The Computer Does Not “See” a Memory Card: SD, miniSD, microSD. What Should I Do?

Read to know why a computer can’t see a memory card, why it happens and what to do. Nowadays, a flash card is one of the most popular data media. Whatever can be said, the days of CDs/DVDs is almost over. All the more, when a card costs only three or four times more than a DVD! Still, there is one important thing left to say that breaking a disk is more difficult than breaking a flash card.

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Though it happens not too often, but flash cards may create an unpleasant situation: you take a microSD flash card out of the phone or a camera, insert it into your computer or laptop but it doesn’t “see” it. There can be quite a number of reasons for that: viruses, program errors, a broken-down memory card etc.

In this article, we would like to say more about the most popular reasons for flash cards to become “invisible,” and give some advice and recommendations on what to do if it happened to your card.

Types of flash cards. Does your card reader support the SD card?

This is where we would like to go into detail. Many users often confuse memory card types. The matter is that there are three types of SD cards: microSD, miniSD, SD. Why did the manufacturers create this situation?

There are various devices: for example, a small audio player or a phone, and a camera or video camera. That is, they are very different devices which differ in dimensions, with different requirements to the sped of flash cards and their capacity. That is why there are several kinds of flash cards. Now let us study each one.

microSD

Dimensions: 11mm х 15mm.

microSD

microSD flash cards are very popular because they are used in portable devices such as players, phones and tablet PCs. Using a microSD card, their memory can be expanded tenfold!

Usually they are supplied with a small adapter so that this flash card can be connected as an SD card (we will talk about them a bit later). By the way, in order to connect such flash card to a laptop, you need to insert the micsroSD card into the adapter, and then insert the adapter into the SD reader slot in the front/side panel of your laptop.

miniSD

Dimensions: 21.5mm х 20mm.

miniSD

One day these were popular cards used in portable devices. Nowadays they are used all the more rarely, mostly because of the popularity of microSD format.

SD

Dimensions: 32mm х 24mm.

SD

These cards are used mostly in devices where large capacity and high speed are important. For example, a video camera, a video recording unit in a car, a camera and other devices. SD cards are divided into several generations:

  1. SD 1 – with capacity from 8 MB to 2 GB;
  2. SD 1.1 – up to 4 GB;
  3. SDHC – up to 32 GB;
  4. SDXC – up to 2 TB.

Very important moment when working with SD cards!

Besides the memory capacity, SD card cases also specify speed, or, to say more exactly, class. For example, in the screenshots above, the card class is 4 and 10 – it means that the speed of data exchange with such card is 4 or 10 MB/s, respectively.

It is important to pay attention to the speed class of the flash drive that your device requires!

You can use microSD, with the help of special adapters, instead of regular SD cards. IN fact, it is not recommended to do it every time, because of the speed of information exchange.

SD card readers have backward compatibility: i.е. if you take a device reading SDHC, it will recognize SD cards of generations 1 and 1.1, but it won’t read SDXC. That is why it is important to note what cards your device can read.

By the way, many “relatively old” laptops have built-in card readers that cannot recognize new flash cards, SDHC. The solution is simple – buy a card reader which can be connected to a common USB port; it looks like a big flash drive.

A similar drive letter is a reason for flash drives, memory cards and hard disks to become “invisible”!

The point is that if, for example, your hard disk has letter F: assigned to it and the flash card you have inserted also has the letter F:, the card will not appear in the Explorer window. That is, you go to “This PC” but you can’t see any flash card there!

To improve the situation, go to Disc Management panel. How can you do it?

Right-click on the Start menu and choose “Run.” After that, enter command “diskmgmt.msc”.

Run diskmgmt.msc

Then you should see a window where all connected disks, flash drives and other devices will be shown. It will even show you the devices which are not formatted and therefore cannot be seen in “This PC.” If your memory card appears in this list there are two things you should do:

  • Change its drive letter so it becomes unique (to do so, just right-click on the flash drive and choose the operation to change the drive letter in the context menu);

  • Format the flash card if it is new or if it has no important data on it.
    Attention, the formatting operation will destroy all data on your flash card.

