Why Isn't My SD Card Working in My Camera? Solutions Revealed!

What do you do when your SD card becomes inaccessible in your camera? Or when it just stops working in your camera without any warning? What causes a camera to display a card error, and how can you fix it?

The error of a camera not reading an SD card might result from file system corruption, physical damage, or a virus attack. You can resolve this issue by checking SD card compatibility, reinserting the card, unlocking or formatting it, and cleaning the card slot. Additionally, you can utilize professional SD card recovery software to fix the issue without losing data.

Is your SD card not working in your camera? Here's why, and how to fix it. Let's get started!

Why can't my SD card be used in the camera?

If you have the same doubt, you can check here for possible reasons; it might be one of them that causes the camera SD card not to work:

• Camera SD card slot is damaged
• SD card is damaged
• SD card is locked or write protected
• SD card is not detected
• SD card is showing as unable to format or unable to format SD card
• Unable to access SD card

What to Do When Your Camera's SD Card Isn't Working – Test and Identify the Problem

So, how do you define the major reason behind your SD card not working properly? Test the SD card to pinpoint the exact error.

Here are the steps and solutions:

Now, follow the guide below for your specific camera to get your SD card working again.

#1. Replace a damaged or faulty camera SD card

Error: The SD card is physically damaged or partially damaged.

How to fix it:  

Step 1: Get a new SD card that's the same size or larger than your old one.

Step 2: Replace the damaged card and format the new SD card with the appropriate format.

Suggested SD card format:

• SD/SDHC card – formatted as FAT32
• SDXC or Video Recording – formatted as exFAT

#2. Unlock SD Card – Slide the SD card lock switch to the “off” position.

Error: SD card is locked. The switch on the SD card is in the “Lock” position.

How to fix it:

Step 1: Eject or remove the SD card from your camera correctly.

Step 2 Locate the SD card's lock switch, and slide it to the “Lock” position.

Step 3: After that, re-insert the SD card into the camera and check if it works correctly.

#3 Repair the SD Card Slot in the Camera

Error: You connect the SD card to your computer and it works fine. The problem is with the SD card slot on your camera.

How to fix:

Step 1: Open the SD card slot cover on your camera.

Step 2: Check for dust covering the slots.

If so, clean all components with a cotton swab. Use an alcohol wipe if necessary, and let it dry.

Step 3: After cleaning, re-insert the SD card into your camera and see if it works correctly.

If not, you'll need to take it to an authorized repair center.

#4. Reinsert the SD card and turn on the camera

Error: Camera error message - Card cannot be accessed. Reinsert/replace the card, or format the card in the camera.

How to fix it:

Step 1: Remove the SD card from your camera.

Step 2: Turn off the camera and wait two to three minutes.

Step 3: Reinsert the SD card and restart the camera.

Check if the SD card is working properly in the camera. If not, proceed to the next section to fix the error for good.

#5. Accessing and Formatting the SD Card

Error: SD card not formatted. Format the card using this camera.

How to fix it:

1. Access and recover files from an SD card

If the files on your camera's SD card are important, we recommend that you follow the instructions here to back up your SD card photos and videos to a safe location beforehand.

Here are the steps to follow:

Download and install the Data Recovery Wizard tool > Connect the SD card to your computer > Use its photo recovery feature to scan and retrieve all SD files.

Step-by-step guide on how to recover deleted files from SD card:

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 in the right way.
• Launch the SD card recovery software. On the left, select "SD Card Recovery." All connected drives will be displayed. Choose your SD card and hit "Scan."

Step 2: Check the scan results

Wait for the scan to complete. Select a file type to display, such as 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."
• Choose a location different from the original SD card to save the recovered files.

Guide to Recover Videos from Camera SD Card:

After saving the file to the SD card, you can troubleshoot errors with the SD card not working in your camera by following these steps.

Step 2: Format the SD card to a camera-supported format

You can format the SD card on either your camera or your computer. Here's how:

Format on camera:

1. Insert the SD card into your camera and turn the camera on.

2. Go to Settings and look for an option to format or format the SD card.

3. Press the OK button to format the memory card on the camera.

Computer Formatting:

1. Insert the SD card into your computer and open File Explorer. Right-click on the SD card and select "Format."

2. Choose either "FAT32" or "exFAT" as the format option, then check "Quick Format." Click "OK."

Finally, back up your camera photos and videos promptly.

On this page, we explain the reasons behind the "SD card not working in camera" error and provide 5 solutions to fix it. Which method works best?

Editor's Note: If it's not a hardware problem, try the fixes in order from Method 2 to Method 4.

The most useful trick is to format the SD card.

Of course, remember to recover and back up all the files on the card using something like Data Recovery Wizard before you format it.

And, finally, remember to back up important videos and photos from your camera to a local device regularly, because you never know when the next glitch or problem will occur.