Applies to: SanDisk memory cards and memory cards from other brands

When do you need an SD card repair tool?

Normally, when your memory card gets corrupted, you need an SD card repair tool. There are many ways an SD card can get damaged. You can classify this damage into two categories: logical damage and physical damage. If your SanDisk SD card is physically damaged, no repair tool can help you but manual repair service. If your memory card is logically damaged, check if your SD card falls under any of the situations below:

    • The SD card shows no files, but there are actually files on it
    • The memory card shows as RAW file system
    • The SD card appears as "Lost," "No Media", or another status in Disk Management

Of course, there could be other reasons that make your SD card inaccessible. But these are the most common ones, and you need an SD card repair tool to fix a corrupted SD card. An SD card repair tool can fix file system errors, formatting errors, read errors, and other logical damages. However, as some SD card repair tools fix a damaged SD card by restoring the flash drive to its factory default settings, you would lose data after the repair. In this case, you need to back up your data before using the repair tool.

Before you begin: Back up your files from the damaged SD card

If the files on the SD card are still accessible, you can copy the files and folders to another location for backup. But most of the time, when your SD card is corrupted, you cannot open and access the files on it. This is when you need to use an SD card recovery tool like the Data Recovery Wizard to retrieve your data before fixing it. Whether it's SanDisk, Toshiba, Sony, Kingston, or any other brand, as long as the SD card is detectable but not accessible, it can easily recover the data.

Important:
You will still need to perform the data recovery yourself, even if your SanDisk SD card is still under warranty. Also, the SanDisk warranty does not cover any sort of data recovery service. Thus, using a data recovery software is more cost-efficient than availing manual data recovery services.

Use this SanDisk recovery tool to retrieve data from your 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 PC 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."
Select the SD card and click 'Scan'

Step 2: Check the scan results

    Wait for the scan to complete. Select one or more file types to display, such as pictures or videos. Click "Preview" to check if they're the files you're looking for.
Recover Lost Photos

Step 3. Recover Data from the SD Card

  • Preview the recovered files and then click "Recover."
  • Choose a location different from the original SD card to save the recovered files.
Recover Lost Photos

After recovering data from a damaged or inaccessible SD card, you can use the Data Recovery Service offered here to fix the damaged SD card.

Hard Drive Repair and Data Recovery Services

Contact our experts for a free evaluation.

Get personalized consultation with our Data Recovery Specialists for manual recovery services. After a free diagnosis, we offer the following:

  • Repair of HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives, USB flash drives, and data recovery from all RAID levels
  • Recovery of lost partitions that cannot be restored by data recovery software
  • Repair of disks with bad sectors that are unreadable or inaccessible
  • Remedy for disks converted to GPT protected partitions
  • Erase data, format hard drives, install/uninstall software or drivers, etc.

Download an SD Card Repair tool to fix the corrupted SD card.

There are many reasons that can cause SD card damage, so there are also various methods to fix a corrupted SD card. You can try the free partition manager – AOMEI Partition Assistant, which also works as an SD card repair tool, to fix your SD card with ease.

With this SD card recovery software, you can recover files from SD card in 3 ways:

Method 1: Repair the Corrupted SD Card by Changing its Drive Letter

When there's a drive letter conflict between your SD card and a partition on your computer, you won't see the SD card in File Explorer. Hence, changing the drive letter of the SD card should help. Download and launch the SD Card Repair Tool, right-click on the SD card, and choose Change Drive Letter. From the drop-down, select the drive letter you want to assign to the card and hit “OK” to finalize the process.

Method 2: Repair the Damaged SD Card by Running CHKDSK

With the help of partition manager software – MiniTool Partition Wizard, you can check and fix SD card errors including file system error, bad sectors, etc.

Method 3: Repair a Damaged SD Card by Formatting It

Formatting the SD card can be helpful when you see it turn into a RAW file system. Since formatting will lead to data loss on the storage medium, make sure you have backed up the files on your SD card using the methods mentioned above.

Video Tutorial: How to Fix a Damaged SD Card

There is a video tutorial guide below that you can follow to fix and repair your damaged SD card yourself. It also includes some extra fixing methods that might get your SD card working again. Let's check it out:

Tips on How to Repair Damaged SD Card with SD Card Repair Tools

The built-in Windows repair tool, Diskpart, can help you easily remove write protection and fix a corrupted SanDisk memory card, USB drive, hard drive, or any other device. The built-in Windows troubleshooter can also assist you in finding and resolving issues with your devices and hardware. Hence, you might want to try these methods to fix the damaged SD card.

Method 1: Remove Write Protection from SanDisk SD Card using Diskpart

When your SD card is write-protected, you can't edit the files on it. You'll need to remove the write protection to fix the SD card.

Step 1: Press "Win + R," type "cmd," and press "Enter" to open the Command Prompt.

Step 2: Type diskpart, and press Enter to open Diskpart.

Step 3: Type list disk and press "Enter".

Step 4: Type select disk 0 (replace “0” with the number of your damaged SD card) and hit Enter.

5. Type attributes disk clear readonly and press Enter to remove the write protection from the storage device.

Step 6: Close the Command Prompt window once the write protection removal process is complete.

Method 2: Use the Windows Troubleshooter to Repair a Corrupted SD Card

As mentioned, the Windows Troubleshooter can address issues with devices and hardware. You might want to give that a try.

Plug your SD card into your computer using an SD card reader.

Step 2. Click the Start button, type troubleshoot, and then select Troubleshooting.

Step 3: Click on "Hardware and Devices" under "Find and fix other problems."

Step 4. Click on “Run the troubleshooter.”

Fix corrupted SD card - Run built-in Windows Troubleshooter

Bottom line

When your SD card is corrupted, you first need to identify the reason and then solve it accordingly. Sometimes, you don't need an SD card repair tool because inbuilt solutions can help you fix the SD card. If you're unsure about the cause, try all the above hacks one by one to see if the card gets fixed.

Frequently Asked Questions about SanDisk SD Card Repair Tools

Read through the questions and answers below for more help with SD card recovery.

1. How to fix a damaged SD card that can't be formatted?

Below are the effective ways to repair a damaged SD card without formatting:

    • Recover data from SD card using data recovery software
    • Display hidden files on the SD card
    • Seek manual data recovery services
    • Reconnect the SD card or try another device...

What happens if an SD card is not formatted?

If your SD card says it's unformatted, the files are still there, but your computer isn't able to read them.

How to fix a corrupted SanDisk SD card on Android?

Follow the steps listed in this guide to repair and format a corrupted Android SD card.

    - Back up all data on the card. - Format the card using your computer. - Reinsert the card into your Android device. - If your device doesn't detect the card, format the card on your Android device. - Insert the card into your computer and restore your data. - Insert the card into your Android device.

< strong > 4. Can undetected SD card be fixed?

Yes, you will need to format the SD card on your computer. However, before doing so, it's recommended to try recovering any files that might still be present on the SD card using a data recovery tool.