How to Fix a Non-Working SanDisk Memory Card Without Losing Data | Latest Methods

Is your SanDisk SD card not showing up or being recognized on your phone or computer? Try these fixes to repair it and recover your data.

Issue: Computer or phone unable to detect SanDisk SD card

"My SD card was working perfectly fine a few days ago. Suddenly, when I checked the media files on my phone today, nothing showed up. I went to the phone settings, and it displayed that the memory card was not detected. I tried three of my friends' SD cards, and they worked fine on my phone, so the issue doesn't lie there. Then, I tried my SD card on my laptop, but it didn't even recognize that I had inserted a memory card. What should I do? It's an urgent matter since I need to retrieve one of the videos from the SD card before next week."

It originated from a forum thread, where a customer posted about a severe SanDisk SD card issue, followed by several others (both new and regulars). They all had one common question: Why is my SanDisk memory card not working? Most of them were using SanDisk Extreme Pro/Plus series micro SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, while a few digital camera users were with XQD cards.

This happens regardless of the memory card's capacity, from the lowest 2GB/4GB to mid-range 32GB/64GB/128GB, and up to the highest 256GB/512GB. The result is the same: the device fails to take photos, install apps, transfer files to a computer, or even recognize the SD card.

Solving SanDisk SD Card Not Working or Detected Issues in Windows 10/8.1/8/7

To fix a SanDisk memory card that is not working properly or not getting detected, you have two options. You can try either of these methods to restore the usability of your SanDisk memory card.

Method 1: Run a Disk Check to Repair Errors on the SanDisk Memory Card

You can try to run the CMD disk check to fix all the internal errors on your SanDisk memory card and get it fixed. Or, you can directly run a free partition manager for assistance.

Option 1: Check and fix SanDisk memory card using free partition management software

If you prefer an easy way, you can use the free partition manager - tools Partition Master Free to fix your SanDisk memory card with its "Check File System" feature:

Option 2: Run CMD commands to check and fix SanDisk memory card

Note that the CMD CHKDSK command will delete all data from your SanDisk memory card. Therefore, make sure to recover data from the SD card using reliable SanDisk recovery software first.

Step 1: Press Windows + X to open the menu, then click "Command Prompt (Admin)."

Step 2: Type chkdsk /f c: (replace “c:” with the drive letter of your USB drive) and press Enter to run the scan.

Step 3: When you're done, type exit and press Enter to close the program.

In most cases, checking and repairing bad sectors and file system errors on the SanDisk SD card will fix the memory card so it shows up properly on your phone, camera, or computer. If it still doesn't work and is invisible in Windows Disk Management or Command Prompt, try the next method.

Method 2: Update the SanDisk memory card driver and format it to NTFS

Step 1: Update the SanDisk memory card driver

1. Open "My Computer" and then select "System Properties." 2. In the left taskbar, click on "Device Manager," and then click the "+" sign next to "USB Controllers." You will then see a yellow exclamation mark. 3. Right-click and choose "Update Driver Software," then click "Search automatically for updated driver software."

Step 2: Format and reset the SanDisk memory card to NTFS/FAT32 format

If the disk appears in Disk Management after updating the driver, but is listed as Invalid, Unallocated, or has another issue, you may be able to format it to NTFS or FAT32 so that your computer can recognize it. (You can perform data recovery before or after a quick format.)

• On Windows 10/8.1/8/7, press Windows + R keys and type diskmgmt.msc to open Disk Management. • Then, right-click on the SanDisk memory card and select Format. • Next, you can set the file system for the SanDisk memory card as NTFS or FAT/FAT32.

Video tutorial on how to fix an SD card that is not working or not being detected

There's also a video tutorial guide that you can follow to fix your non-working or undetected SD card yourself. Let's check it out:

How to recover data from a non-working SanDisk memory card for free?

When your SanDisk memory card, USB drive, external hard drive, or any storage device is inaccessible, not detected, or unrecognized, do not make any changes to the device. Keep it safe and follow the steps below to retrieve your important data.

Download Professional Data Recovery Software

We highly recommend using the professional data recovery software – tools Data Recovery Wizard. Buy the full version to recover unlimited data from SanDisk memory card or any other storage device. Download it for free here.

Recover Data from SanDisk Memory Card

When your SanDisk memory card becomes inaccessible or undetected, don't worry. The Data Recovery Wizard tool can help you easily scan, display, and recover all your data.

Step 1: Select the SD card to scan

1. Download and install the Data Recovery Wizard tool on your Windows computer.
2. Connect your SanDisk/Lexar/Transcend SD card to the computer in the proper way.
3. Launch the SD card recovery software. On the left side, select "SD Card Recovery." All connected drives will be displayed. Choose your SD card and click "Scan."

Step 2: Review the scan results

Wait for the scan to complete. Select a file type, such as pictures or videos, to display. Click "Preview" to check if they're the files you need.

Step 3: Recover Data from SD Card

Preview the recovered files and then click “Recover”. Save the recovered files to a location other than the original SD card.