Sincerely, the vast majority of PC and laptop owners have at least an SD card or other external drive. SD cards are highly valued for storing and backing up data, images, files, and videos. Another benefit is its portability. Due to its compact dimension, you can take it anywhere and view anything anytime. But we agonize when our system is unable to read the SD card. Windows 11 users experience issues with not showing SD cards. If you are one of them, you have arrived at the ideal location. Here’s a guide on how to fix an SD card not showing up in Windows 11 that you must follow.
SD Card Not Showing Up Common Reason
SD cards are likely used in mobile phones. However, both the laptop and the desktop computer have dedicated expansion sockets. You can use it via a card reader or a dedicated port if the system has one – multiple options are available. Before the system detects the card, it will not be displayed on the screen. There are several causes why Windows 11 is unable to detect the SD card. However, let’s examine the most common reason why Windows 10/11 does not detect SD cards.
- The SD card is damaged or corrupted.
- Malware and virus infection.
- Incorrect SD card driver.
- Outdated hardware driver.
- System Bugs.
How To Fix Quickly SD Card Not Showing Up On Windows 11?
We discussed the reason for the SD card not showing up. The possibility of fixing this issue will now be our main focus. Based on statistical analysis, we devised these methods to fix this issue on Windows 10 and 11.
Few Simple And Basic Test
Before diving into advanced troubleshooting, we will conduct fundamental and straightforward tests to determine whether the SD card or the system is defective.
Unlocked SD Card – Did you know the small sliding switch on the SD card is now active? This on the SD card determines whether or not the card is locked. It protects against data manipulation. Unlocking the card allows it to be checked out.
Faulty Reader – The majority of users encounter this issue due to a defective reader. Therefore, if you use a reader to access an SD card, ensure the reader is in excellent functioning condition.
Check The Card On Another System – You can check the card on another system with a functioning card reader. If it functions properly on another system, the problem resides within the system itself. So let’s fix each one individually.
Clean SD Card & Port
Do you believe your tainted card and port will make a clean connection? The system can’t recognize an SD card inserted into a filthy port. Provide the clearest SD card reader to make a clean connection between these two components. In addition, remember to clear the port.
Restart System
Restarting or rebooting the system benefits the system in multiple ways. First, it makes RAM, CPU, and other essential components accessible. Even restarting the system is sufficient to eliminate system errors. As a result, when your SD card is not showing up on the system or fails to detect the SD card. Therefore, you can attempt a system restart and recheck the SD card.
Update SD Card Driver
A driver update could be the reason for this issue. However, sometimes the driver was also corrupted. To make your SD card readable by updating its drivers, follow these instructions to fix it.
- Press Windows > Device Manager > Open it.
- Click the small arrow to expand the Disk Driver’s options.
- Now, right-click the SD card driver to select it. To update, click here.
- Click Search automatically for drivers in the subsequent dialog box.
- The SD card driver will be current.
Perform Hardware Troubleshooter
Typically, a rudimentary troubleshooter is accessible in the Settings for various other issues. However, we will perform sophisticated hardware troubleshooting to fix the SD card not showing up in Windows 11.
- Launch Run, search for msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic and press the enter button.
- The Hardware and devices window will open in front of you. Now click the Next icon.
- It will now troubleshoot the hardware and check whether the SD card shows in File Manager.
Perform CHKDSK To Repair Corrupted Files
You can perform this method if you believe corrupted files cause the issue. In addition, it aids in detecting the issue on the drive and fixing it automatically.
- Press Windows > CMD/ Command Prompt > click Run as administrator.
- Now input the specified command and press submit. Remember to add the SD card’s drive name.
chkdsk /f (drive name):
The scanning and correcting process will conclude after some time, and you can now check the SD card.
The scanning and correcting process will conclude after some time, and you can now check the SD card.Change Drive Letter Of The SD Card
Here is a significant method that you should perform to prevent SD cards from not being detected in Windows 11. In Windows, however, each drive has a letter-based designation. Therefore, your SD has a letter name as well. We modify the letter name or add one if none exists.
- Open Run > diskmgmt.msc > OK.
- Disk Management utility will open. Select the SD drive from the list now.
- Click Change Drive Letter and Paths after right-clicking on the drive.
- Then click the change button.
- Choose a letter from the drop-down menu.
- Click Ok to save these changes.
Update Windows
Updates add new features to a device and improve its security. Furthermore, it eliminates existing flaws to improve performance. In addition, updating Windows necessitates the direct update of other drivers within the system.
- Press Windows > Settings > Windows update.
- Click Check for updates.
- Download and install the update.
Conclusion:
This concludes the discussion on how to fix the SD card not showing up in Windows. All methods shared will aid you in this regard. Please let us know if you find an issue in the comment section.
