When you need to clear space or repair your SD card by formatting, Windows was unable to format the card and pops up an error message. Take it easy! This comprehensive guide will walk you through several methods to fix this issue and recover data from formatted SD card, ensuring that your files always are safe.
I recently purchased a SanDisk SD card, but I’ve run into a problem while trying to format it on my Windows 11 PC. Every time I try to format it, I get the error: Windows was unable to complete the format. I’ve tried using Disk Management and File Explorer, but neither worked. I’m not sure why this is happening, especially since the card is brand new. What could be the cause, and is there any way to fix it without damaging the card?
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
- Question from Diana
When you try to format your SD card, only to receive the error message: Windows was unable to complete the format. That can really be an incredibly irritating thing. This error prevents you from quickly erasing the SD card, restoring it to use, and completely deleting unwanted files. This issue can arise in various scenarios, such as when your SD card is corrupted, write-protected, or experiencing hardware failure.
In this guide, we'll explore the possible reasons behind the "Windows unable to format SD card" error and walk you through methods to resolve it, as well as how to recover lost data from a formatted SD card.
There are several reasons why Windows might fail to format your SD card. Understanding the root cause can help you troubleshoot and fix the issue effectively. Some of the most common reasons include:
🧿Write Protection: Your SD card may be locked by write-protection, preventing any changes from being made. This is often a hardware issue where the physical switch on the SD card is set to "lock."
🔔File System Corruption: If the SD card’s file system is corrupted, Windows may not be able to format it. This can happen due to improper ejection, power outages, or other hardware malfunctions.
💾Bad Sectors: Damaged sectors on the SD card can interfere with the formatting process, making it impossible to format.
📌Incompatible or Outdated Drivers: If the drivers for the SD card are outdated or incompatible with your current version of Windows, it may result in errors when attempting to format.
✂️Disk Errors: Windows may fail to complete the format if there are underlying disk errors or physical problems with the SD card.
If you’re facing the "Windows was unable to complete the format SD card" error, don't worry. This section will provide several methods you can try to solve it, allowing you to format the SD card as normal. Let's explore them one by one.
If the SD card is write-protected, it’s intentionally designed to prevent accidental deletion or modification of important files. As a result, Windows won’t allow any changes to the card, including formatting. To fix this, follow these steps:
Step 1. Check the physical write protection switch on the SD card. Ensure it is not in the "Lock" position.
Step 2. If the card has no physical switch or the issue persists, use Diskpart to remove write protection via Command Prompt. Open Command Prompt and run it as administrator. Then, input the following command:
Once the process is finish, type "exit" to end DiskPart. Reconnect the SD card to computer and re-format it to check if the error persists.
Disk Management is a built-in Windows disk management tool that allows you to manage disks and partitions, including formatting SD cards. Before formatting an SD card with it, you can check if the card has any drive letter issues. If there’s a drive letter conflict, you can assign a new letter. If the SD card shows as "unallocated" or "not initialized", try initializing the SD card without losing data.
Step 1. Press "Win" + "X" and choose "Disk Management" to open it.
Step 2. Locate your SD card in the list of drives and right click on it, then choose "Format".
Step 3. Select the desired file system (e.g., FAT32 or exFAT) and check the "Perform a quick format" option, then click "Finish" to start the process.
When Windows is unable to complete the formatting of an SD card within File Explorer, you may alternatively attempt to format the card using the command-line utility DiskPart. Follow these steps:
Step 1. Locate Command Prompt in Start menu and right click on it, then choose "Run as administrator".
Step 2. Type the following command to format the SD card:
If you're uncomfortable with command-line tool, consider using a third-party tool like AOMEI Partition Assistant. This powerful tool can help fix partition issues, format unresponsive SD cards, and recover data from damaged drives.
Step 1. Download and install AOMEI Partition Assistant on your computer.
Step 2. Launch it and select your SD card, right click on it, then select "Format Partition".
Step 3. Choose a desired file system based on your needs and click "OK".
Step 4. Click "Apply" to start the process.
A corrupted file system or other logic errors can also cause Windows unable to format SD card. CHKDSK is a Windows built-in tool that scans and attempts to repair file system errors and bad sectors on a hard drive. You can run the CHKDSK command to fix errors on the SD card:
Step 1. Open Command Prompt and run it as administrator.
Step 2. Type the command "chkdsk G: /f /r" and hit the "Enter" key. Replace the drive letter "G" with your SD card drive letter.
The command will automatically scan and fix any detected errors on the SD card.
Now you can format the SD card like before to clear all its data. But what if you regret it afterward and need to recover files from the formatted SD card? Yes, you definitely can! The excellent data recovery solution MyRecover can rescue your data. It specializes in recovering lost files from formatted, corrupted, or inaccessible storage devices. With its intuitive and straightforward operation, even novice users can achieve data recovery by simply clicking the icon.
Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from Microsoft Store.
Step 2. Run the program and select the SD card to scan for lost files, then click "Scan".
If the quick scan fails to locate the specific files you intend to recover, initiate a "Deep Scan" to recover additional lost file fragments.
Step 3. After the scan is complete, choose the files you would like to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".
Step 4. Select a safe location to save the recovered files.
When the process is completed, the message "Files have been recovered successfully" will pop up. Then, you can verify the recovered files by clicking on the destination folder path or "Browse" button.
Generally, whenever Windows is unable to format an SD card or other storage media, applying the aforementioned solutions will restore normal formatting functionality. For data recovery from a formatted SD card, MyRecover provides a reliable solution to retrieve your lost files. By upgrading to MyRecover’s Professional edition, you’ll unlock additional powerful features, including unlimited data recovery capacity and pre-recovery file content preview.