Smartphones may have given up on the SD card, but Cameras still hold a special place on the SD card. The media between SD card readers, computers and SD cards is of interest today.
While SD card reader failure is a common thing for users due to external issues like physical damages or unsuitable USB drives, the SD card reader error in Windows 10 appeared more and more when this was submitted to one of the Windows updates.
In this post, we will discuss everything you need to know about this SD card error in Windows. Don’t worry, you will have fixed this SD card error shortly by the end of this article.
Why is my SD card reader not working?
Before continuing to learn how to fix SD card reader error in Windows 10, it is recommended that you verify that this error is not caused by hardware problems.
Verify your hardware components to fix SD card reader error:
To verify that any of the hardware components such as SD card reader, USB cable or SD card is not the cause of this SD card reader error, do as outlined below.
Is your SD card reader compatible or suitable for use on Windows 10? This could be a reason behind the SD card reader error. The SD card reader you are using must be compatible with your computer. Some older card readers do not support the latest SD cards. Also, your SD card should not have any physical damage that could bring this SD card error. Look for a faulty USB cable or port: This may sound simple but this is one of the most common reasons behind SD card reader error. Verify or replace the USB cable to see if the error persists, if yes, do the same to other ports on your computer or on a different computer. Verify Your SD Card As we mentioned that SD card readers are compatible with SD card, the same goes for SD card. Physically damaged SD cards can also make them unreadable or this can lead to SD card reader error. Clean and reinstall the SD card.
If you have confirmed that this SD card reader error is not caused by any physical problem, you can proceed to the next section to find the solution.
If your SD card is the culprit, proceed directly to formatting your SD card. But before formatting, use this data recovery software from Remo to recover data from inaccessible SD card immediately. Moreover, the tool is completely free to download and try, so get your data back in no time.
How to fix SD card Reader Not Working Error in Windows 10?
To fix SD card reader error on Windows computer, all you have to do is follow the steps below in order:
1. Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooting
To run Hardware and Device Troubleshooting, you need to connect the SD card to your computer and follow the steps outlined below:
Type and click Troubleshoot Settings in the Windows search bar. Choose Troubleshoot
Now select View all in the top left corner Click Hardware and Devices. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter.
2. Update drivers
Type Device Manager in the Windows search bar. Under Device Manager, look for device entries and check if any of them have yellow triangles with exclamation points. If present, it means that the device is conflicting with other hardware and the device or drivers are not installed properly.
If it’s the problem or something like that preventing you from accessing your card reader, it’s time to update the drivers.
Right click the Windows Start button, type Device Manager and select from the results.
Expand one of the categories to find the name of your device. Now right click and choose Update Driver. Now select Search automatically for updated driver software. If Windows does not return a result corresponding to your driver, you can search for it on your device manufacturer’s website and follow the instructions.
If this step doesn’t work, try reinstalling the driver. Open Device Manager, right-click the device name and click Uninstall. Restart your computer and Windows will try to reinstall the driver.
3. Assign the drive letter to your SD card
Make sure the drive you named is not in use and the driver files are not open Right click on the Windows Start Menu Now click on Disk Management
Right click on your SD card drive and select Change Drive Letters and Paths Now click the Change button to name a new drive letter. Ex: L. (don’t use the ‘A’ or ‘B’ usually used for floppy disks) Click Yes if a popup asks you if you really want to do this Restart the computer and you should be able to. use SD card with changed drive name
4. Force SD card to Appear from Virus
This method will work for the SD card that is connected but not visible due to possible virus or malware infection. To make your SD card appear as virus free, you need to run an antivirus and then follow these steps:
Keep your SD card connected to the computer and type cmd in the search bar and hit enter At the command prompt, type the following command and press enter attrib -h -r -s /s /d drive letter:*.* where the drive letter is your SD card drive letter .
This fixes any errors on your SD card and gives you easy access to your SD card data.
If you think your SD card has converted to RAW and this is the reason behind this SD card reader error, you might want to look into recovering lost data from RAW SD card here.
5. Format your SD card to fix SD card not showing error
If none of the above-mentioned steps allow you to fix your SD card reader error or SD card not showing error, you may need to verify your SD card with another card reader.
If the same issue persists with other card readers, you will need to format your SD card for it to work.
Before formatting your SD card, you need to make sure you recover data from SD card, this can only be done with the help of best-in-class SD card recovery software.
Remo’s Data Recovery Software for SD cards is the most used tool worldwide to get back inaccessible data from your SD card. All you have to do is download the tool and connect your SD card to your computer whose data you want to recover.
In a few minutes, Remo will get your data back and completely fix this SD card reader error on your Windows. Download the tool and try it for free now.
Steps to Recover Data from SD card not visible due to SD card reader error
To recover data from SD card that is not visible due to SD card reader error, download and install Remo SD card Recovery Software and follow the steps given below:
Last words:
SD card reader not detected or SD card not showing up on your computer is a common problem that can definitely be fixed by any of the methods mentioned above in the article. If you managed to fix the error or get your data back from your SD card, please let us know your valuable feedback in the comment section below or by sharing news on social media.