SD Card Repair: 5 Methods to Fix Corrupted SD Card

[@LostParadise_]

I think your tool just saved me thousands because it recovered a corrupted video file/SD card from a car accident. You guys are doing God's work.

[@cleverfiles]

Thank you for your kind feedback! We are so glad that you were able to recover lost files.

[@user-xu8im6lq5f]

Guys, you saved me again. Not only my devices or nerves, but also me. I needed a SD card repair. I panicked because there are the necessary photos for the coursework at the university… To be honest I didn't believe that it's possible to fix corrupted SD. But you make the impossible possible! Reinstalling drivers helped me, my card works as before. I couldn't believe in that! Moreover, you reminded me about disk drill. I not only got the necessary files, but also restored several lost photos. So I got much more than I wanted to. But I don't mind. It's the best summary of my clumsiness in the use of technology

[@cyplastial9690]

That Command Prompt command is actually such a life saver. Was able to save 143 files from corruption. Thank you so much for making this video.

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help!

[@shaha_ab]

Thank you very much. When I googled I found your video and it saved my day. My dji action 2 got error message and requested to format it. After watching your youtube I did the chkdsk and I managed to recover the files.

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help! :-)

[@LoLuZnB]

I had an SD card full of photos from a trip that I wanted to check out on my Chromebook. After looking at them I closed the Chromebook and almost immediately pulled the sd card reader out of the USB (BIG DUMB MISTAKE that I realized the second I did it..) But I put it straight into a camera and got "Card Needs To Be Formatted". I plugged it back into Chromebook and got the same response. I plugged it into a windows and it could be red as exfat but no files were found on it and "it needed to be formatted". I eventually did follow step 4 and Disk Drill was able to recover all my lost files! I did pay for the program and the extended updates because I don't want to worry about corruption again, I just want instant recovery for emergency situations like this one. I almost put a hole in the wall out of anger, but this video totally helped me fix the problem! Thank you!

[@cleverfiles]

Hi there! Every recovery case is unique and depends on thousands of parameters. Please refer to these guidelines for more information: www.cleverfiles.com/help/how-to-recover-lost-files-with-disk-drill-basic/ If you require any further assistance, please feel free to reach out to us at [e-mail]

[@ThomasMuehler]

Pure gratitude. It worked and now I don't have to reshoot. So very thankful. Keep up the great work!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@kaitycatt7250]

The disk drill option with format just literally helped me save three photo shoots! Thank you so much for this information!!!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@harsick5182]

Dude thank you so much!!! I have a 256 gb sd card, with LOTS of games, one of the files, corrupted while it was downloading and I couldn't play any of my games, I'm so happy rn thank you so much!

[@voiceonearts]

I just spent the entire evening shooting portraits of all of these kittens we need to find homes for, as soon as I got the SD into my computer I got the immediate, "you need to format this drive." I ran the "chkdsk" prompt as you said and immediately got a massively long list of "corrupted" access to the directory, took about 5 minutes to finish processing the command, and at 100% Windows had reallocated all the data into a newly organized directory that gives me access to all the files again before I format it for the next project. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!!!!! I'm sharing this video with everyone I work with, you covered all the methods and angles very well. My one trip up was when you said to change the "F" to the correct drive letter of the SD, there is an "F" and an "f" in the prompt and I was scared not knowing which F you were referring to changing. Can confirm for others it is the first capital "F" of the prompt command, not the lower case f. Cheers!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome! Happy to help 🫰

[@Tai_Jitu]

Omg. I just spent hours trying to recover an SD card that I thought was corrupted, and was resigned to manually copying thousands of files. Tried changing the drive letter and everything was instantly restored in 10 seconds. Thank you, what a life saver!

[@user-tt6lq7es9l]

I am a amateur photographer...All my photos were on one SD card. I thought I was done when my computer said it was corrupted...Untill this vide saved me. Thanks guys!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad we could help!

