An SD card, or Secure Digital card, is a small removable flash memory card used for storing photos, videos, and other files on devices like digital cameras, phones, and computers. SD cards have limited storage capacity, so it’s common for users to delete files off the card when it starts getting full to make room for new files.
There are a few main reasons why someone may need to delete files from their SD card:
- To free up storage space on the card when it’s running out of room.
- To permanently remove private photos or videos.
- To delete corrupted, unusable files.
- To erase files before selling or giving away the SD card.
Sometimes, however, users find that files get “stuck” on the SD card and can’t be deleted through normal means. This article will explain why this happens and how to fully delete stubborn files from an SD card.
Why Files Get Stuck on SD Cards
There are a few reasons why files may become stuck or “undeletable” on SD cards:
Corruption – If the file system on the SD card becomes corrupted, it can prevent the operating system from deleting files properly. This can happen from sudden removal of the card or other errors.
Incorrect permissions – The file permissions may get set incorrectly, preventing deletion even if you are an administrator or owner. This is more common on Linux but can happen on any OS.
In use by another process – If a file is still open or in use by another application, it can block deleting the file until that process is closed.
Hidden attributes – Setting hidden, system or read-only attributes on a file can block deleting it through normal methods like the Recycle Bin.
Disk errors – Problems with the SD card itself, like bad sectors, can lead to irrecoverable errors that block deleting files.
By understanding why files get stuck, we can better troubleshoot solutions for deleting them from SD cards when normal methods fail.
Try Deleting the File Again
Before taking more extreme measures, the simplest solution is often to try deleting the file again. Sometimes a file gets stuck because of a temporary glitch or error that resolves itself on the next attempt. Follow these steps:
- Unmount or eject the SD card properly from your computer if it is still mounted.
- Re-insert the SD card into your device.
- Navigate to the file you want to delete and try deleting it again as normal, either from your device interface or via your computer.
- If prompted, allow the action by confirming you want to permanently delete the file.
If the file deletes successfully, problem solved! If not, don’t worry – there are still more options to try for stubborn files that refuse deletion.
Check the File Format
Certain file formats like RAW image files can sometimes cause issues with deleting files from SD cards. RAW image files contain uncompressed data directly from the camera sensor and can be large in size. The complex structure of RAW files means the file system on SD cards may struggle to fully delete them.
If you are trying to delete RAW photos or other large uncompressed files, the file system may not be able to fully overwrite the sectors where the file is stored. This can result in the file still appearing in the folder, even after attempting to delete it.
To resolve this, try converting the RAW files to a more compressed format like JPG before attempting to delete them. You can use an image editing program like Adobe Lightroom to batch export RAW files to JPG.
Converting to a more compressed format will make it easier for the SD card to fully delete the files. After converting RAW files to JPG or another compressed format, you should be able to delete them from the SD card successfully.
Try Unmounting and Remounting the SD Card
Sometimes an SD card can get stuck in a bad state if not properly ejected before being removed from your computer or device. To reset the connection, try safely ejecting the SD card first before physically removing it.
On Windows, right-click the SD card in File Explorer and select “Eject”. On Mac, drag the SD card icon to the Trash. On Android, go to Settings > Storage and tap the “Unmount” button next to your SD card.
After ejecting the card, physically remove it from your device, wait a few seconds, then reinsert it. This should cause your device to remount the SD card and hopefully reset any software issues causing problems deleting files.
If the files still cannot be deleted after remounting the SD card, the issue may be due to a deeper hardware or filesystem problem. But unmounting and remounting the card is a good first troubleshooting step to reset the connection before moving on to other solutions.
For additional help, see:
How can I “remount” an SD-card? – ST Community
Plug the SD Card into a Different Device
Sometimes an SD card will not properly interface with a particular card reader or device, which can lead to issues deleting files. Trying the card in a different reader or device may allow deletion. Remove the SD card and plug it into another laptop, desktop computer, phone, camera, or other device that accepts SD cards. See if you are able to delete files from the SD card when it is connected to a different device.
If you can delete files when the SD card is plugged into another device, then the issue was related to a compatibility problem between the original reader/device and the SD card. You may need to replace the card reader or device you were initially using. If the file deletion issue persists even when connecting the SD card to other devices, then the problem likely lies with the SD card itself.
[1] https://www.minitool.com/partition-disk/cant-delete-files-from-sd-card.html
Use Disk Management Utility
The disk management utility built into Windows allows you to manage storage devices connected to your computer, including external drives like SD cards. Here’s how to use it to delete stuck files on your SD card:
1. Open the Start menu and type “disk management”. Select the Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions result.
2. The Disk Management window will open. Locate your SD card here and right-click on it.
3. Select “Delete Volume” from the menu. This will delete the entire volume on the SD card, erasing all files.
4. In the popup, confirm that you want to delete the volume. This cannot be undone.
5. The SD card volume will now show as Unallocated space. Right-click on it and select New Simple Volume.
6. Walk through the wizard to create a new volume on the SD card, formatting it in the process. This will erase all previous files and allow you to start fresh.
The disk management utility provides low-level access to delete stuck SD card files. Just be aware this process erases everything on the card. But it can fix cards that have undeleteable files through normal methods.
Try Secure Erase Software
One option to delete stuck files on an SD card is to use secure erase software. Programs like TinyWiper and EraseSD can overwrite the entire card with random data patterns to securely erase everything. This makes previous files unrecoverable.
Secure erase software provides a couple benefits compared to simply formatting the card:
- It overwrites all existing data, making it impossible to recover the original files.
- The overwriting process can potentially fix corrupted file errors that cause files to get stuck.
To use secure erase, insert the SD card into your computer or a card reader. Download and install the software, then run it against the card’s drive letter. This will overwrite all data, deleting stuck files in the process. Just be aware you will lose all other files on the card as well.
Format the SD Card
Formatting the SD card should be used as a last resort when you need to delete all files and start fresh. Formatting will permanently erase everything on the card and reset it to factory settings. Before formatting, be sure to back up any files you want to keep elsewhere.
To format your SD card on Windows, you can use the built-in Disk Management utility. Right-click the SD card and choose “Format”. On Mac, open Disk Utility and select the SD card volume. Click “Erase” and confirm the formatting. SD cards can also be formatted directly within digital cameras or by using the camera’s reset function if available.
Formatting deletes all files and partitions on the card. It’s useful when you need a complete fresh start or if the card has become corrupted. But keep in mind formatting permanently erases all data, so back up first and use it as a last resort if other deletion methods fail.
Recover Deleted Files
If you have accidentally formatted your SD card and need to recover deleted files, there are data recovery programs that may be able to help. Software like Disk Drill can scan your SD card and recover deleted photos, videos, documents, and other file types – even if you have formatted the card.
Data recovery software looks for file signatures left behind on the SD card. As long as those file signatures are still detectable and the space hasn’t been overwritten, there’s a good chance the data can be recovered.
To use data recovery software like Disk Drill to restore deleted files from an SD card:
- Download and install the software on your computer.
- Connect the SD card to the computer, either directly or via a card reader.
- Launch the data recovery program and scan the SD card.
- Preview found files and select those to recover.
- Choose a location to save the recovered files.
The sooner data recovery is attempted after deletion, the better the chances of recovering your files. As long as the storage space hasn’t been overwritten, recovery should be possible in many cases.
