Having a damaged SD card can be incredibly frustrating. Those little storage devices hold so many of our precious photos, videos, documents, and other data. When they stop working properly, it’s only natural to want to get them up and running again as quickly as possible.
The good news is that there are a few different things you can try to resuscitate your damaged SD card and recover your files. With some basic troubleshooting, you stand a good chance of being able to use your SD card again.
What causes an SD card to become damaged?
There are several common reasons an SD card can become corrupted or damaged:
- Physical damage – Dropping the card, getting it wet, or bending can physically damage the card and make it unreadable.
- Improper ejection – Not safely ejecting the card from your computer or device can cause corruption.
- Power interruption – If the card loses power unexpectedly when reading or writing data, the file structure can become damaged.
- Exceeding storage limits – Writing more data to the card than its storage capacity supports can overwrite data tables and control structures.
- Malware or viruses – Malicious software can intentionally corrupt data and make cards unreadable.
- General wear and tear – After considerable long-term usage and rewriting, cards eventually fail due to component degradation.
Signs your SD card is damaged
There are a few clear warning signs that point to your SD card being damaged or corrupted:
- Your computer fails to recognize the card when inserted or reads it as an unknown device.
- You get error messages saying the card needs to be formatted before it can be used.
- Files and folders on the card appear missing or have been renamed oddly.
- Attempting to access data on the card causes your computer to freeze or crash.
- The card has visible physical damage like bends, cracks, broken plastic, water damage, etc.
If you’re seeing any of those issues, it’s likely your SD card has become either physically damaged or had its file system corrupted. But don’t panic yet – keep reading for ways you may be able to recover it.
First steps when your SD card is damaged
If you insert your SD card and suspect it’s damaged, do NOT attempt to format it or continue writing any new data to it. Doing so could overwrite your existing data and make it harder to recover. Here are the initial steps to take:
- Safely eject and remove the card from your computer or device.
- Visually inspect the card for any obvious physical damage.
- If the damage is physical, turn the card off completely and leave it untouched in a safe place.
- If there’s no physical damage, insert the card into a different device like a phone or tablet.
- See if that device recognizes the card and can access the data.
Trying the card in a different device helps determine if the issue is with the card itself or a problem with your computer. If another device also fails to read the card properly, the card itself is likely damaged or corrupted.
Try manually mounting the SD card
If your computer fails to recognize your SD card, try manually mounting it to see if that helps:
- On Windows, open File Explorer then right click and choose “Mount volume…”.
- On Mac, open Disk Utility then click Mount for the SD card’s volume.
- On Linux, open Disks, select the SD card, click the Play button, and Mount.
- This may allow you to access data even if the card wasn’t auto-detected.
If manually mounting allows you to view files on the card again, you can copy them to your computer for safekeeping. But avoid writing any new data to the damaged card.
Connect the card to a different USB port
SD cards may fail to be detected due to issues with the USB port. Try inserting the card into a different USB slot or hub. Use the built-in card reader directly on your computer if possible.
This can resolve issues caused by faulty or underpowered USB ports. If the card is detected properly in a new USB connection, you can proceed to copy its data to your computer.
Check for errors using CHKDSK
On Windows, you can scan for drive errors using the CHKDSK utility:
- Open an elevated Command Prompt window.
- Type “chkdsk E: /f” where E: is replaced by your SD drive letter.
- Allow the scan to run – this can take a while on larger cards.
- CHKDSK will attempt to repair any file system errors found.
Similar disk repair utilities like fsck can be used on Mac and Linux. This may fix corruption issues and make your SD card readable again.
Try data recovery software
If none of the above work, your best bet is a dedicated data recovery program. They use advanced techniques to scan damaged media and extract your data. Some top options include:
| Software | Platform | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Recuva | Windows | Free with deep scan options |
| EaseUS | Windows/Mac | Wizard-guided recovery process |
| Stellar | Windows/Mac/Linux | Robust advanced repair tools |
| Ontrack | Windows/Mac | Fast comprehensive scanning |
Run a scan with your chosen data recovery software. With luck, it will find and restore your missing files. Be sure to recover them to a healthy drive – not the damaged SD card.
Send your SD card for professional data recovery
For difficult SD card cases where you absolutely must retrieve the data, consider professional recovery. Experts use specialized tools in cleanroom environments to reconstruct data from failed media. This is an expensive last resort, but can succeed when DIY options have failed.
Some leading professional recovery firms include:
- DriveSavers
- Gillware
- Secure Data Recovery Services (SDRS)
- Datarecovery.com
Research companies thoroughly and get quotes before sending your device. But for critical business or personal data, professionals can be worth the high cost.
Can damaged SD cards be fixed or repaired?
Physically damaged SD cards with broken components cannot be repaired at home. But cards with corrupted software can potentially be fixed with a full format:
- Use SD Association formatter tool for SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.
- Select “FORMAT SIZE ADJUSTMENT” option.
- Check “Quick Format” box and click Format.
- This will fully rewrite the file system data.
Formatting has risks – you’ll lose all data on the card. So only attempt after recovering your files. This may wipe out corruption and restore full functionality.
Tips to avoid damaging SD cards
To avoid similar issues in the future, keep these SD card care tips in mind:
- Safely eject before removing cards from devices.
- Don’t expose cards to water, extremes of heat or cold, or bend force.
- Store in a protective case when not in use.
- Don’t use cards formatted above their rated capacities.
- Regularly backup important data from cards.
- Upgrade to newer, higher quality SD cards over time.
Can I recover data from a physically broken SD card?
With severe physical damage like snapped circuits or shredded platters, data is almost impossible to recover at home. But there are a few tips that can help in some cases:
- Avoid handling the damaged area of the card.
- Try placing kapton tape over cracks to stabilize components.
- Use compressed air to blow out any loose particles or debris.
- Keep the card dry and static-free while transporting it.
- Send to a professional recovery service immediately.
Specialized tools like microsoldering and platter transplants in professional labs offer the only hope for data recovery from extreme physical damage. But it can get very expensive with low success rates.
Can you fix an SD card not detected by CHKDSK?
If CHKDSK is unable to detect your SD card to scan for errors, a few things may help:
- Try exiting and reopening Command Prompt to refresh drive info.
- Connect SD card to a different USB port if possible.
- Try a drive scan utility like MHDD instead of CHKDSK.
- Check if card shows up in Disk Management – if so, it can be scanned.
- Update your SD card reader drivers to resolve conflicts.
If no scan tools detect the drive, the SD card controller itself is likely damaged. Professional recovery would be required to extract data in such cases.
What’s the success rate for DIY SD card data recovery?
The chances of successfully restoring data from a damaged SD card depend on multiple factors:
- Type of damage – Physical issues reduce success rate.
- Card brand and quality – Higher end cards fail better.
- How much data was written – Less data makes recovery easier.
- Time since failure – Quick action improves success odds.
- Tools used – DIY doesn’t work for catastrophic damage.
Under the best circumstances of software corruption on a high-quality new SD card, DIY recovery success rate can be over 90%. But with severe corruption or physical damage, it may be less than 50% even for pros.
Conclusion
Damaged SD cards can seem like an utter loss at first. But systematic troubleshooting and data recovery attempts can often resuscitate them. Carefully follow the steps for your specific symptoms, avoid worsening the damage, and utilize data recovery software for best results.
While not a sure bet, you have a fighting chance to regain access to precious photos, videos, and files from even significantly corrupted cards. Just stay calm, move through potential solutions one by one, and keep your fingers crossed! Just don’t keep using a damaged card once recovered – replace it right away to avoid future data loss.
