SD Card Shows Read Only? See How to Fix It (5 Solutions)
Q: How to fix my micro SD card that became a read-only memory card?
The error message is likely "No media available" or "SD card is read-only." This issue can occur due to various reasons like corrupted card, faulty card reader, or incorrect SD card settings. To resolve this, try removing and reinserting the SD card, checking if it's properly seated, or formatting the card using a computer. If the issue persists, it might be a hardware problem, and you may need to replace the SD card or seek professional help.
An SD card that is read-only, also known as write-protected, can be accessed for data retrieval but cannot be modified or written to.
SD Card Read Only Symptoms
A memory SD card or USB flash drive may become "read only" due to age, damage, corruption, or virus infection, or as a result of human error.
If your Android or camera's external SD card is mounted as read-only, you won't be able to write, delete, copy, or move data on it. To fix this, you can try checking the write protection tab, using the Windows command, running automatic write protection removal software, or using a third-party FAT32 to NTFS converter. Once you successfully remove the read-only status from the SD card, you'll be able to format it freely as you want.
Method 1. Unlock Read-Only SD Card with Physical Write Protection Tab
Most memory cards for Android or Nintendo Switch use have a physical write protection tab. To remove the read-only attribute, slide the tab to the unlocked position.
Step 1: Take out the memory card that is currently in a read only state from your device.
Step 2: Check if there is a physical lock switch on it.
Step 3: Position the lock switch from ON to OFF and unlock the SD card.
Method 2. Remove Read Only from SD Card Using CMD
If your external hard drive or SD card is showing as read-only on your Mac, don't worry! There are a few possible solutions to resolve this issue.
Step 1: Plug the read only micro SD card into Windows.
Step 2: Click "Start" > "Run" and enter cmd.
Step 3: Enter diskpart.
Step 4: Type list volume. Now you'll see all your connected drives, see which one is the memory card drive.
Step 5: Type select volume #. # represents the letter of your memory card drive.
Step 6: Type attributes disk clear readonly > removing the write protection.
Copy all the commands here:
- diskpart
- list volume
- select volume #
- attributes disk clear readonly
Method 3. Fix Read Only SD Card Using Write Protection Removal Software
If you're not tech-savvy and unfamiliar with command lines, don't worry - there are graphical solutions to help you remove write-protection from your hard drives, USB drives, and even SD cards.
How to Format Read Only SD Card to Normal
Many Android users try to format a memory card that's been mounted as read-only, but end up with an error saying Windows couldn't complete the format. This is because the card's read-only attribute hasn't been removed, making the format process fail. Once the read-only attribute is removed, the card can be formatted and its full capacity restored.
It's easy to format a read-To fix the read-only issue on your SD card using Qiling partition manager software, simply plug in the SD card with the problem and follow the steps to get a full fix.
Step 1. Open Qiling Partition Master. Connect the your SD card to PC.
Step 2. Select the your SD card in the "Disk management" page and click "Format".
Step 3. In the next window, enter the Partition label, choose the FAT32 file system, and set the cluster size according to your needs, then click "Proceed".
Formatting an SD card that was previously mounted as read-only can help restore its full capacity and make it work as a new storage card, effectively revitalizing it.
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