The Computer Does Not “See” a Memory Card: SD, miniSD, microSD. What Should I Do?

Absence of drivers is a widespread reason why a computer cannot see an SD card!

Even if you have a brand new computer/laptop which was delivered from a store just yesterday, it does not guarantee anything. The matter is that shop assistants or specialists that were getting the device ready for sale might forget to install the necessary drivers. Most likely, you have been given disks with drivers (or such disks have been copied to your HDD) and the only thing left to do is to install them.

What can you do if there are no drivers available (for example, you reinstalled Windows and formatted the disk)? There are special utilities that scan the computer (to say more exactly, all of its hardware) and find the latest drivers for every device.

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Connecting an SD card through a USB with the help of another device

If the computer itself cannot see an SD card why don’t you try inserting this card into a device (such as a telephone, camera or video camera) and then connect the device to the PC? Frankly speaking, I rarely take out flash cards from devices, for I prefer copying photos and videos from them by connecting them to the laptop via a USB cable.

Do I need special software to connect my phone to the PC?

New ОС such as Windows 8 or 10 can work with many devices without installing additional software. Drivers are installed and settings adjusted automatically when a device is first connected to a USB port.

Still, it is better to use the software recommended by the manufacturer. For every model of a telephone/camera there are utilities supplied by the manufacturer (see the manufacturer’s website).

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If nothing helps you, we recommend the following steps:

  • Try connecting the card to another computer and see if it can recognize the card;
  • Scan the computer for viruses. Sometimes, there are virus types that can block access to disks (including flash drives).
  • You may need reading an article on repairing flash drives.

If you need to recover data from a memory card, you can use SD Memory Card or USB Drive Recovery Software.

Vladimir Artiukh

Author: , Technical Writer

Vladimir Artiukh is a technical writer for Hetman Software, as well as the voice and face of their English-speaking YouTube channel, Hetman Software: Data Recovery for Windows. He handles tutorials, how-tos, and detailed reviews on how the company’s tools work with all kinds of data storage devices.

Oleg Afonin

Editor: , Technical Writer

Oleg Afonin is an expert in mobile forensics, data recovery and computer systems. He often attends large data security conferences, and writes several blogs for such resources as xaker.ru, Elcomsoft and Habr. In addition to his online activities, Oleg’s articles are also published in professional magazines. Also, Oleg Afonin is the co-author of a well-known book, Mobile Forensics - Advanced Investigative Strategies.

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Questions and answers

  • What are the common reasons for a computer not recognizing a memory card?
    1. The memory card is not properly inserted into the computer's card reader.
    2. The memory card is not compatible with the computer's card reader.
    3. The memory card is corrupted or damaged.
    4. The card reader is not working properly.
    5. The computer's drivers are outdated or not installed correctly.
  • How can a user check if their computer is recognizing the memory card?
    1. Insert the memory card into the computer's card reader.
    2. Open the computer's File Explorer.
    3. Look for the memory card listed under the "Devices and drives" section.
    4. If the memory card is listed, then it is being recognized by the computer.
  • Is it possible to recover data from a memory card that is not recognized by the computer?

    Yes, it is possible to recover data from a memory card that is not recognized by the computer. There are a variety of data recovery software programs available that can help you recover data from a memory card that is not recognized by the computer. Additionally, some companies specialize in data recovery and can help you recover data from a memory card that is not recognized by the computer.

  • Can formatting a memory card solve the issue of it not being recognized by a computer?

    No, formatting a memory card will not solve the issue of it not being recognized by a computer. It is likely that the memory card is damaged or corrupted, and formatting it will not fix the issue. You may need to replace the memory card or use a different card reader.

