Memory cards allow us to expand the storage of our smartphones, so now we are going to see the solution when a mobile does not detect the microSD , which may vary depending on each case.
It is quite common to transfer the photos from the phone to the microSD card when there is little internal storage on the phone, so it is very troublesome to lose the information.
Although the microSD may be physically damaged, many times the mobile does not detect it due to other problems that have an easy solution, so we are going to know them in detail.
Check if the card works
If the mobile does not detect the microSD it could be that, indeed, it has stopped working due to a physical problem. But before looking for a more complicated solution, it is worth trying it on another mobile or on a computer , because if it detects it correctly, we already know that the fault is in our terminal.
In the case of using a PC, sometimes we will have a microSD slot directly, but not always. If it is for full-size SD, there are adapter cards, and it is quite likely that the microSD came with one.
In case we don’t have it, it may not be necessary to buy this adapter separately. If we ask someone you know who has a microSD, they may keep the adapter and can lend it to us.
On the other hand, there are card readers of all kinds that connect to the USB port of computers, so it is a valid alternative.
It is common for mobiles to encrypt the content of the microSD, and when it is inserted into another device, it will not be able to read it , so it will ask us to format it to use it. Formatting means losing all data, so we’ll leave that as a last solution, unless deleting the information is not a problem.
Take out the card and clean it
The simplest step, but sometimes the most effective. First we will turn off the smartphone and extract the microSD card tray and the SIM . To do this, a clip is useful if we do not have the tool that brought the mobile in the box at hand.
We will check that there is no dirt on the card contacts , on the tray itself and, if possible, also in the slot, in case dust or some small residue has gotten in.
Ideally, use a soft, lint-free cloth for cleaning. If this system fails, we can try more aggressive methods, but first we recommend trying other solutions in this guide, as they could physically damage the microSD.
Among these cleaning systems is isopropyl alcohol , which we will apply on the gold connectors with a slightly soaked cloth. There are also sprays to clean electrical and electronic components that will help us.
Buy : Ewent Isopropyl Alcohol Spray (PcComponentes)
Buy : Esmaltech Alcohol Spray (Amazon)
Another home trick is to clean the pins with an ear swab soaked in rubbing alcohol (96º ethyl alcohol), which is not as safe, but usually does not harm the microSD card.
Compatibility
Different microSDs are based on different standards, which have evolved to allow more storage. An older mobile might not be able to detect today ‘s large models .
These are the three settings:
- SD : up to 2GB (FAT 16).
- SDHC : from 4G to 32 GB (FAT 32).
- SDXC : 64GB and up (exFAT).
A very recent mobile will accept all three formats, but the opposite does not happen. A 128GB microSDXC card will not work in a terminal that has only supported microSDHC for years.
To know if our mobile reads this format, we can look at the box or the manual in search of the corresponding logo, check its technical data sheet on the official website or contact the manufacturer to consult it.
Recover lost files
If we cannot get the microSD to work on the mobile, a solution will be to connect it to a PC or Mac to recover the data . It is possible that the structure of the information is damaged, but with a specialized tool it is recoverable.
We have already recommended several utilities to recover deleted files , which sometimes work when a phone does not detect the card.
Many of these programs have a cost, and at most they give us a free trial period. An official alternative is Microsoft ‘s Windows File Recovery , whose interface is not at all intuitive, but it is reliable and can be downloaded for free.
Repair the microSD with chkdsk
If when connecting the microSD to a PC it detects it, but does not allow access to the content, it may be possible to repair it using a Windows command known as chkdsk , and it is not too complicated to apply.
Let’s see the step by step:
- First of all, we will right-click on the Windows Start button to open the “Disk Manager” :
- Here we must check the letter assigned by Windows to the microSD (it can be the drive D, E, F, G …):
- With the letter of the microSD memorized we write “cmd” in the search engine of the Windows task bar. Right-click on the “Command Prompt” application that appears and choose “Run as administrator” .
- After accepting the permission to make changes in Windows we will see a black window to enter the following command , where the letter X must be replaced by the one assigned to our microSD:
chkdsk X:
- If the process is successful, the possible errors in the unit will be corrected.
Format the card
The last solution when the mobile does not detect the microSD is to perform a format, which means losing all the data inside. Although it is possible to format it from a computer, it is better to use the phone that will use it in the future.
The exact menu may vary depending on the Android customization layer, but the most common is this:
Settings -> Storage -> Memory card -> Format
If in spite of everything we cannot get the microSD to work again we will have to buy another one, we have selected some good microSDs to expand the storage of a mobile with various alternatives.
In addition, in order not to lose the photos and videos of the mobile it is important to use a cloud storage service where a backup is kept, which are also usually free.
Unfortunately, problems when detecting a microSD cannot always be fixed , as they may be due to the passage of time, it has been wet or has been exposed to a magnetic field, but it is worth trying if a solution of the previous ones returns to work on our mobile.
