"SD card shows full but contains no files" on Mac

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An SD card is a popular external storage device used in cameras, gaming consoles, and the like. One of the best things about it is its portability, which users love. However, some Mac users report that when they insert their SD card into their Mac, they get a message saying the SD card appears full but has nothing on it.

I have a 1GB PNY brand SD card. When I insert it into my MacBook, it shows only 580MB available, yet the card is actually empty... I deleted everything, but the available space on the card didn't change. What's going on? - From the Apple Community

If you're encountering the "SD card says it's full but it's empty" issue, don't worry; this article will introduce 5 practical methods to fix the error.

When you come across an SD card showing memory capacity on Mac but not storing any files, there are two scenarios to discuss how to resolve this issue:

Solution 1: Save Important Data Stored on the SD Card

Here is how it could work:

Solution 1: Recover Lost Data from SD Card with Software
Solution 2: Show Hidden Files on SD Card on Mac
Solution 3: Run "First Aid" on SD Card in Disk Utility

Solution 2: The data on the SD card is worthless and can be deleted

Appropriate steps might include:

Solution 1: Empty Mac Trash to Free Up SD Card Space
Solution 2: Format the Problematic SD Card

Before learning how to fix this error, you should know the reasons behind its occurrence on your Mac. Read on to find out the possible causes!

Why does an SD card show full on Mac but have no content?

Here are two scenarios where an SD card shows full memory but doesn't have any files when connected to a Mac:

?There's a problem with a file on the SD card:

Files stored on the SD card are hidden or deleted. The file system or format is corrupted, making files on the SD card inaccessible; you can try to fix it by doing a hard reset on your MacBook Pro with this guide or running "First Aid" from Disk Utility.

?Problems with the SD itself:

Trash

format the SD card on your Mac

Now that you know the cause of the problem, let's fix it!

How to Fix an SD Card That Shows Full on Mac but Has No Content

SD card full but no data? This issue can be fixed with the following 5 methods. Let's take a look:

Solution 1: Recover Lost Data from SD Card with Software

If the SD card mounts, but appears empty, you won't find your missing files even if you select it in Disk Utility and click Get Info to see how much space is still available on the SD card.

Don't worry! The professional data recovery tool – Mac Data Recovery Wizard can help you easily find and recover all data from your SD card, including the lost and deleted ones.

With Mac data recovery software, you can quickly and safely recover SD card data in many situations, including:

Recover Data from RAW SD Card on Mac
Recover Data from Formatted SD Card
Perform Corrupted SD Card Recovery on Mac

Most cases of data loss from an SD card can be addressed using professional Mac SD Card Data Recovery software. Here are the steps to recover an SD card that shows full but has no content:

Step 1: Choose your SD card

Connect the memory card to your Mac correctly. Launch the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool. Select “SD Card Recovery”, find your Canon/Nikon/GoPro/DJI/Sony SD card, and click “Search for lost files”.

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended that you create a backup of your SD card by clicking “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar to prevent further data loss. After backing up the SD card, the software can recover data from the SD card backup, and you can remove the SD card for reuse.

Select the location to scan lost SD card data

Step 2: Filter out lost data from the SD card

When the scan is finished, all the files will be displayed in the left pane of the scan results. Find the photos, videos, and other files you need.

Step 3: Preview and recover the data

Preview the SD card data and select the files you want, then click on the “Recover” button. To avoid overwriting data, do not save the recoverable files to the SD card itself.

Solution 2: Show Hidden Files on SD Card on Mac

The Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can also display hidden files on an SD card. When you click "Search Lost Files," it will start scanning all data on the selected partition, including hidden files. So you can try this software to quickly display hidden files on your SD card.

You can also use the Finder on a Mac to view hidden files on an SD card. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Finder, and then choose the SD card from the list of devices.

Press Command + Shift + . (period) to show or hide hidden files in Finder.

Use Finder to Show Hidden Files on Mac

Alternatively, you can view hidden files on your SD card using the Terminal on a Mac. To learn how, read this article.

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[3 Steps] How to Show Hidden Files on External Hard Drive/Mac

This article offers three methods to find, display, and recover hidden files on your Mac. Read More >>

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Solution 3: Run “First Aid” on the SD card with Disk Utility

The Disk Utility app in macOS includes a feature called First Aid that can check the health of a disk and repair disk errors. If your SD card is showing as full but not due to a problem with the file system on the card, try using First Aid to fix the issue. Here's how:

Step 1: Open “Disk Utility,” found in “Applications” > “Utilities,” and locate your SD card in the left-hand menu.

Disk Utility

Step 2: Select your SD card and click “First Aid” from the top menu, then press the “Run” button.

Step 3. Once the recovery is done, click “Finish,” and check that your files on the SD card are displaying properly.

If First Aid reports that it found corruption that needs to be repaired, verify and repair the damage on the SD card.

Solution 4: Empty the Mac Trash to Free Up Space on the SD Card

If you're coming from a Windows background, this might sound strange, but unlike on Windows, when you delete a file on a Mac, it actually moves it to the Trash, including files on external hard drives, SD cards, or USB flash drives.

Data that's deleted and moved to the trash from an SD card isn't actually erased. It still takes up space on the SD card. This is one reason why your SD card might show as full, but you can't find any files.

Thus, emptying the Trash can permanently delete files from an SD card on Mac. Follow the steps below to empty your Trash:

Step 1: Click the Trash icon ?️ on your Mac's desktop to open it.

Step 2. On a Mac, right-click and select “Empty Trash” to delete all the files in the Trash.

Empty Mac Trash

Sometimes, you might encounter the issue where you are unable to empty the Recycle Bin; in that case, you can refer to the article below to resolve the issue.

Of course, I can. Please provide the English content you would like translated, and I'll translate it into Chinese for you as soon as possible.

Help! Can't Empty Trash on Mac – What to Do?

This article mainly discusses the reasons behind this issue and offers four solutions to fix it. Read More >>

Solution 5: Format the Problematic SD Card

Formatting the SD card can resolve most abnormal issues, such as a damaged file system or the SD card turning into RAW format. Hence, if the files on the SD card are of no value and can be deleted, it's recommended to format the SD card to restore its normal function.

Please follow these steps to format an SD card on your Mac:

Step 1: Open Disk Utility, select your SD card, and click the “Erase” button in the top menu.

Step 2: Rename the SD card, choose the format you want, and click “Erase” to confirm.

Erase on Mac

Conclusions

This article will introduce 5 tested methods to fix the SD card shows full but no content on Mac error, including repairing with a data recovery wizard, unhide files on the SD card, running First Aid in Disk Utility to fix the SD card, emptying the Mac Trash, and formatting the problematic SD card.

"SD Card Shows Full but Has No Content" - A Common Issue on Mac

When people search for how to fix an SD card that shows full but has no content on a Mac, they often ask the following questions:

**1. Why does my SD card show empty on Mac but say it's full?**

Files on an SD card might be hidden or deleted without going to the Trash, or your card might be formatted incorrectly, or its file system might not be compatible with macOS.

How to Clean Up a Full SD Card on Mac?

You can erase the data by formatting the entire SD card using Disk Utility; follow these steps: