Why the phone does not see the memory card and what to do about it

1. Incorrect installation

First of all, try pulling out the memory card and gently reinserting it into your smartphone. Make sure it is installed correctly. There should be a distinct click in the spring loaded slot. If the tray is removable, insert the card with the indicated side and insert the slot all the way. After installing the microSD, restart your smartphone to re-initialize the memory card.

2. Mount error

In rare cases, Android does not recognize the external storage due to a software glitch. This can be fixed by removing and reconnecting the card in the settings.

What to do if the phone does not see the memory card: open "Settings" → "Storage and USB drives"

What to do if the phone does not see the memory card: find your card in the "Removable storage" section and click on the small triangle opposite it

To do this, open "Settings" → "Storage and USB-drives", find your card in the "Removable storage" section and click on the small triangle opposite it.

What to do if the phone does not see the memory card: wait for the "Extracted" message to appear

What to do if the phone does not see the memory card: tap the name of the microSD and select "Connect"

The caption under the name will change to Checked Out. Now tap on the microSD name and select "Connect."

3. The presence of an unsupported file system

You may encounter this problem when using a memory card that was previously connected to another smartphone or computer. The media may simply have a different file system that your gadget does not understand. In this case, all that remains is to format the microSD into a supported format.

Keep in mind that all information will be deleted in this case! If there are photos, videos, documents and other important data on the memory card, they should first be saved - in the cloud or on a PC.

What to do if the phone does not see the memory card: go to "Settings"

What to do if the phone does not see the memory card: select "Format"

The easiest way is to format the card directly from your mobile. Go to "Settings" → "Storage and USB-drives", open microSD, and then open the additional menu, click "Settings" and select "Format".

If the phone does not see the memory card, what to do: find it in the file explorer and click "Format"

If that doesn't work, you may need to complete the procedure from your computer. To do this, connect the card to the PC using a card reader, find it in the file explorer and click "Format" in the context menu. For cards with a volume of 32 GB or less, choose the FAT32 format, for larger ones - exFAT.

What to do if the phone does not see the memory card: select microSD from the list of drives and click the Format button

You can also use the free SD Formatter utility for Windows and macOS. It is useful if the computer sees the card, but does not allow formatting it. Install the software application, launch it, and then select microSD from the list of drives and click the Format button.

4. Incompatibility with a smartphone

MicroSD manufacturers are trying to make them as compatible as possible with any device, but still, sometimes you can face a situation when a smartphone does not support a specific card. This usually happens with high volume media.

In this case, it is worthwhile to study the instructions for the smartphone and make sure that it is compatible with cards of the required format and volume. Unfortunately, not all gadgets can boast of support for microSD for 128 and 256 GB, and in budget models, problems with smaller media are not excluded.

5. Oxidation of contacts

If the memory card has been stored separately from the smartphone for a long time and is often used with various devices, there is a possibility of oxidation formation on the microSD slot. This deteriorates contact and may cause connection difficulties. This problem can be easily solved by cleaning.

What to do if the phone does not see the memory card: using a regular eraser, gently wipe the yellow stripes on the back of the card

To do this, remove the card from your smartphone, put it on the table and use a regular eraser to gently wipe the yellow stripes from the back. If you have alcohol on hand, dampen a tissue or cotton wool with it and further clean the contacts.

6. Damage to the memory card

If none of the above helps, then there is a possibility of damage to the memory card itself. This can be due to mechanical damage, moisture or wear. In any case, further attempts to get the microSD to work are not worth the time and effort. It's easier to buy a new memory card and replace the failed media with it.