Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC

Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC: If your SD card is not recognized by your PC then the problem may be related to drivers. In most cases, the issue is caused because of outdated, corrupt or incompatible drivers, hardware issues, device issue etc. Now the SD card may not be detected in both the internal SD card Reader or USB SD Card Reader as we have already discussed that this is a software issue, so the only way to verify this is to try to access the SD card in another PC. See if the SD card is working on other PC and if it is then this means the problem is only on your PC.

Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC

Now there is another issue here, if your computer recognizes smaller or lower memory SD cards such as 1 GB or 2GB but fails to read a 4 GB, 8 GB or higher SDHC Card then your computer’s internal reader is not SDHC compliant. Initially, SD card was only able to have a maximum of 2 GB capacity but later on SDHC specificated was developed to increase the capacity of SD cards to 32 or 64 GB capacity. Computers purchased before 2008 may not be SDHC compatible.

Another case is where your SD card is recognized by PC but when you go to File Explorer there is no drive showing the SD card which basically means your PC has failed to recognize the SD card. So without wasting any time let’s see how to actually Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC with the help of below-listed troubleshooting guide.

Make sure of the following things before trying the below steps:

1.Try to remove dust from your SD Card Reader and also clean your SD Card.

2.Check your SD card is working on another PC which will make sure it’s not faulty.

3.See if some other SD card is working properly or not.

4.Make sure the SD card is not locked, slide the switch to the bottom to unlock it.

5.The last thing is to check if your SD card is broken, in which case no SD or SDHC card will work and the below-listed steps won’t fix it.

Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC

Make sure to create a restore point just in case something goes wrong.

Method 1: Disable and Re-enable SD card

1.Press Windows Key + R then type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open Device Manager.

devmgmt.msc device manager

2.Expand SD Host Adapters or Memory Technology Devices under which you will see your device Realtek PCI-E Card reader.

3.Right-click on it and select Disable, it will ask for confirmation select Yes to continue.

Disable SD Card and then re-enable it

4.Again right-click and select Enable.

5.This will definitely fix SD Card not Recognized by PC issue, if not then again go to device manager.

6.This time expand portable devices then right-click on your SD card device letter and select Disable.

Again disable your SD card under Portable Devices and then re-enable it

7.Again right-click and select Enable.

Method 2: Change SD Card Drive Letter

1.Press Windows Key + R then type diskmgmt.msc and hit Enter.

2.Now right-click on your SD card and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Right-click on Removable Disk (SD Card) and select Change Drive Letter and Paths

3.Now in the next window click on Change button.

Select the CD or DVD drive and click on Change

4.Then from the drop-down select any alphabet except the current one and click OK.

Now change the Drive letter to any other letter from the drop-down

5.This alphabet will be the new drive letter for SD Card.

6.Again see if you’re able to Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC issue or not.

Method 3: Save BIOS to default configuration

1.Turn off your laptop, then turn it on and simultaneously press F2, DEL or F12 (depending on your manufacturer) to enter into BIOS setup.

press DEL or F2 key to enter BIOS Setup

2.Now you’ll need to find the reset option to load the default configuration and it may be named as Reset to default, Load factory defaults, Clear BIOS settings, Load setup defaults, or something similar.

load the default configuration in BIOS

3.Select it with your arrow keys, press Enter, and confirm the operation. Your BIOS will now use its default settings.

4.Again try to log in with the last password you remember into your PC.

Method 4: Update SD Card Drivers

1.Press Windows Key + R then type devmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open Device Manager.

devmgmt.msc device manager

2.Expand SD host adapters or Disk Drives then right-click on your SD Card and select Update Driver.

Right-click on Sd card under Disk drive then select Update driver

3.Then choose Search automatically for updated driver software.

search automatically for updated driver software

4.Reboot your PC to save changes. If the problem still persists then follow the next step.

5.Again select Update Driver Software but this time choose ‘Browse my computer for driver software.

browse my computer for driver software

6.Next, at the bottom click ‘Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.

Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer

7.Select the latest driver from the list and click Next.

Select latest Disk drive driver for the SD Card reader

8.Let the Windows install drivers and once complete close everything.

9.Reboot your PC to save changes and you may be able to Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC issue.

Method 5: Uninstall your SD card reader

1.Press Windows Key + R then type “devmgmt.msc” and hit Enter to open Device Manager.

devmgmt.msc device manager

2.Expand SD host adapters or Disk Drives then right-click on your SD Card and select Uninstall.

Right-click on Sd card under Disk drive then select Uninstall device

3.If asked for confirmation select Yes.

4.Reboot to save changes and Windows will automatically install the default drivers for the USB.

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That’s it you have successfully Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC but if you still have any queries regarding this guide then feel free to ask them in the comment’s section.

1 thought on “Fix SD Card not Recognized by PC”

  1. Just installed your KW525-3U3CR in my desktop PC. motherboard (PRIME Z370-P II).

    I am running Windows 7 Pro, DDR4 etc.

    Followed all of you instructions to no avail. Note: no matter what external or internal hardware
    I use to plug in any SD card the computer does not see any SD card regardless of type, SD, SDHC, SDXC . The cards work fine in another PC.

    Is it possible my OS is missing something? Drivers?

    Thanks for your time.

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