Home » Android » Top 10 Ways to Fix Samsung Galaxy Phone Not Reading SD Cards

Top 10 Ways to Fix Samsung Galaxy Phone Not Reading SD Cards

by Parth Shah
0 comment

Although Samsung has moved away from microSD card support on high-end phones, the company still offers a memory expansion slot on mid-range and entry-level Galaxy smartphones. It’s an affordable way to increase your phone’s storage on the go. Is your Samsung Galaxy phone not reading the SD cards? Here’s what to do when microSD card is not detected.

1. Restart Samsung Phone

Rebooting your Samsung phone may help it read the microSD card. For example, it’s an effective way to fix mobile data not working, Samsung phones not making or receiving calls, and screen flickering issues.

You can keep pressing the volume down and power buttons simultaneously and hit Restart from the power menu. If the volume or power buttons aren’t working, use the steps below to reboot the phone.

1. Swipe down from the home screen and swipe down again to access the quick toggles menu.

2. Tap the power button at the top and select Restart.

Restart Samsung Galaxy phone

2. Inspect the SD Card

You should remove the SD card, closely inspect it for damages, dust, etc. and reinsert it.

1. Use the steps above to turn off your phone.

2. Use the ejector tool next to the SD card slot to remove the card tray.

3. Look for any damage to your SD card. If there is debris or dust on it, use a soft cloth to clean the surface. Insert the microSD card into the phone and see if it appears in the File Manager.

3. Force Restart Samsung Galaxy Phone

You can force restart your Samsung Galaxy phone to check if it reads the microSD card now.

1. Press the volume down and side buttons simultaneously and power off the phone.

2. Press the same buttons at the same time until the Samsung logo appears on the screen. Release the keys now.

power off Samsung Galaxy phone

4. Replace the SD Card

You can use the microSD card on another phone or a compatible tablet. If you have a corrupt SD card, it won’t show up on other devices too. It’s time to get a new microSD card from Amazon or the local retailer. SanDisk, Samsung, Gigastone, and Lexar are known for offering high-quality SD cards with fast read and write speeds.

5. Format SD Card

Before placing a new order for a microSD card, you should format the current one and try again. If your Samsung phone isn’t detecting the SD card, use the PC.

1. Use a microSD card reader or a dongle and plug it into your PC.

2. Open the File Explorer menu. Right-click on the microSD card and select Format.

Format SD card

3. Start the format process from the following menu.

format SD card on WIndows

6. Try Accessing the SD Card in Safe Mode

A third-party app may corrupt the SD card on your Samsung Galaxy phone. You can try accessing the SD card in safe mode and confirm the issue. Safe mode disables all the third-party apps on your phone.

1. Keep pressing the volume down and side button at the same time and select Power off.

2. Once the screen turns off, press and hold the volume down and side keys at the same time.

3. Release the side key once the Samsung logo appears. You can see Safe mode appearing in the bottom left corner. Now, release the volume down key too.

4. Check if the Samsung phone is reading the microSD card. You can restart your phone to exit the safe mode.

If your phone detects the microSD card in the safe mode, exit the safe mode and uninstall recently downloaded apps. You can keep pressing an app icon and select Uninstall to delete the app.

uninstall apps on Samsung Galaxy phone

Samsung should detect the SD card now.

7. Turn on Device Protection

You can enable Device Protection to get additional defense against viruses and spyware. It can fix your corrupt SD card in no time.

1. Open Settings on the phone and scroll to Battery and device care.

2. Tap Device protection.

Select device protection Samsung Galaxy phone

3. Enable the same from the following menu.

Enable device protection Samsung Galaxy phone

Once it completes running the scan, your Samsung Galaxy phone should read the SD card.

8. Use Windows Security to Fix the SD Card

If the trick above doesn’t work, scan the microSD card using the Windows Security app.

1. Connect your microSD card to the computer and open the Windows Security app.

2. Select Virus & threat protection from the sidebar and open Scan options.

Open Scan options on Windows

Run a full scan and let it diagnose the microSD card.

scan windows pc

9. Update Software on Samsung Galaxy Phone

You should update your Samsung phone to the latest version and check again if Samsung detects and reads the SD card now.

1. Open Settings and head to the Software update menu.

2. Download and install the latest One UI version on your phone.

Software update Samsung Galaxy phone

10. Factory Reset

If your Samsung Galaxy phone is still not reading SD card after everything you tried so far, it’s time to factory reset your Samsung phone and start from scratch.

1. Open Settings and scroll to General management. Select Reset.

Reset Samsung Galaxy phone

2. Tap Factory data reset. Confirm the same from the following menu.

Factory reset Samsung Galaxy phone

Expand Your Samsung Phone Storage

You can’t access your microSD card content if your Samsung Galaxy phone fails to detect it in the first place. You need to connect your microSD card to a PC or Mac to check files, but it may not be convenient for everyone. Instead, use the tricks above to start using a microSD card with your Samsung Galaxy phone.

After fixing the Samsung Galaxy phone not reading the SD card error, if it is showing storage as full, here’s how you can regain lost sd card storage.

You may also like