What to do if the SD memory card (flash drive) is not readable?

SD card is not working or “SD card” device is damaged

The most common variant of the situation in which your device does not quite “see” the memory card: when you connect the memory card to Android, a message appears stating that the SD card is not working and the device is damaged.

By clicking on the message it is proposed to format the memory card.

This does not always mean that the memory card is really damaged, especially if it works on a computer or laptop. In this case, a common reason for such a message is a file system not supported by Android (for example, NTFS).

What to do in this situation? There are the following options.

If important data is present on the memory card, transfer it to the computer, and then format the memory card to FAT32 or ExFAT on the computer or simply insert it into your Android device and format it as a portable drive or internal memory

If important data is not available on the memory card, use Android tools for formatting: either click on the notification that the SD card is not working, or go to Settings - Storage and USB drives, in the "Removable storage" section, click on "SD card" marked “Damaged”, click “Configure” and select the formatting option for the memory card (the “Portable Storage” option allows you to use it not only on the current device, but also on the computer).

However, if an Android phone or tablet cannot format the memory card and still does not see it, then the problem may not be just in the file system.

Note: you can receive the same message about a damaged memory card without being able to read it on a computer if it was used as internal memory on another device or on the current one, but the device was reset to factory settings.

Unsupported memory card

Not all Android devices support any amount of memory cards.

If you are faced with the fact that the phone or tablet does not detect the memory card, check its specifications: try searching the Internet whether the size and type of memory card (Micro SD, SDHC, SDXC) of the memory you want to connect is supported. Information on the supported volume for many devices is on Yandex Market, but sometimes you have to look for characteristics in English sources.

Contaminated contacts on a memory card or slot for it

If dust accumulates in the memory card slot on your phone or tablet, or if the contacts on the memory card itself are oxidized or dirty, it may not be visible to your Android device.

In this case, you can try to clean the contacts on the card itself (for example, with an eraser, carefully laying it on a flat hard surface) and, if possible, on the phone (if you have access to the contacts or you know how to get it).

Additional Information

If none of the options described above fits and Android still does not respond to the memory card and does not see it, try the following options:

• If a memory card is visible on it when connected via a card reader to a computer, just try formatting it in FAT32 or ExFAT in Windows and reconnecting it to your phone or tablet.
• In a situation where the Micro SD card is not displayed on Android or on the computer (including the Disk Management utility, but there are no problems with the contacts, you are sure there is, with a high probability, it was damaged and it won’t get to work.
• There are "fake" memory cards, often purchased in Chinese online stores, which claim to have one memory size and it is displayed on the computer, but the actual amount is less (this is done using firmware), such memory cards may not work on Android.