[@minnie777]

PLEASE READ!!! 🙏I really want to try this method BUT my files are WAY BIGGER THAN 500MB😩(mp4 videos) So I am scared I Format my card and then I can't find a FREE format recover software for files bigger than 500mb. ..and then I lose everything...I have 2 days MAX to fix this.

[@cleverfiles]

Are you referring to method #4? If yes, Disk Drill is limited to 500MB of free data recovery. However, you can always scan your entire drive with the free version and preview files to make sure they are recoverable before committing to buy a license.

[@minnie777]

@@cleverfiles thank you

[@TheKayLeonard]

@@cleverfiles Hi there, the free version will not let me preview files. It is asking me to upgrade. Also, I don't have any where near 500MB and it still won't let me preview. Any suggestions.? Thanks

[@cicakkukus5563]

OH MY GOD BRO YOU SAVED MY LIFE IM BEING FOR REAL. I AM A SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER AND I WAS LOOKING AT 500 RAW PIC AND SUDENTLY ITS GONE AND IT SAYS CARD NEED TO FORMATE OR SMTH IM STILL PANIC IM SORRY. I TRIED THE SEC STEP AND ITS WORKING THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@SaltyEscape]

Step 2 WORKED! Probably 100 hours of raw footage recovered! Thank you!!!!!

[@cleverfiles]

You are welcome!

[@jonathanwomack4851]

How do you format the sad card, when it’s not even being recognized.. so that tip is pretty much useless unless it is being recognized

[@cleverfiles]

You're right, it only works for SD cards that show up on your computer. If a card is not detected, this won't work.

[@elizataylor1726]

If this helps, my card doesn't show up on my pc, but does on my phone since I've been using it as extra storage for my phone, maybe try that, see if your phone recognises a ccorrupt sd that needs to be formatted before it can be used

[@Hunter36649]

dude tysm! i had to format nothing important on there, there was some weird files on there so had to format it your a lifesaver man :)

[@monsterflower8150]

My SD card corrupted on the same day I bought it. I thought it fried or was defective but using the chkdsk command worked well. Thank you.

[@outriderV]

Great stuff! Awesome presentation. Thanks much!

[@simoncossettini9680]

Thanks for this video.My daughters sd card on phone got corrupted.... thanks to chkdsk and your video - it set me on the right track and got the sd card reading the files again.

[@cleverfiles]

Glad we could help!

[@shenkijs355]

CMD command saved me my friends graduation pictures. Almost had heart attack when saw that I need to format, but found this video

[@phils3917]

Brilliant, saved my files that I thought were lost, thank you! Subscribed!

[@cleverfiles]

Thanks for the sub!

[@sarahmadaio6262]

OmG. You are absolutely incredible- you are my favorite human right now!!!!

[@cindyjo6]

Ran #2 - Chkdsk on a 8GB sandisk that said "corrupted" in my card reader and "needs to be formatted" in my camera --- probably 500+ images from a wedding. When I ran Chkdsk E: /f /x /r ---- "Bad links in lost chain at cluster XXXX corrected. Last line "Convert lost chains to files (Y/N)? what do I choose? Will the jpg files remain on the sandisk so I can transfer them to my computer? What if I exit out? Will I have damaged files or eliminated hope of getting these back? Can you help? Didn't see any similar replies in the comments below. Thank you.

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@shaikatnayeem2231]

very helpful video. it's working. thanks a lot, man!. take love

[@cleverfiles]

Always welcome

[@benndrix8304]

So I ve tried the first method and It didn’t work because it wasn’t detected by any other device accept a Nintendo 3Ds and it‘s acces to the Card was denied. All the other Methods don’t make sense because my SD card doesn’t even get recognized by the device so there is no possible way to change anything on drivers if I can’t even change any option. So wrapped up my Problem is that my Labtop and my family’s Labtops don’t detect my S D Card and I don’t know how to get my Computer to at least note that the SD Card has been inserted.

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@pinoyproductions206]

Thank you! I will subscribe and share your video. I was able to fix my SD card with the chkdsk command! I was about to give up and just format the SD card until I found your video!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad I could help! Thank you for the sub.