  • What steps can a user take to troubleshoot the issue of a memory card not being recognized by the computer?
    1. Check the memory card for any physical damage.
    2. Make sure the memory card is properly inserted into the computer.
    3. Check if the memory card is compatible with the computer.
    4. Try a different USB port on the computer.
    5. Try a different memory card reader.
    6. Try using a different computer to see if the memory card is recognized.
    7. Update the computer’s operating system and drivers.
    8. Check if the memory card is corrupted or has any virus.
    9. Reformat the memory card to the correct file system.

Comments (12)

  • Wilfried
    Wilfried 4.06.2019 00:22 #
    I had a similar problem, the memory card was suddenly reported as defective in the phone. The formatting can not been the reason, because it has worked well 8 months. After my research on the net, I now know what's going on. If memory cards are not recognized or if the PC asks for formatting, the controller on the memory card is definitely defective and no software of the world will fix this physical damage !!
    Reply
  • Vicary Hector
    Vicary Hector 11.08.2016 04:41 #
    Is it possible to recover data from a physically damaged memory card that is not being recognized by the computer?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 11.08.2016 04:56 #
      Yes, it is possible to recover data from a physically damaged memory card that is not being recognized by the computer. You can use data recovery software to scan the memory card and recover the data. However, the success rate of this process depends on the severity of the damage and the quality of the software.
      Reply
  • Reggie Gibbs
    Reggie Gibbs 11.08.2016 02:43 #
    Are there any external devices that can help with recovering data from a memory card that is not being recognized by the computer?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 11.08.2016 03:04 #
      Yes, there are external devices that can help with recovering data from a memory card that is not being recognized by the computer. These devices are typically referred to as memory card readers and they allow you to connect the memory card directly to your computer or laptop via USB or other connection types. Once connected, you can use recovery software to scan the card for any recoverable data.
      Reply
  • Elvis Camidge
    Elvis Camidge 10.08.2016 23:39 #
    How can a user prevent a memory card from becoming damaged and not being recognized by the computer?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 11.08.2016 00:04 #
      1. Always use a card reader when transferring data from the memory card to a computer.
      2. Avoid exposing the memory card to extreme temperatures, moisture, and dust.
      3. Keep the memory card in its protective case when not in use.
      4. Do not remove the memory card from the device while it is in use.
      5. Do not bend or drop the memory card.
      6. Format the memory card regularly to ensure that it is free of errors and corruption.
      Reply
  • Laurence Exton
    Laurence Exton 10.08.2016 19:25 #
    What are some common mistakes users make that can lead to a memory card not being recognized by the computer?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 10.08.2016 19:53 #
      1. Not formatting the memory card correctly: Many memory cards require specific formatting before they can be recognized by the computer. If the memory card is not formatted correctly, the computer may not recognize it.
      2. Using an incompatible memory card: Different computers may require different types of memory cards. Make sure to use a memory card that is compatible with your computer.
      3. Damaged memory card: Memory cards can become damaged if they are exposed to extreme temperatures or if they are dropped or knocked around too much. If your memory card is damaged, it may not be recognized by the computer.
      4. Dirty or dusty memory card: Dust and dirt can accumulate on memory cards and cause them to malfunction. Make sure to clean your memory card regularly to ensure it is working properly.
      5. Corrupt memory card: Memory cards can become corrupted if they are not used properly. This can lead to the computer not recognizing the memory card.
      Reply
  • Buddy Harwood
    Buddy Harwood 10.08.2016 16:18 #
    Are there any software programs that can help with recovering data from a memory card that is not being recognized by the computer?
    Reply
    • Hetman Software
      Hetman Software 10.08.2016 16:48 #
      Yes, there are several software programs available that can help with recovering data from a memory card that is not being recognized by the computer. Some of the most popular programs include Recuva, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, Stellar Data Recovery, and Disk Drill.
      Reply
  • Hetman Software: Data Recovery
    Hetman Software: Data Recovery 27.04.2018 14:58 #
    Read why PC not recognizing SD card. If you do have any questions, don't hesitate to contact our technical support service - we will be happy to help you.
    Reply
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