How to Fix ‘SD Card Locked’ Error in 4 Ways Without Losing Data

When your memory card is locked, don't worry. You can unlock it without losing any data by trying one of the methods provided here:

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Memory card is locked

"Recently, I've been having some issues with my camera memory card. Whenever I try to take pictures using my Sony camera, it displays an error message saying 'Memory card is locked.' So, how can I unlock the locked memory card without formatting or losing any data?"

Memory cards, including SD cards, Micro SD cards, and CF cards, are commonly used in digital cameras and Android phones. As mentioned in "How to Fix Photos and Videos Not Showing Up on Your SD Card," the "memory card locked" error is quite common. When your memory card is locked or write-protected, you won't be able to add new files to your device or edit existing ones, which is not ideal for most users. To ensure that you can use your SD card as usual, you need to unlock your memory card to get rid of the "memory card locked" or "SD card locked" error.

Four Fixes for "Memory Card Locked" Error

Depending on your specific situation, you'll need to take different steps to unlock your SD card.

Method 1: Remove the “Memory Card Locked” Error with the Lock Switch

Most SD cards, SDHC cards, SDXC cards, or Eye-Fi cards have a small plastic sliding switch on the left side of the card that locks and unlocks the device to prevent writing or erasing data on the card. When the switch is in the "up" position, the card is unlocked and can be read from and written to. When it's in the "down" position, the memory card is "locked," which causes your camera or Android phone to display an "SD card locked" error.

So, when you see the “Memory Card Locked” error, check your SD card to make sure that you haven't accidentally slid the tiny lock switch on the side of the SD card to the “Lock” position (downward). This is the first and simplest way to unlock memory card.

If this switch is missing or damaged, you can carefully flick it with a toothpick or similar object to unlock the SD card.

Method 2: Unlock the SD Card with a Password

If you locked your SD card on an Android, you'll need to enter the password you set on the phone to fix the “SD card is locked” error.

Step 1: Open the "Settings" app on your Android phone.

Step 2: Go to Security and privacy > Advanced settings.

Step 3: Select “Unlock SD card” and enter your password when prompted.

Method 3: Remove the Write Protection from your SD Card

The write protection feature on an SD card can also cause the “SD card locked” error on a digital camera or phone. So, in some cases, removing the write protection might help. You can use diskpart on a computer to remove the “Read-Only” attribute.

Step 1: Connect the memory card to your computer via a card reader, and launch the Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2: Type diskpart, and then click “Yes” on the UAC prompt that appears to allow the action.

Step 3: Enter the following commands in order:

list volume select volume X (replace "X" with the number of your read-only SD card)
attributes disk clear readonly

If you consider yourself not very computer-savvy or not comfortable with the command line, don't worry. There are graphical solutions that can help you unprotect your hard drive, USB drive, or even an SD card.

CleanGenius is one of those tools that can help you fix such issues on your disk without having to resort to the command line.

Here is a simple, easy-to-follow guide on how to use this tool to address your concerns:

Step 1: Download and install CleanGenius (a free software) on your computer.

Step 2: Run CleanGenius on your computer, select Optimize, and then select Write Protection mode.

Step 3: Select the device you wish to remove the write protection from, and click “Disable” to take the protection off.

Method 4: Format the Memory Card

If you can't remember the password or none of the above methods fix the “Memory card locked” error on your storage device, you'll have to format the memory card to force-unlock it, which will delete all existing files on the device. Also, data deleted by forcing an SD card unlock is difficult to recover.

How to Recover Lost Files from a Locked Memory Card

If you have successfully fixed the “SD card locked” error but have noticed data loss on your device, you can use the Data Recovery Wizard tool to recover lost data. Furthermore, while it's challenging to retrieve deleted files by force-unlocking the device, you can still attempt to scan and search for missing files using this software.

Perform SD Card Data Recovery:

Step 1. Connect your SD card, memory card, or CF card to the computer and launch the Memory Card Recovery software on the PC. The SD card will be listed under “Devices”. Select the SD card and click on “Scan” to start searching for lost data.

Select the location, and then click “Scan”.

< strong > Step 2: The software will start scanning automatically. The scan is powerful enough to find all lost files, even those that have lost their file names. When the scan is finished, you can find your deleted items in the tree view panel on the left. If you're looking for a specific type of file such as photos, documents, videos, or emails, click on "Filter".

Step 3. You can preview the content of files by double-clicking on them. Then, select the files you need and hit “Recover” to restore them to a secure location on your computer or any other external storage device.

Bottom line

Resolving a "Locked SD card" issue, especially when you forget the password or the lock switch is not working properly, usually involves data loss. This should serve as a reminder to back up your data regularly. You can do this by manually copying files to another location, using a free backup software, or syncing your files to cloud storage. Whatever method you choose, taking action is crucial.