboot your phone. Sometimes some minor malfunctions arise operating system and simply rebooting the device helps it see the flash drive. After rebooting, the phone checks all connected devices again and, most likely, finds a connected micro SD among them.
Remove and insert the flash drive. It is quite possible that the contacts have come loose somewhere or the card itself is not inserted tightly. Then this simple procedure helps fix these problems.
Turn off and disassemble the phone. Usually you can remove the battery, all memory cards, SIM cards and the back cover from the phone. So, in some cases, disassembling the phone into all these parts helps. Just take it all out and put it back in. The fact is that sometimes the contacts come off not in the card reader, but in some other parts of the device. So disassembling and reassembling can help.
Check if your phone can accept such flash drives. The fact is that some phones are simply not designed to work with memory cards larger than 16 GB or more. It may also be that the phone does not accept micro SD from certain manufacturers. You can check this information if you look at the instructions for your phone and search on the Internet, on forums. Usually, owners of such phones report their problem on the Internet.
Install another file manager. Most users recommend using ES Explorer (here is the download link). In some cases, it allows you to recognize all storage media that are connected to the phone, but are not recognized by other file managers.

Advice: Try several different file managers. If this is Android, then in the Play Market just enter the request “file manager”.

In addition, pay attention to the age of the flash drive. It is quite possible that she has already served her banal purpose, and trying to get something out of her will make no sense.

Of course, you can use memory card recovery tools (which we’ll talk about later), but if it’s really time for the old lady to retire, it’s better not to touch her.

Important! Optimal time The service life of the memory card is 5 years. If your flash drive is already larger, then problems with it are quite normal. Better to paste it into your computer, copy all the information and throw it away. In return, buy a new, clean flash drive.

If all these simple steps do not help, you need to resort to more serious measures. Some of them will require some computer skills.

2. Changing the save location

It happens that no program wants to see the connected memory card. In some cases, only some programs do not see it.

If this is the case, then in those programs that do not want to work with a flash drive, you need to change the path where the files are saved.

For example, if the browser does not want to see the flash drive, you need to do the following:

Open a browser (for example, let's take a standard browser on Android). Click on the “Menu” button, and then on the “Settings” item.
In the settings menu, select “Advanced”.
Find there a line with the text “Default storage”. Click on it.
Among the two options, select the second one, that is, “Memory card”.

Exactly the same can be done in any other application that is somehow connected to a flash drive.

Perhaps the phone does not read the flash drive because the file manager does not want to read it.

Of course, if the memory card is not readable in certain applications, you need to change the location where the files are stored in these programs.

But if no application wants to open the flash drive, try performing the above operation in the file manager or camera. This is especially true if you have installed root rights.

The file manager is the fundamental program for working with memory cards.

If the phone has root rights and some good manager is installed (for example, ES Explorer or Total Commander), it can affect other programs.

3. Send your phone in for repair

If the memory card is detected by all other devices except your phone, then this is the reason.

The phone may not detect the memory card for the following reasons:

the card reader is damaged (you need to replace it, which can only be done by a specialist);
the contacts in the card reader have come loose (they should be recorded, which is best done at a service center);
the operating system is not working correctly (then you need to reinstall it or change some parameters in the system menu, which is also best left to a specialist).

So take your phone to service repair and ask for diagnostics of the card reader and operating system.

4. Formatting a flash drive

If the above steps help, you should try formatting the memory card.

The clearest indicator for this would be the fact that the flash drive is not detected on the phone, but a computer or even another phone sees it and works with it calmly.

In this case, perhaps the reason lies in a mismatch between the file systems on the device and the flash drive. Accordingly, it must be formatted to suit the phone’s file system.

Even if the flash drive is not detected anywhere, it can and should still be formatted. True, if it is detected on at least one device, all information can be copied from it.

Attention! When formatting, all information from the flash drive is erased. Therefore, try to open it on at least one device to copy all the data.

But before that, the flash drive needs to be checked for errors.

It is worth saying that the computer will detect any memory card that is at least somewhat functional. If it is not detected on any computer, you can safely throw it in the trash.

Only if the flash drive is damaged, its contents will not be visible. In any case, the detected micro SD must be checked for errors using standard computer tools.

On Windows this is done as follows:

insert the USB flash drive, open “My Computer” (“This Computer” or simply “Computer”, depending on the system version);
Right-click on the memory card and select “Properties” from the drop-down menu;
in the window that opens, go to the “Service” tab;
click on the “Run check” button;
check two boxes in the next window that opens (“Automatically correct system errors” and “Scan and repair bad sectors”);
click on the “Launch” button;
wait for the process to finish.

Advice: In some cases, although very rare, defragmentation helps. To perform it, you need to click on the corresponding button in the properties window, in the “Service” tab.

It is possible that after performing these steps, the phone will begin to detect the flash drive. This means that the cause was damaged sectors or system errors.

So try reinserting the memory card into your phone and checking if it starts seeing it. If not, formatting should be done.

To do this, you need to do the following on your computer:

in “My Computer” right-click on the inserted flash drive;
select “Format”;
in the window that appears, click on the “Start” button;
in the warning window, click “Yes” (this window contains information that all data will be deleted during the formatting process);
wait for the process to finish.

Attention! In some cases, the operating system automatically checks the “Fast...” item in the formatting window. So, this checkbox needs to be unchecked, because we need to completely format the memory card.

Now you need to try inserting the USB flash drive into the phone again.

Does not help? You can try formatting it on a device without an operating system, for example, a camera.

The advantage of this approach is that such devices ignore all kinds of errors and perform forced formatting.

If all this does not help, all that remains is to use one of the memory card recovery tools.

5. Memory card recovery

This action is intended for those cases when all the above operations do not help and the flash drive is still not detected on the phone and other devices.

Then all that remains is to try to recover the data from the flash drive and throw it away. Unfortunately, there are no other options for their situation.

One of the most popular memory card recovery programs is CardRecovery.

To use it, you need to do the following:

Download the program and install it (here is the link). In the welcome window, click “Next”.
In the “Drive letter” section, select the desired memory card (you can recognize it by the letter in “My Computer”). In the “Camera Brand and File type” section, select the device type and check the boxes next to the file types that will be recovered. Click on the “Next” button.
Wait for the process to complete. "Next" button.
Check the boxes next to the files that you want to save to your computer. "Next" button.

Here are other file recovery programs:

PC Inspector Smart Recovery;
R-Studio;
Easy Recovery;
Flash Memory Toolkit.