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29 February 2024  Jennifer Thatcher  Technology Manager of Test Dept.
 

Summary
Understanding why Android phones sometimes struggle to recognize SD cards can be the first step towards resolving this common problem. Let's dive into the root causes and explore proven solutions to get your device detecting and reading your external storage effortlessly, ensuring you can maximize your phone's capacity without any fuss.



Table of contents

table iconI. The reason and troubleshooting method that the Android phone cannot read the SD card
table iconII. Use Renee Undeleter to Recover Android SD Card Data
table iconIII. Connect the SD card to the computer for file system error checking and formatting
phone not reading sd card

I. The reason and troubleshooting method that the Android phone cannot read the SD card

1. Reason

There are many reasons why an Android phone cannot read an SD card, here are a few possible reasons:
  • The SD card is not properly installed in the Android phone.
  • Android phones do not support the SD card file system.
  • The SD card is corrupted.
  • Infected by virus or malware etc.

2. Check method

Possible reasons for Android phone not reading SD card could be issues with the phone itself or the SD card. Troubleshooting methods include:

Troubleshoot SD card issues:

① Remove the unreadable SD card from the Android phone, check for oxidized metal contacts, and clean with an eraser. Insert a known working SD card to test if other devices can detect it. If successful, reinsert the original SD card to see if the issue is resolved.
SD card metal contact oxidation
② Install and run SD Insight or similar apps on Android to verify the authenticity of the SD card.
③ Check whether the computer can use the card reader to read the SD card.

Troubleshoot issues with Android phones:

Insert another SD card into the Android phone‘s SD card slot to see if it can be detected. If the phone can read the new SD card, it may be a problem with the original SD card. If the phone still cannot detect the new SD card, there may be an issue with the phone’s software or hardware that needs to be repaired.
SD card damage may cause data loss, you can check the second part Learn about data recovery methods. If you suspect a file system error or bad sectors, you can check the the third part content, use the file system error checking function that comes with the Windows system, and format the SD card to a file system supported by Android phones.

II. Use Renee Undeleter to Recover Android SD Card Data

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is a software designed for restoring system data files. It offers four functional modules: file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery, and image creation to help solve various data loss problems. Additionally, the software utilizes powerful fingerprint technology and file system reconstruction technology to retrieve intact data files from damaged SD cards.
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Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan;

Supported file types Image, video, audio, text, email and so on;

Image creation Create a partition image to read and back up data;

Supported devices SD card, SDHC, SDXC, USB flash drive, hard disk and computer.

Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition/whole partition/whole disk scan;

Supported devices SD card/USB/hard disk.

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2. How to recover Android SD card data with Renee Undeleter?

As a professional data recovery software, Renee Undeleter has comprehensive functions and is simple to operate. The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Undeleter. Connect the SD card of the Android phone to the computer with a card reader. Select the (Fast Partition Scan) option in the main interface. If you cannot find the lost data, please try (Whole Partition Scan) and (Whole Disk Scan).
use sd card reader to connect to the computer
Note: Do not install Renee Undeleter in the disk where data is lost to avoid data overwriting.
data recovery in renee undeleter
Data recovery function introduction:

- Fast Partition Scan: Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
- Whole Partition Scan: Quickly recover files lost due to inaccessible or formatted partitions.
- Whole Disk Scan: Analyze and get partition information and perform a full scan of the entire partition.
- Image Creation: Image Creation image for a partition to back up the current partition state.

Step 2: Next, select the SD card partition of the Android phone, which is where the lost files are located. Select Finish and click (Next).
scan disk with Renee Undeleter
tep 3: Select the scanning mode in the interface – (Fast Scan) mode for saving time, and (Deep Scan) mode for restoring older data.
fast scan lost data
Step 4: In the advanced setting interface, customize the file type to be restored. If unsure, select (default setting), then click (Next).
select the file types in fast partition scan
Step 5: Wait for the scan to complete. The duration of the scan will vary based on the size of the SD card memory.
scan SD card
Step 6: After the scan is finished, the scan result interface will appear. Double-click the file to preview it, check the target file to be restored, and then click the (Recover) button to complete the content recovery.
Note: It is recommended to save the recovered files in other partitions instead of the original SD card to avoid data overwriting.
preview before recovery
undeleter preview docx

III. Connect the SD card to the computer for file system error checking and formatting

1. Check the system file error of the SD card

Connect the SD card to a computer using a card reader and use the Windows file system error checking function to repair it if it cannot be read by an Android phone.
The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the Windows computer through a card reader.
Step 2: Open the file explorer, right-click on the SD card, select (Properties) > (Tools), and click (Check) in the “Error checking” column.
select properties
check disk
Step 3: Click (Scan and Repair Drive). If errors are found, restart the computer to repair the file system. After the drive is repaired, eject the SD card, then reinsert it into the phone.
scan drive

2. Format the SD card into a file system supported by Android phones

The file systems supported by Android phones are FAT32 and exFAT. This solution only works if the computer can recognize the SD card.
The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer via a card reader.
Step 2: Copy the entire SD card to other disks on your PC for data backup.
Step 3: Open File Explorer, right-click on your SD card drive, and select (Format).
format the hard disk
Step 4: In the formatting window, choose an option from “File System”. Note: If the SD card is 32GB or smaller, select FAT32; if the SD card is larger than 32 GB, select exFAT.
Step 5: Click (Start) to start formatting the SD card.
format the hard disk
Step 6: Insert the SD card into the Android phone to see if it can be read. If it is still not resolved, you can also click here to view other solutions.