An SD card is a portable storage device that can store photos, videos, apps, and other files from your Android phone. You may want to delete everything on your SD card for several reasons:
– Before selling or giving away your phone, you’ll want to wipe the SD card to protect your personal information.
– When you start using a new SD card, it’s a good idea to format it to optimize performance.
– If your SD card is having performance issues, deleting everything and reformatting can help resolve those problems.
– To free up space when the SD card is full and you want to delete unnecessary apps, photos, or other data.
– If you’re experiencing strange errors or glitches that could potentially be fixed by wiping the SD card clean.
Completely erasing an SD card will delete all of its contents so be sure to back up any necessary data before proceeding. This guide will walk through the steps to securely delete everything on your Android phone’s SD card.
Back Up SD Card
It is highly recommended to back up all important files on your SD card before erasing it. This includes photos, videos, music, documents, and any other data you want to keep. Backing up provides a safety net in case something goes wrong during the deletion process.
One easy way to back up an Android SD card is to use the Google Drive app. Simply download and install Google Drive on your Android device if you don’t already have it. Then open the app and tap the + button in the bottom right. Select ‘Upload’ and choose the files or folders you want to back up from your SD card. Google Drive will upload them securely to the cloud.
Another option is to connect your Android phone to your computer using a USB cable. You can then copy and paste files from the SD card to save them on your computer. Be sure to back up any important data before proceeding with deleting the SD card.
Sources:
https://www.easeus.com/backup-utility/how-to-backup-sd-card-to-google-drive.html
https://www.ubackup.com/backup-restore/backup-sd-card-to-google-drive.html
Unmount the SD Card
Before formatting your SD card, you’ll need to unmount it first. Unmounting prevents any read/write operations to the card and allows it to be safely formatted.
To unmount the SD card:
- Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
- Tap “Storage”.
- Under “Portable storage”, tap the name of your SD card.
- Tap the “Eject” button. This will unmount the SD card.
Once unmounted, the SD card icon will have a small eject icon next to it. The card can now be formatted without any errors.
Access Settings
To access the Settings app on an Android device:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the notifications shade.
- At the top of the notifications shade, tap the settings icon (gear icon). This will open the Settings app.
- Alternatively, swipe up from the bottom of the home screen to open the app drawer. Locate and tap the Settings app icon to launch it.
- On some Android devices like Samsung, you can also access Settings by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping the settings icon twice. This opens the expanded quick settings menu where you can tap the Settings icon.
The Settings app contains various options to customize and control different aspects of your Android device. It allows you to manage connections, apps, display, battery, storage, security and more. Knowing how to easily access Settings is important for configuring your device to your preferences.
Source: https://www.digitalcitizen.life/how-get-android-settings-menu/
Accessing the Storage Settings
To delete everything from your SD card, you’ll first need to access your phone’s Storage settings menu. Here are the steps to get there on most Android devices:
- From your home screen, open the Apps menu or swipe up to view all your apps.
- Tap on the Settings app icon to open your phone’s settings.
- In Settings, scroll down and tap on “Storage” or “Storage & USB” (may be labeled differently depending on your device).
This will open the Storage settings section where you can view details about the storage on your device, including any inserted SD cards. On Samsung devices, you can access Storage settings by going to Settings > Device care > Storage [1].
Select SD Card
To select the SD card storage that you want to erase, first open the Settings app on your Android device. Tap on “Storage” to go into the storage settings. Here you will see a list of the available storage locations on your device. Look for the section titled “Portable Storage” – this is where external SD cards are listed.
Tap on the name of the SD card that you want to erase. For example, if your SD card is named “SD Card” tap on “SD Card”. This will take you into the storage settings specifically for that external SD card.
By selecting the SD card storage here, you are specifying that the SD card is the location where any erase or format operations will take place. The next steps will erase or format the contents of this particular SD card that you have chosen.
Erase SD Card
The Erase option will permanently delete everything on your SD card. This is the easiest and quickest way to wipe your SD card completely clean. Using the Erase feature is the equivalent of formatting your SD card, but even more thorough in that it removes any hidden or system files that may still be taking up space.
To use this feature, go to your Storage settings and select your SD card. Look for an option called “Erase” or “Format” and tap it. You may need to tap “Storage Settings” first. You’ll get a warning that erasing the SD card will delete all data – tap “Erase SD Card” or “Format SD Card” to confirm.
After the process completes, your SD card will be empty and ready to use again. All previous files, apps, photos, videos, etc. will be permanently gone. Be absolutely certain you have backups before erasing!
Sources:
https://www.wikihow.com/Format-an-SD-Card-on-Android
https://support.google.com/android/answer/12153449?hl=en
Confirm Deletion
Before permanently erasing everything on your SD card, your Android phone will prompt you to confirm the deletion to prevent accidental data loss. You will see a pop-up that says “Erase SD card” or “Format SD card” with a message verifying that formatting the card will erase all data on it.
Read this warning carefully and make sure you have properly backed up anything important on the SD card. Select the “Erase SD card” or “Format” option to confirm you want to proceed. Your phone will then begin permanently deleting all files and data from the card.
According to the Android Central forums, some users have reported seeing repeated SD card notifications even after formatting their card. If this happens, you may need to try reformatting the card, uninstalling app updates related to the SD card, or factory resetting your device to fully clear out any corrupted data.
Once the SD card reformatting process is complete, all previous content on the card will be permanently erased and you can start using the blank SD card to store new data. Be absolutely certain you have backups before confirming the deletion.
Remount SD Card
Once the contents of the SD card have been erased, you will need to remount the card so that your Android device recognizes it again. To remount the SD card:
- Go back to the Storage settings in your Android’s Settings app.
- You should see the SD card listed with a message that it is “Unmounted.” Tap on it.
- On the next screen, tap “Mount” to remount the SD card.
- Your Android device will take a moment to remount the card and recognize that it is empty and ready for new files.
That’s it! Your SD card is now erased and remounted, ready for you to add new photos, videos, music, and other files as needed. Just be aware that once you delete data from an SD card, it is gone for good unless you have another backup available. Erasing the SD card deletes all data, so be certain before performing these steps.
Conclusion
That covers the steps to fully erase all data from your SD card on your Android device. To recap, you’ll want to back up any important files, unmount the SD card, head to Settings > Storage, select your SD card, choose the option to erase or format, confirm the deletion, and then remount the card. With that, your SD card will be wiped clean and ready to use as new storage.
A couple additional tips:
– Double check that you have backups before erasing the card, as the process cannot be undone.
– You can encrypt the erased SD card for extra security if desired.
– Be sure to use a high quality, name-brand SD card to avoid performance issues or corruption.
– After formatting, consider setting the SD card as internal storage or portable storage depending on your needs.
With an empty, freshly formatted SD card, you’ll have a clean slate for storing photos, videos, downloaded files, and anything else you need on your Android device.