[@KJTODAY]

This just saved my day! Thank you so much!!!

[@Bobomulo]

Disk Drill saved me, thanks a ton 🙏

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@user-jy2dn8pt7m]

Disk drill id asking for code which I don't have What should I do

[@EpicEric25]

thanks for the turorial! when i recover my files all of the file names are "lost7" or any othernumber they are also called "orphans"

[@cleverfiles]

That happens when those files are not associated with any programs. Please, contact us at [e-mail] so we can take a closer look at this.

[@ViewersTube]

thanks that realy works perfectly

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped

[@petercache5775]

Thanks a lot, I recover some of the files of an SDcard

[@HSstudio.Ytchnnl]

I actually tried formatting my SD card more than 10 times, yet unfortunately the issue is still present. My real problem is that the video still plays BEFORE I transfer it into the SD card but AFTER I transferred it, the video doesn't play anymore. Plus, the transfer speed is just a miniscule 355 kbps on average so is it possible to solve this issue? The SD card is a white Sandisk 128gb & I've been dealing this problem for months.

[@donchichi117]

Loved your explanation

[@user-ue4ug6so1t]

Just Saved me a wedding shoot, thank you so much

[@cleverfiles]

Which method worked for you?

[@sallymcdonald2518]

OMG thanks Andrew. Haven't done it yet but ... Disk Drill required to find photos I deleted by mistake. 2 years of travelling in Australia no less. Wish me luck.

[@cleverfiles]

You can contact us if you need any assistance during the scanning and recovery processes: [e-mail]

[@TarunSingh-jm8wy]

Thanks for this video! Could you please tell me if sd card is broken into two pieces completely, some says it still can work? The sd card was not only broken into two pieces but was also watered, is there any chance it can be repaired?

[@cleverfiles]

It is hard to say. We recommend you take it to a local Data Recovery Center so they can take a look at it.

[@touluevang862]

You are a life saver! Thank you!

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@michellevelasquez4396]

It worked. Keep up the good work. ❤❤

[@SeanAndrews-dz6ro]

when i do the chkdsk it tell me that the type of files is RAW and can't do nothing... im stuck please help

[@cleverfiles]

It means that the file system is unrecognized or damaged. If the drive is listed in Disk Drill, try scanning it to recover data. You can also try connecting the drive to a different computer.

[@momentsbyautumn]

YOU ARE A LIFESAVER THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO

[@anon6056]

This is fantastic! Thank you, i will be trying this

[@cleverfiles]

Wonderful!

[@gogakhan6999]

@@cleverfiles can you help me.??

[@vtskenya]

Thanks this was really helpful

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped

[@muizali]

OMG! you are a live saver! Thank you!

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help!

[@BasicRiceBowl]

Thank you so much, this worked perfectly!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@AmirMak]

It worked like a charm, the command! thanks a ton mate!❤

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome! Happy to help :-)

[@aleksandarpetrushevski2095]

You saved my f-ing life you are a genius !!!

[@LearnWatercolorPainting]

So helpful. Problem solved. Thanks.

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@Court_KR]

Thank you so much! I thought I'd lost a bunch of wildlife photography- method #2 was all it took! 🙏🏼

[@cleverfiles]

Glad it helped!

[@andrewysk7181]

Will Disk Drill be able to "see" files on a corrupted SD card before I format it?

[@cleverfiles]

Hi there! Sorry to hear about that. The only way to verify your files recoverability is to download Disk Drill Basic, run the scan, and preview the file(s) in question. If you managed to preview the file you needed to recover in a basic version, please email us at [e-mail] for further assistance. No preview just means that the file might be damaged or corrupt, it can be recovered, but it might need to be repaired.

[@R.K.graphy]

BRO you made my DAY! damn almost died here 😂 The chkdsk method workd! Thanks for this helpfull video! 😁👍

[@cleverfiles]

Happy to help! :-)

[@praneeth210]

Very important 👍

[@williamsrdan]

My tablet restarted and suddenly the card has to be formatted again...... I'm sick of having to reformat my card once i get it set up the way i want it (files copied onto thr card into its folder structure, which i hate, btw)

[@ForeverLit]

u saved my life with that cmd prompt God bless you !!!!!!!!

