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4 June 2024  Ashley S. Miller  Specialist of Customer Service Dept.
 

Summary
Uncover the mystery behind your SD card appearing full despite being empty. We delve into the root cause and suggest efficient strategies for data recovery.



Table of contents

table iconI. The reason why the SD card shows that the space is full but the file cannot be found
table iconII. The solution to the problem that the SD card shows that the space is full but the file cannot be found
sd card says full but nothing on it

I. The reason why the SD card shows that the space is full but the file cannot be found

When the SD card shows that the space is full, no new data can be stored in it, but when the user opens the SD card, the file cannot be found. The possible reasons for this phenomenon are as follows:
1. The files in the SD card are hidden, and the files are not visible at this time.
2. The SD card is not properly formatted.
3. There is a problem with the mobile device (such as camera, Android phone) connected to the SD card. (It is recommended to go to the official after-sales department for maintenance)

II. The solution to the problem that the SD card shows that the space is full but the file cannot be found

1. Delete the NOMEDIA file in the SD card

If there are NOMEDIA files in the SD card, the Android phone cannot read the media files. Even if the SD card is full, the files cannot be found. Remove the SD card from the Android device, connect it to the computer through a card reader, check for a .nomedia file in the media folders, and delete it if present. Reinstall the SD card into the Android device to see if the media files are displayed normally. The NOMEDIA file only affects the Android phone’s ability to read the media files; the computer can still access the SD card files normally.
Delete the NOMEDIA file

2. Show hidden files in File Explorer

After the SD card is connected to the computer, but the files in it still cannot be found, you can display the hidden files according to the following methods.
Method 1: Open the file explorer, select the SD card drive, click (View) on the top, check (Hidden items), and then the hidden files will be displayed.
file explorer hidden items
Method 2: Search for “Control Panel” in the taskbar search box, open Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Show Hidden Files and Folders. Select “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” in the View interface, then click Apply > OK. You can now view hidden files on the SD card.
show hidden files and folders

3. Use the attrib command to clear the hidden attribute of the file

Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer through a card reader. Enter (cmd) in the search box, right-click (Command Prompt), and select (Run as administrator).
run as administrator
Step 2: Enter ( attrib -h -r -s /s /d g:\*.* ) and press the (Enter) key. After completing the command, please open the file explorer to check whether the SD card files are displayed normally.
Description of Attrib command parameter:

attrib: Display, set, or remove file or directory attributes.

-h: Clear hidden file attribute.

-r: Clear read-only file attribute.

-s: Clear system file attributes.

/s: Apply attrib and options to matching files in the current directory and all subdirectories.

/d: Apply attrib and options to a directory.

g: Drive letter of the SD card (replace with the actual drive letter).

Use the attrib command to clear hidden attributes
The above methods mainly address the issue of hidden files. If the SD card is still full but files are missing, consider reformatting the SD card or using the diskpart command to clear all data and rebuild partitions. Both methods may cause data loss, so it’s recommended to use data recovery software to recover missing files first.

4. Use Renee Undeleter to recover SD card data

When the files in the SD card cannot be found, you can use professional data recovery software to scan and restore them. The following uses Renee Undeleter as an example to illustrate.
① What is Renee Undeleter?
Renee Undeleter is designed to restore system data files. It helps retrieve lost data from accidental deletion, emptied recycle bins, or formatted disks/storage. The software includes four modules: Fast Partition Scan, Whole Partition Scan, Whole Disk Scan, and Image Creation, addressing all data loss issues comprehensively.
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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.

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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 SD card data with Renee Undeleter?
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer through a card reader, download and install Renee Undeleter on the computer, and run Renee Undeleter. Select the [ Whole Partition Scan ] option on the main interface.
Note: Do not install Renee Undeleter in the disk where data is lost to avoid data overwriting.
select whole partition scan in renee undeleter to recover deleted video from sd card
Data Recovery Function:

  • Fast Partition Scan – Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
  • Whole Partition Scan – Recover files from inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan – Analyze partition information and fully scan the entire disk.
  • Image Creation – Create an image of a partition to back up its current state.
Step 2: Select the SD card partition and click (Next).
Renee Undeleter Whole Partition Scan
Step 3: Wait for the scan to complete; the duration depends on the SD card’s memory size. After scanning, double-click the file to preview, select the file to recover, and click the Recover button.

Note: Save recovered files to a different partition to prevent data overwriting. If Whole Partition Scan doesn’t find your file, try the Whole Disk Scan function.

preview and select the files to recover in renee undeleter

5. Re-format the SD card

Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer via a card reader.
Step 2: Open File Explorer, right-click on the SD card drive, and select (Format).
sd card formatted in this pc
Step 3: Choose an option from “File System” in the formatting window. Select (FAT32) if the SD card is 32GB or smaller; select (exFAT) if the SD card is larger than 32 GB.
Step 4: Click (Quick Format), and click (Start) to format the SD card. Then check whether the SD card can store new data.
Format the SD card

6. Use the diskpart command to clear all data in the SD card and rebuild the partition

Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer through a card reader, enter (cmd) in the search box, right-click (command prompt), and select (run as administrator).
Step 2: Enter the following commands in sequence in the command prompt, and press the (Enter) key after you type each command:

diskpart

list disk

(The disks in the computer will be listed, and the disk number of the SD card can be judged according to the capacity)

select disk 1

(1 is the disk number of the SD card)

clean

(The partitions and volumes on the disk will be deleted, and all information will be cleared, but the cleared data will only be marked as deleted and may be recovered)
Enter the Clean command to clear disk information
Then please continue to enter the following command:

create partition primary

(Create a primary partition. If necessary, you can enter it on the next command line assign letter = H , H is the drive letter of the new partition)

format fs=fat32 quick

(fs=fat32 refers to format the SD card as a FAT32 file system, and quick refers to quick format)

exit

(quit)
Enter the create partition primary command
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