How to Recover Data from Unmounted SD Card: 100% Working Methods

Unmounted SD Card

SD cards are essential storage devices for smartphones, cameras, and other portable devices. However, what happens when you find your SD card has become unmounted? An unmounted SD card can cause a lot of stress, especially if you can’t access your data. Whether you’re unable to read files or the card simply isn’t showing up, this issue can result in losing valuable information.

In this article, we will explore why an SD card might become unmountable and how to recover your data. We’ll also provide several methods to fix this issue and ensure that your data stays safe.

Why SD Card is Unmountable?

When an SD card is unmounted, it may render the computer unable to read or write new data, with the SD card potentially disappearing from the File Explorer. Several reasons might prevent your SD card from being recognized or mounted by your computer. Some common causes include:

📌Physical Damage: If the SD card has been dropped or exposed to water, it may suffer from physical damage that keeps SD card unmounting.

📌Corrupted File System: Improperly removing the SD card, power interruptions, or malware can corrupt the file system, causing the card to become unreadable.

📌Driver Issues: Missing or outdated drivers can prevent your computer from properly detecting the SD card.

📌Hardware Incompatibility: Your SD card may not be compatible with your PC or card reader, leading to mounting issues.

📌Malware or Virus: Malware or viruses can cause system-level corruption, affecting your SD card's functionality.

📌Bad Sectors or Storage Errors: Physical wear on the card, particularly from frequent use, can result in bad sectors that make the SD card unmountable.

How to Recover Data from Unmounted SD Card

When you face an unmounted SD card, the first priority should be recovering your files. Fortunately, there is a reliable data recovery tool—MyRecover—that can help you recover lost or inaccessible files, even from an unmounted SD card. With AI-powered file recognition and recovery, it scans all your storage devices like SD cards, USB drives, SSDs, HDDs, etc. to make sure no files are left behind.

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from Microsoft Store. Connect the unmounted SD card to your computer with a correct card reader.

Step 2. Open MyRecover and select the SD card to scan for lost files, then click "Scan". If your SD card hasn’t been assigned a drive letter in Disk Management, it may be displayed as a "Lost Partition" in MyRecover.

Step 3. Once the scan is complete, choose the files you wish to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Step 4. Choose a different storage location to save the recovered files to avoid overwriting the original data on the SD card.

When the process is done, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop up. Then, you can check the recovered files in the destination folder by clicking on "Browse" button.

How to Fix an Unmounted SD Card

After recovering your important files, you can proceed with fixing the unmounted SD card. Here are several methods you can use to troubleshoot and resolve the issue, regain access to your SD card.

Check Connection and Compatibility

Before trying other complex solutions, checking the connection and compatibility between your SD card and computer is the simplest and most effective method. An improper connection or incompatible file system can cause the SD card to fail to mount on Windows.

Step 1. Remove the SD card from the computer and re-connect it to your computer. Once the SD card is successfully remounted, you can access the files stored on the SD card.

Step 2. Open Disk Management to check the file system of the unmounted SD card. If it shows APFS, Ext3/4, or other similar formats, this indicates the SD card is incompatible with Windows. Reformatting it to a Windows-compatible file system will resolve the issue.

Assign a Drive Letter

If the SD card is recognized but not mounted in Windows, it may be due to a drive letter conflict. You can assign a drive letter in Disk Management.

Step 1. Press "Win" + "X" and choose "Disk Management" to open it.

Step 2. Locate your SD card and right click on it, then select "Change Drive Letters and Paths".

Step 3. Assign a new drive letter to the SD card.

Run CHKDSK Command

If the SD card contains some file system errors, Windows might not mount it as usual. The CHKDSK command is a built-in tool in Windows that can fix issues related to file systems and bad sectors. Here's how:

Step 1. Locate Command Prompt in the Start menu and right click on it, then choose "Run as administrator".

Step 2. Enter the following command "chkdsk G: /f /r" and press "Enter" key. Replace the drive letter "G" with your SD card drive letter. It will automatically scan and repair any detected errors.

Update or Reinstall SD Card Drivers

Outdated or corrupted drivers can also cause your SD card to be unmountable. In such case, you may need to update or reinstall SD card drivers.

Step 1. Press "Win" + "X" and choose "Device Manager" to open it.

Step 2. Expand "Disk drivers" and right click on the SD card, then choose "Update driver". If no updates are available, try uninstalling and reinstalling the driver.

Restart your computer and re-connect the SD card, Windows will attempt to reinstall the correct drivers automatically.

Format the SD Card

If none of the above methods work, formatting the SD card may be your only option. Please note that this will erase all data on the card, so make sure you’ve recovered your files first.

Step 1. Open Disk Management and right click on the SD card, then select "Format".

Step 2. Choose a compatible file system with Windows (NTFS is recommended for most drives) and check "Perform a quick format", then click "Start" to begin the process.

Conclusion

An unmounted SD card can be a frustrating problem, but with the right recovery tools and troubleshooting methods, you can fix it and recover your lost data from unmounted SD card. Start with MyRecover to ensure your data is safe, then follow the steps outlined above to resolve the underlying issue. Whether the SD card is unmountable due to driver issues, corruption, or physical damage, the combination of these recovery and repair strategies should help you get back on track.

If you’re frequently working with data recovery on Windows, upgrading to MyRecover Professional edition is worthwhile investment. It allows unlimited data recovery capacity and file content preview, ensuring you can recover exactly the files you need.