{"id":30705,"date":"2020-06-30T16:48:28","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T16:48:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=30705"},"modified":"2026-05-05T17:11:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T17:11:41","slug":"sd-card-repair-how-to-fix-corrupted-sd-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/fix-corrupted-sd-card.html","title":{"rendered":"SD Card Repair: How to Fix Corrupted SD Card"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you having trouble accessing files on an SD card because it’s corrupted or damaged? We put together this guide with proven ways to fix a corrupted SD card, whether the problem is a messed-up file system, a missing partition, or errors that prevent your device from reading the card properly. Some repair methods are safe and won’t touch your data, while others are more radical and involve formatting or restructuring the card. If the files on your memory card matter to you, we’ll walk you through how to recover them first before trying any risky fixes.<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>Common Signs Indicating SD Card Corruption\/Damage<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

\"how<\/p>\r\n

It’s possible for a perfectly working SD card to fail without warning, but most SD cards first show certain tell-tale signs of corruption\/damage before they stop working. If you learn to recognize these signs, you’ll be able to back up your data in time and fix the underlying problem while you still can. <\/p>\r\n

Signs of SD card corruption\/damage<\/b>:<\/p>\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Symptom<\/b><\/td>\r\nDescription<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
👀 No SD card detected<\/td>\r\nYou insert your SD card into your digital camera or laptop, wait, wait some more, but nothing happens. No sound, no message, nothing. In the next section of this article, we explain how to recover lost data from such an SD card using data recovery software<\/a> ✅ and how to assign a new drive letter<\/a> to make the card accessible.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
🖊️ Read\/write issues<\/td>\r\nWhen transferring data to\/from an SD card, there shouldn’t be any error messages indicating read\/write issues. If that’s what you’re dealing with, you can try to use the SD card on another device\/PC<\/a>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
🔌 Connection issues<\/td>\r\nIf you have to reinsert the SD card several times before it finally mounts properly, you might be dealing with a faulty port or SD card reader. Try another USB port or change the adapter or card reader<\/a>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
🧹 Windows format error<\/td>\r\nIf the SD card contains important data, and you see the dreaded Windows format error (You need to format the disk in drive X: before you can use it), you should first recover your files using data recovery software<\/a> before formatting the card.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
📄 Missing files<\/td>\r\nOne obvious sign that something is seriously wrong with your SD card is the sudden absence of files you haven’t deleted yourself. When files go missing, you should make sure that hidden files are displayed<\/a>. <\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
🤨 Unknown files present<\/td>\r\nConversely, corruption can cause unknown files to appear on your SD card. Such files tend to have nonsensical names and be impossible to open using any installed software application. That’s where Windows Repair Tool<\/a> can help.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
🗜️ Wrong SD card capacity<\/td>\r\nIf the storage capacity of your SD card is supposed to be 64 GB, but your operating system is telling you that it’s only, let’s say, 39 GB large, then it could be corrupted. Of course, it’s also possible that the SD card is simply formatted wrong. In that case, you can format it again<\/a>. <\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
🐌 Slow performance<\/td>\r\nBad SD card drivers can negatively impact the performance of your SD card and make data transfers take a very long time. In extreme cases, it might take you as much as several hours to transfer just a few photos or video files. Reinstalling SD card drivers<\/a> is the most obvious solution. <\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
💥 Device Malfunction<\/td>\r\nIf your SD card has become corrupted, it can directly cause malfunction to the device it’s been inserted in. A black screen can appear on your digital camera or an “SD Card error” message would flash on your GoPro when you try to access it. We recommend you retrieve your data using data recovery software<\/a> and then you can attempt to create a new partition<\/a>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
📖 SD card displays as RAW<\/td>\r\nWhen your SD card is not properly formatted with a file system, it can become RAW. The RAW SD card becomes unreadable by any operating system and is a clear sign of SD card corruption. You can fix this by formatting the RAW SD card to FAT32<\/a>. <\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n

<\/div>\r\n

If any of these symptoms sound familiar, you need to make a quick but important decision right now by answering the following question: How valuable is the data on that card? Most of the fixes we cover below carry some risk to your files, from minor to total wipeout. In short, most repair methods involve altering the card’s structure, which could permanently overwrite your files. So if there’s anything on that memory card you can’t afford to lose, your first move before uncorrupting an SD card should be recovering that data. We’ll show you exactly how to do that in the next section.<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>Use SD Card Data Recovery Software to Recover Files<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

To get your data back, you can use SD card data recovery software<\/a> like Disk Drill.<\/p>\r\n

Important<\/b>: If you connect your memory card to a PC and Disk Drill picks it up, don’t wait. Start recovery right away. The longer you delay (or the more fixes you attempt), the higher the chance that recoverable data gets overwritten for good.<\/div>\r\n

Disk Drill is a reliable data recovery solution<\/a> that supports all types of SD cards, including SD, SD High Capacity (SDHC), and SD Extended Capacity (SDXC). It can quickly recover any files (pictures, videos, audio, documents, etc.), and you can preview recoverable files before recovery.<\/p>\r\n