How to Resolve the “SD Card Need to be Formatted” Problem?

“I have recently changed my smartphone, my SD card was part of internal storage on my previous phone (One Plus), and now when I want to use it on my new Samsung phone, it keeps saying that I need to format the card first.

Can someone tell me what to do, I don’t want to lose all my data.”

Most people witness one or more issues while using an SD card, be it an issue related to inaccessibility or compatibility of the card or an error saying your ‘SD cards need to be formatted’. If you go ahead and format your memory card to get rid of this error, you will end up losing your media files, such as photos, videos, etc.

Read this blog to know the probable cause behind this error and how to recover your data from an SD card without formatting it.

Reasons Why Your SD card needs to Be Formatted?

The “SD card needs to be formatted” is a common error, which occurs due to the following reasons:

• SD card is corrupted or damaged
• Interruption during writing on the SD card
• Ejecting the storage media while the drive is in use
• The file system of the SD card is unsupported or incompatible
• SD card has reached the maximum number of write cycles
• Bad sectors in the memory card

Some common instances when you can witness an SD card needs to be formatted error

1. In an Android phone, a blank SD card with an unsupported file system needs formatting.

2. A damaged SD card in an Android phone needs to be reformatted before using it.

3. In Nikon, Canon, or other popular brand cameras, once you insert the SD card, you can see ‘The card is not formatted. Format the card’ or ‘Card cannot be accessed. Reinsert/change card or format card with the camera’ error.

4. Damaged SD cards need formatting when it is connected to a Windows computer.

How to Recover Photos & Other Media from SD Card Without Formatting?

When you encounter an ‘SD card needs to be formatted’ error, your main priority should be to recover photos, videos, and audio files stored in it. Recovering the data before formatting the memory card ensures that there is no data loss scenario. Use a reliable SD card recovery software like Stellar Photo Recovery to restore lost photos, videos, and audio files from an SD card that needs formatting.

This tool can recover lost and deleted photos and media files from corrupted/ damaged/ inaccessible SD card (Mini, Micro, SDHC, SDXC) memory cards, compact flash, CF cards, and more. Moreover, it can restore deleted photos and almost all file formats, including JPEF/JPG, PNG, BMP, CR3, CR2, DNG, MOV, AVI, MP4, etc.

Steps to restore lost/deleted photos, videos, and audio files:

• Connect your SD card to your computer using an SD card reader.
• Download and install Stellar Photo Recovery software on your Windows or Mac.
• Launch the software and from the home screen, select your SD card from where you want to recover your files. Click Scan.

• The scanning will start and once completed, you can see the scan result and can preview the recoverable files.

• Select the photos and media files you want to restore, click Recover and browse the location to save them at a desired location.

How to Fix ‘SD card needs to be formatted’?

Once you have recovered the media files stored in the SD card, you can try the methods mentioned below to resolve the ‘SD card needs to be formatted’ error message:

1. Use Different USB Port

Connect your SD card to a different port on your Mac or Windows PC and then check if you can access the card or not. Moreover, if the SD card reader you are using is damaged or faulty, immediately change it.

2. Scan the SD Card with Antivirus Software

Often virus infected SD cards may be the reason why you see the ‘SD card needs to be formatted’ error. In such a scenario, use Window Defender or any third-party antivirus software to scan your affected memory card.

3. Use Windows Built-in Error Checking Tool

Repair damaged SD card using a built-in free Windows utility tool named Error Checking. Here’s how to fix a corrupted/damaged SD card using this tool:

• Type File Explorer in the Windows search bar and click Open to launch it.

• Look for the affected SD card, right-click on it, and choose Properties.

• Go to the Tools tab and click Check.

• Select Scan and Repair drive.

Caution – If you see a prompt saying ‘Windows can’t repair the drive while it’s in use’, save any unsaved work on the SD card and select to repair the card now or next time.

4. Run CHKDSK command

CHKDSK is an efficient way to repair damaged or corrupted SD cards, and internal or external drives. Here’s how to run the CHKDSK scan:

• Type CMD in the Windows search and click Open to launch Command Prompt.
• Type chkdsk X: /r /f and press Enter. (Here X is the affected drive volume letter.)

If this method doesn’t resolve the SD card issue, you need to format your SD card either by using Disk Management, Windows Explorer, or Command Prompt. However, ensure to recover your data stored on it first. Here, we have explained how to format the SD card using Windows Explorer.

Format SD Card via Windows 11 File Explorer

• Connect your SD card to your Windows computer.
• Go to My Computer and choose your SD card.

• Right-click on the SD card and select Format.

• In the format window, specify the file system and set a volume label for your SD card. Now select the Format options and click Start.

• Windows will start formatting your SD card.

Conclusion

You now know how to resolve the ‘SD card needs to be formatted’ error. The priority should be to recover the lost photos and other media files from the SD card first by using the Stellar Photo Recovery software. Once your data is recovered, you can repair the SD card or even format it.

FAQ

1. Does formatting an SD card delete everything?

Yes, formatting an SD card deletes everything; however, data is only deleted not permanently erased. To know more, read this blog.

2. What are the signs of corrupt SD cards?

Your SD card is corrupt if you see below signs-

• Your SD card is not accessible
• Photos on your card are missing
• You get write protected error message while copying the content of the SD card.
• Unable to add, delete, copy, or save anything on your SD card.

3. How to format SD cards on different devices?

The method to format an SD card can vary depending on the device you are using. To format SD cards on Windows, use Windows Explorer, Disk Management, or Command prompt.

4. Why won’t my SD card format?

There are several reasons why your SD card won’t format, such as due to corruption or bad sectors, is infected with a virus, or is write-protected. Fortunately, you can easily fix the SD card won’t format error by removing write-protection or using SD card formatting software.