Update: We have modified this article so that you have more possibilities within your reach to solve the problems with your SD or microSD card, leaving formatting as the last option, the only one in which the data will not be able to be recovered and will be deleted.
The fact of having a damaged SD or microSD card is a real nuisance, since wherever we put it, it will give us a series of operating errors that will make it very difficult for us to access the data it has inside.
SD and microSD are really very sensitive, being products that break down more often than we would like, especially since, depending on what it is for, in certain devices they are essential for their proper functioning.
That is why it is important to know how we can fix them, since at least in this way we can recover the data that is inside and buy another one if we are not sure that the old one will last too long.
If you continue reading you will be able to know several methods to recover and fix your microSD or SD.
How to recover a broken SD or microSD card:
Signs that an SD or microSD is damaged
There are a number of signs that indicate that a microSD or SD card is no longer working as it should and that it is more than possible that it is damaged or about to be permanently damaged.
This is what we should look at:
Not always card is detected. Have reading and writing problems. If the SD is detected, but you have to put it back to get the data out. If we have format errors in windows. It may be that some recent data has been lost. The SD card capacity It’s incorrect. slower performance than is normal. malfunction of the device in general. SD card shows up as RAW.
Try another reader or computer
If you have a computer, other than the one you normally use with the card, with a reader, it is recommended that we test the card to see if it works.
It might also be good to test with a reader in different ports of different devices to know if it continues to give an error or the card in readers of different devices.
If it all works, the problem is not with the SD or microSD card, but with the reader that we normally use.
CHKDSK command
In Windows there is a very useful command that in the vast majority of cases is capable of recover a damaged SD card. It works on any computer, and to use it you don’t need to install any program. This command is called chkdsk.
And how do you use the chkdsk command to recover an SD? It is as simple as following these steps:
First, start with connect the SD/microSD card to the computer. If your computer doesn’t have card ports, you need to buy this adapter. Wait for the computer to recognize the card. It does not matter if it shows an error or not, the important thing is that you enter the menu of This team Windows and look at the letter that associates your computer to the card. Once you have that letter pointed, open the Windows command window. Remember that it is done by pressing the keys at the same time. Windows + R and writing CMDand then click on Accept. To finish, run the command chkdsk X: /f replacing the X for the letter associated with your memory card. If it hasn’t worked for you, instead of /f we put /r in the command and try to see if we solve the problem.
new drive letter
Although it may seem surprising, many SD card errors can be resolved by assigning a new drive letter.
To achieve this we must do the following:
We wrote Disk Management in the search box on the taskbar and select Create and format hard drive partitions. We right-click on your SD card and select the option Change drive letter and path. We click the button Change. Select a new drive letter and click on Accept. Again we click on Accept to close the Change Drive Letter and Paths window.
reinstall drivers
Windows automatically downloads and installs the latest drivers through Windows Update, but the driver installation may have had an error that we didn’t see.
That’s why it’s important to reinstall them just in case that’s the error:
We wrote Device administrator in the search on the taskbar and select it when you exit. We go through the available categories and look for our SD card (Portable Devices). We right click on the SD card and select update driver. we select Automatically search for driver software updated We give in update driver.
Windows repair tool
Windows 10 and Windows 11 have a graphical tool capable of checking drives for file system errors.
We can use the so-called Windows Repair Tool to correct errors in the SD. This is what you should do:
Let’s go to file manager and select the SD card, clicking on it with the bright mouse buttongiving in show more options and then in Properties. We click on Tools and select the option checkwithin error checking. Now we click on Scan and repair the unit. If you see a warning message that Windows can’t repair the drive while it’s in use, we save any work that affects the SD and hit repair again. 
Format
If we are clear that the SD is damaged and that the data is difficult to recover, we can always format it, which will allow us to continue using the memory card without having to buy a new one.
To format the card from the computer, all you have to do is:
We introduce the microSD in the card reader of the computer. We make right click on the name of the card inside the file manager. Click on the option Format and we are following the instructions until finally the SD is erased and ready for a new beginning.
With everything you have read, you will surely be able to fix the SD or microSD card that you need so much.
Most of the time, the data on the SD or microSD card can be recovered, but unfortunately there are other situations where this is not the case and there is no choice but to format.
