["SD Card Unavailable"] Solutions to Fix Unmounted SD Card on Android and PC

Top 5 Ways to Fix SD Card Unavailable/Mount Error

To get your phone or a particular device to read from and write to a memory card, you need to mount it. Most of the time, this happens automatically when you insert the card. However, sometimes this fails, so you'll need to choose to mount the SD card or fix an error that's preventing the SD card from mounting.

Here, we have picked the five most common and effective methods to fix the SD card won't mount issue. Read on to learn more.

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How do I fix an Android phone that can't mount an SD card?

"My LG phone is not able to mount the SD card. I've tried various methods to fix it, but none of them worked. If restarting the phone and constantly ejecting then reinserting the SD card into the phone doesn't help, how can I properly mount the SD card on my device?"

Many people use SD cards to store more data or photos. Sometimes, these SD cards may not install or get recognized by your Android phone. However, the memory card not reading or the recognition error doesn't have a specific reason. It can be due to anything. Before troubleshooting the error, you need to understand what does “mounted” mean.

What does it mean when an SD card is mounted or unmounted?

When you receive an error on your phone, camera, or other digital device that uses an external memory card, stating that the SD card is not mounting, here's a brief introduction to what “mounting” and “unmounting” means.

It is installed: The card is integrated with your computer, phone, or any other device, and ready for use. The operating system reads the file system on the SD card to understand its contents and control reading from and writing to it.

Not mounted: The card is unmounted and can be safely removed without risk of damage. The operating system has given up control of the SD card so that other processes (such as copying files to a PC and back) can access it.

If your SD card is not mounting or unrecognized, you can try the following solutions to get it functioning normally.

Fix 1: Solve the SD card not mounting issue on Android smartphones

For older Android phones with an SD card

Some older Android phones have an option to install an SD card. With your problematic micro SD card and Android device at the ready, let's get started.

Step 1: Power off your Android smartphone. Insert the SD card into its slot on the device.

Step 2: Turn on the device.

Step 3: Tap Settings from the main menu, and then choose SD card and phone storage.

Step 4: Tap "Reformat." It should only take a few seconds for the formatting process to complete. If it's taking longer than expected, try restarting your phone.

Step 5: In the same window you formatted your SD card, tap "Mount SD card." If "Mount SD card" is not an option, first select "Unmount SD card." Wait for the SD card to unmount, then tap "Mount SD card."

If you're using a new SD card, the Install SD Card option won't be available. You can format the SD card on your phone:

On your Android phone, go to “Settings” > tap on “Storage” > and then choose “Format SD card.”

Fix 2: Format the SD Card to Resolve Mounting Issues When an SD card fails to mount, formatting it might be an effective solution. Make sure to back up important data first, as formatting will erase everything. Here's how to format the card: 1. Insert the SD card into a card reader and connect the reader to your computer. 2. Open "My Computer" or "File Explorer" to locate the SD card device. 3. Right-click on the SD card icon and select the "Format" option. 4. In the pop-up window, ensure the file system is set to FAT32 (compatible with most devices), and the allocation unit size is usually left at its default. 5. Check the "Quick Format" option and then click "Start" to begin formatting. 6. Wait for the formatting process to complete, and then try remounting the SD card to see if the issue is resolved. Please note that the formatting steps may vary slightly across different operating systems, such as macOS or Linux. If using Windows, follow the above guide; for other systems, search for corresponding formatting tools.

Aside from loose connections and some Android system issues, the SD card is most likely damaged if your phone won't mount it. You can also try using a third-party, free partitioning app to fix a micro SD card that won't mount. This method is more advanced and efficient, but it's riskier.

Step 1: Right-click on the SD card's partition that you want to format and select “Format…”

Step 2: Specify a new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and cluster size for the selected disk partition, then click "OK".

Step 3: Click "Yes" in the dialog box to continue.

4. Click “Run 1 Task” on the toolbar, and then click “Apply” to begin formatting the SD card.

After it's formatted, put the card back into your Android. The phone should mount the SD card automatically. If not, try remounting manually as described in Method 1.

Solution 3: Run CHKDSK to Fix inaccessible SD Card

If your OPPO or VIVO SD card is not working or not being recognized, you can run CHKDSK to check for any errors on the SD card.

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type cmd, and press Enter.

Step 2: Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 3: Type the following command:

chkdsk E: /f /r /x Translates to: Check the file system for errors on drive E:, fix any errors, forcibly dismount the volume, and remount it.

"E" is the letter of the SD card drive you need to fix.

Using the CHKDSK Utility

Step 1: Select the SD card to scan

• Download and install the Data Recovery Wizard tool on your Windows computer.
• Connect your SanDisk/Lexar/Transcend SD card to the computer using the appropriate method.
• Launch the SD card recovery software. On the left side, select "SD Card Recovery." This will display all connected drives. Choose your SD card and click "Scan."

Step 2: Check the scan results

Wait for the scan to complete. Select the type of file you want to display, like pictures or videos. Click "Preview" to check if they're the files you're looking for.

Step 3. Recover Data from SD Card

• Preview the recovered files, and then click “Recover.” • Select a location other than the original SD card to save your recovered files.

Read more: How to Run CHKDSK to Check and Repair Drive Errors

Solution 4: Update SD Card Driver to Fix SD Card Not Mounting Issue

If your device driver is outdated, you might also encounter the SD card not installed error. Hence, you can update the SD card driver to fix this error.

Step 1. In Windows 11/10, type “Control Panel” in the search box next to the Windows menu and open it.

Step 2. Find Device Manager and open it.

Step 3: Right-click on your SD card and select “Properties.” From there, click the “Driver” tab and then click “Update Driver.” You can choose to search automatically for updated driver software.

Solution 5: Recover SD Card Data/Pictures to Save Your Data

If you have managed to fix the issue with your SD card not mounting, you can recover as many photos, videos, and documents as possible. All you need is a powerful data recovery app. This is an all-around data recovery tool that can help you restore lost photos, videos, and music files. It has lots of highlights and great features:

- Recover deleted, formatted, and inaccessible data from various data loss situations. - Effectively, safely, and completely restore photos, audio, music, and emails from any storage device. - Retrieve files from the Recycle Bin, hard drives, memory cards, flash drives, digital cameras, and camcorders.

Please follow the steps below to easily recover data from your SD card.

Please download the CleanGenius tool and install it on your computer. Now, let's proceed to scan and fix file system errors on your device.

Step 1: Click "File Display" to proceed.

Step 2: Select the target device and check "Check and repair file system errors." Click "Run" to start fixing the problem device.

Step 3: After the restore is complete, click Here to activate and use your device.

Conclusions

This content offers you 5 effective ways to fix the SD card not working issue. You can make your Android memory card detectable and readable on the phone again. If you want to format SD card or manage SD card space, you can always turn to a disk management tool – MiniTool Partition Wizard for help.