[@cleverfiles]

Glad I could help!

[@ForeverLit]

Man I could never repay u

[@GamerBeast-ee5wn]

Thank U so much. Please make a video on how to make sure the sd card doesn't get corrupted again 🙏

[@sds5548]

Well the problem is, i can see everything, i can change letter, i cant format it in FAT32, i can FORMAT it in NTFS, it says format complete in ntfs but the dats are not deleting. and then it comes back to default, letter, space. i am confused, whats going on

[@patrickdubuc3439]

When I go on disk management and right click on it the change letter is faded out which indicates that it won't let me change it same with the format icon as well

[@teresahaugen3974]

Thank you !

[@cleverfiles]

You're welcome!

[@gobigrey9352]

I ran command prompt and it says no problems but it stil says card is empty.

[@MikkoRantalainen]

If the *data* on the disk is important, start with creating a binary image of the disk before trying anything else. In case of Linux, you want to use `ddrescue`, in case of Windows, I'm not sure about the safest method. The idea is to take snapshot of *everything* in its current state. Even running `chkdsk` may be unsafe in some cases so you should do that on a *copy* of the current state of the problematic card. If you don't mind losing the data, SD card secure erase can usually bring to card online fastest. However, that will lose all data on the card for sure.

[@israelcabrera5777]

Thank you, you saved my day

[@cleverfiles]

Glad I could help 🤜🤛

[@EvilBobster101]

yo what???? I did the check disk command for my drive and it deleted the DCIM folder wich were all my corrupt files were??????!!!!!!!

[@cleverfiles]

Hi there! Every recovery case is unique and depends on thousands of parameters. Please refer to these guidelines for more information: www.cleverfiles.com/help/how-to-recover-lost-files-with-disk-drill-basic/ If you require any further assistance, please feel free to reach out to us at [e-mail]

[@lightningryan]

Forgot to mention if you can’t see the drive. You said it in the intro but not how to address it.

[@cleverfiles]

Check Disk Management on Windows or Disk Utility on Mac to see if the card appears. Use recovery tools like Disk Drill if the card is still undetected there. If these steps fail, seek professional data recovery services.

[@sgtskidz]

I love you maaaan tysm

[@sebastainreece5000]

BLESS YOU SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@eror0984]

thanks very useful

[@letstalktruecrime01]

ive tried everything, my card is full and i cannot delete any files from it. no matter how many times i delete them they are still there when i put the card back in the reader.

[@cleverfiles]

Try disabling a write protection in this case: 1. Open Command Prompt in Admin mode. Click Start, type CMD. Right click on CMD and select ‘run as administrator’. This will open CMD in admin mode. 2. Type diskpart and hit "Enter". A new command line window will open. 3. Type list disk and hit "Enter" (make sure your devices has been listed out, for example, it is listed as disk 0) 4. Type the command select disk 0 and hit "Enter". 5. Type attributes disk clear readonly and hit "Enter".

[@igotit7141]

Thank you so much a very life saver 😍 God Bless you always 🙏

[@cleverfiles]

Welcome 😊

[@jaconova]

My card is in a weird state. It is detected, chkdsk shows no errors, but I can't write any new data (pictures/videos, I use the sd card on a Canon camera, new data shows for a while and then goes "can't reproduce image/video") nor delete the old pictures it holds. Any clue about what's going and how to fix it?

[@cleverfiles]

You might want to check for the Admin permissions to read and write files on the card.

[@joanndaprile9076]

Is there a comparable method to recover files off a micro-sd card on a Mac computer? The only windows running computer I have is an old laptop with Windows 7 still i installed so not sure if I will be able to get that to work. Thank you for the information. It is clear and helpful.

[@cleverfiles]

You'd need a card reader to be able to connect your SD card to a Mac.

