How to Fix SD Card Corrupted Without Losing Data [7 Effective Ways]

Part 1. Common Situations of SD Card Corruption

SD card stands for Secure Digital Card. It is compact and low-electricity-consuming, so it is widely used in many portable devices, such as digital cameras, mobile phones, and action cameras etc. However, sometimes, SD cards become corrupted. The following are six common situations of SD card corruption. You can look through them and judge whether your SD card has something wrong.

• There doesn’t appear SD card after you insert it into your device.

• Some files in the SD card are missing, but no one deleted them.

• SD card displays as RAW.

• There is an error message warning of a read-write issue.

• The speed of data transfer by SD card becomes very slow.

• There appears a warning of reformatting.

The above are common indications that your SD card is corrupted or damaged. When you meet these symptoms, pay attention and take action to fix your SD card!

Part 2. How to Fix Corrupted SD Card without Data Loss - 7 Ways are Offered

If your SD card is corrupted, repair it immediately to avoid further loss. Follow the methods below.

Method 1. Change the SD Card Reader, USB Port, or Computer

Exterior problems lead to SD cards being unreadable sometimes. So, when an SD card cannot work well, we must try this method first. The steps are as follows:

Step 1. Change another SD card reader, insert the SD card into it, and reconnect it to a computer.

Step 2. Change the USB port and reconnect the SD card to a computer.

Step 3. Connect the SD card to another computer.

After these steps, if your SD card can work, that means it is fine. If your SD card is still unreadable, you need to try other fixing methods to repair corrupt SD card on the go and restore its normal function.

Method 2. Assign A New Drive Letter to the SD Card

Connect your SD card to the computer. If you cannot see the drive letter of your SD card in Disk Management, that means its drive letter is conflicted with other drives. In this case, the computer will not recognize the SD card. Changing to a new drive letter can often help fix a corrupted SD card and make it readable again. Change a new drive letter by the following steps:

Step 1. Press Win + X and select “Disk Management”.

Step 2. Right-click on your SD card, and choose “Change Drive Letter and Paths”.

Step 3. Click "Add" and select a new drive letter for the SD card. Then click "OK."

Method 3. Fix the SD Card with Aiseesoft Data Recovery

If the above methods don’t work well and you tend to solve various data loss issues absolutely, I recommend a powerful software, Aiseesoft Data Recovery. Don’t worry about its operation; it is simple to handle. You can fix a corrupted SD card and restore its data with ease using this data recovery software for corrupted SD card. What is more, files of all types and formats can be recovered easily.

How to fix a corrupted SD card and restore the data? The steps are as follows:

Step 1. Download, install, and run Aiseesoft Data Recovery on your computer.

Step 2. Select the “USB/SD Card Recovery” at the left of the top.

Step 3. Insert the SD card into the computer and click the “Scan Disk” button at the top right.

Step 4. Select the data you need to recover, and click the blue button “Recover”.

Method 4. Format Corrupted SD Card

Formatting is an extreme way to fix corrupted SD card, but it can quickly change the file system of the SD card. The steps of formatting are as follows:

Step 1. Connect the SD card to your computer and open File Explorer.

Step 2. Right-click on the damaged SD card, and choose "Format".

Step 3. Select a suitable file system from NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT.

Step 4. Tick "Quick Format" and click "Start".

However, this method may lead to data loss. You need to find it back by data recovery software, like Aiseesoft Data Recovery.

Method 5. CHKDSK Command to Check

If your SD card becomes unreadable or starts showing errors, running the CHKDSK command is one of the simplest ways to detect and repair system errors. This built-in Windows tool scans your SD card for bad sectors or file system issues, helping to restore corrupted SD card functionality without formatting it. Here’s how you can do it:

Step 1. Make sure that you have a card reader to attach your SD card to the computer.

Step 2. Press Win + S, type cmd, then right-click on Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.

Step 3. Put the following command in the Command Prompt window and hit Enter:
chkdsk X: /f /r

Note: Replace “X” with your SD card’s drive letter.

Step 4. Wait for the process to complete. Windows will automatically scan and repair any detected file system errors. Once done, safely eject and reconnect your SD card to check if it’s working properly again.

Method 6. Reinstall SD Card Drivers

On occasion, the issue is not the SD card, but the driver needed for your computer to recognize the SD card. A missing, corrupt, or outdated driver can render the SD card unreadable or indicate that it's been corrupted. Reinstalling your SD card driver is often an easy and effective fix for this problem and can help your computer restore corrupted SD card access. Try this:

Step 1. After attaching your SD card to your PC, open Device Manager by pressing Win + X.

Step 2. Expand the Disk drives or Portable Devices section to find your SD card.

Step 3. Right-click your SD card, then select Uninstall device.

Step 4. Disconnect the SD card and restart your computer. After that, reconnect the SD card. The Windows will automatically reinstall the correct driver.

After doing this, check if your computer can now read the SD card properly. This method often resolves recognition issues and helps restore your SD card to normal.

Method 7. Use Windows Repair Tool

If your SD card is corrupted, Windows has a built-in repair feature that can automatically notice nd fix errors on your drive. It’s one of the easiest ways to troubleshoot without needing any third-party software. Here’s how you can use it:

Step 1. Get your card reader and simply put your SD card into it to attach it to your PC. Open File Explorer and locate your SD card under “This PC”.

Step 2. Right-click the SD card and choose Properties.

Step 3. Click Check in the "Error-checking" section after selecting the Tools tab.

Step 4. If prompted, select Scan and repair drive and wait for the process to finish. Once the scan is complete, Windows will automatically repair detected issues and improve your card’s functionality.

This simple tool can be a quick fix to restore your corrupted SD card files to working order.

Part 3. FAQs About Repairing Corrupted SD Card