[@joanndaprile9076]

@@cleverfiles thank you. I meant as far as the steps you described in the video. The mac operating system doesn't have those command and other options.

[@seanhaugen]

so i formatted the card and i’m ok to use it right? or will it happen again?

[@jaspervn4722]

what about for someone who tried everything and the format just says that its unsuccessful every time

[@cleverfiles]

Please, contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@employmentrockstar]

but what if no device (computer or camera) can recognize or find your SD card?

[@cleverfiles]

If your SD card can't be detected, that indicates a hardware problem. So, we recommend you take such card to a local Data Recovery Center.

[@whiteskystudios3261]

Thanks

[@cleverfiles]

Welcome

[@user-wi7ed2mz4i]

Will these procedures work with a possibly corrupt Samsung Note 20 Ultra SD card ?

[@29.raffly84]

hello, I'm from Indonesia I have an SD card that is 11 years old, when I put it in the camera the photos will appear, but if I copy the photos to my computer the files will become corrupt Can photos still be saved?

[@cleverfiles]

You can try scanning your SD card with Disk Drill. We guarantee the recovery of the files you can fully preview.

[@waster9964]

when i try the command method it says cannot open volume for direct access. My sdcard wont even show up, i tried 2 laptops and 3 samsung phones.

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@sarahilliard6411]

So, none of these work for me because my SD card wont even register. It doesn't show up in disk management. Is there a fix for that?

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@Youtuber34172]

Its scanning, and its actually recovering documents. Its a little slow. But well see how it goes.

[@afeogbatheophilus]

wow you just my chuch project, i almost lost every data,thanks a million,i tried method 2

[@cleverfiles]

Glad we could help!

[@michaelc3977]

I have 5 microSD cards. They have all suddenly become unreadable with different symptoms. Some tell me I need to format them. Others aren't recognisable at all. But all of them, if the laptop recognises they have been inserted, become almost too hot to touch within a few seconds of being inserted. Can somebody please suggest what might be causing this? I'm willing to try the format and recovery method, but cannot get that far with the cards that are being at least recognised because they are becoming red hot. Please help!

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@hectormunoz7714]

My SD Card has a 32GB capacity and it is loaded with photos and videos, however the Disk Drill Software shows only 30.6 MB and 0 (zero) Files to recover. I only changed it from one phone to another but now I lost access to it. Tried all the steps except Format it. Will the paid version help ??

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@craftymulligar]

I least want a sd card to fix where it's not thrown away after a few uses. Not worried about data lost.

[@tobyredolosa7948]

thank you

[@cleverfiles]

Welcome!

[@ohenkay297]

Please help my SD card is corrupted and I'm unable to format it 😭😭 I have tried with the phone and it keeps getting stuck at 20% and with the PC it says windows unable to format or something like that 🤦. At this point I don't even care about losing the data, I just want to be able to use it again 😩. Please help

[@cleverfiles]

Hi there! Every recovery case is unique and depends on thousands of parameters. Please refer to these guidelines for more information: www.cleverfiles.com/help/how-to-recover-lost-files-with-disk-drill-basic/ If you require any further assistance, please feel free to reach out to us at [e-mail]

[@ohenkay297]

@@cleverfiles hey? the instructions here are for Mac, i have an Acer pc.

[@ohenkay297]

i just want to be able to format it ,so i can use it as storage on my phone, and all the 5 suggestions are not working.

[@cleverfiles]

Hi! Sorry to hear about that. Disk Drill can access your phone device's storage (available for Mac OS X at this time) as described here: www.cleverfiles.com/iphone-data-recovery.html You can also browse our Knowledge Base for additional information: www.cleverfiles.com/howto/android-data-recovery/

[@cleverfiles]

Hi, sorry for the confusion, you will need a Mac with Disk Drill for Mac to scan a Mobile device.

[@kathleencummings6271]

Thanks for any help! I tried the chkdsk, but I get the error that chkdsk is not available with RAW drives. I ran Disk Drill and no files showed up on the scan. Prior to this, my laptop did read the photos on the card. I was in the process of copying all photos and my laptop froze up. Tried again and got the error that the card needed to be formatted. Changed card readers and got the same error.

[@cleverfiles]

Looks like a damaged drive case. Please, contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@sakshipandey6924]

Hey! In my case the card is not even showing in disk manager, file manager, in cmd command I tried checking all the disks but it is not showing up there as well. No option is showing for formatting as well. And the card has very imp 28 gb of data. Please HEPL!!!!!!!!!!

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@lilpoperlaso7875]

pls help it said chkdsk wont work on raw what does it mean

[@cleverfiles]

Hi there! Every recovery case is unique and depends on thousands of parameters. Please refer to these guidelines for more information: www.cleverfiles.com/help/how-to-recover-lost-files-with-disk-drill-basic/ If you require any further assistance, please feel free to reach out to us at [e-mail]

[@carlosuribe9005]

Very good video, thanks. What if the format cannot be completed or is unsuccessful? Ran all of the steps above, I can read the sd card information, but there seems to be a problem.

[@cleverfiles]

Please, contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@thatoneocto]

@@cleverfiles my micro sd isn’t detected at all

[@k_phan]

Hi, I am having trouble recovering my photos from my SD card. I was attempting to change the name of the folders to easily navigate my photos but then when I did that, my photos became were unable to display with a "?" on the screen. I then tried to transfer my photos back but had no luck. Stupidly, I looked up how to fix it online and was told to format it resulting in me losing all my photos. I have tried disk drill and some of the other methods but still no luck. Please help, I have very important memorably photos.

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@Gdcanoot]

What does it mean if it heats up on a chromebook? ._.

[@connorjh005]

When I plug my sd card into my laptop it does not appear and when I looked in disk management it didn't appear there either. I tried plugging it into different devices but it still didn't show up.

[@cleverfiles]

Most likely this is a hardware problem. Disk Drill can only work with SD cards that show up in Device Manager. In your case it might make sense to take it to a local Data Recovery Center.

[@Sufiley]

its displaying 121mb and a random partiton :/

[@vns1111]

i have a doubt is diskdrill used in forensics tooo.......

[@cleverfiles]

Hello, yes. Disk Drill Enterprise has the forensic tools needed for Data Recovery. You can read more about it here: www.cleverfiles.com/howto/forensic-data-recovery.html

[@Djbabou1]

Respect ✊.

[@Instrumusic111]

Now my problem is not just how to fix sd card, my problem now is how to get a computer to fix it.

[@ckspas]

I tried the command prompt. It gave the following message: Windows cannot run disk checking on this volume because it is write protected. Is there a way around this? I was uploading vacation videos and sd card went corrupt :(

[@cleverfiles]

Please contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@sjmackinder]

Tried everything including format on the PC which allowed files to be transferred from hard drive to SD card but this car WILL NOT work at all in the camera even though I try 3 approaches in the camera: 1) create new database 2) recover data 3) format card none will even start

[@cleverfiles]

Please, contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@chinmaysoni7286]

He only hacks the account.

[@Tommy-ci1if]

Hello, I recently bought a new phone and I don't believe and I ejected the SD Card properly and now my new phone cannot open any of my photo or pdf files because its indicating that it doesn't recognize the files. When I insert the SD card into the pc, the pc recognizes the card cause I can all of the photo and files; however, when I try to open them it tells me the samething that it doesn't recognize the file format. The files are still there, but it just can't be open and view. Can these files be recovered and open again? Thanks

[@cleverfiles]

Please, contact us at [e-mail] for further assistance.

[@sammyl5317]

My card won't even be detected on the computer, so I'm not even able to format it on the computer. If i formatted it on my camera, and all the files became erased. Will I be able to still recover them on my computer then??

[@cleverfiles]

It depends. Please, scan it with the free version of Disk Drill to check.

[@ee_101]

Thx it helped

[@cleverfiles]

Glad to hear it 🙌