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28 July 2023  Jennifer Thatcher  Technology Manager of Test Dept.
 

Summary
Learn why your SD card files are not being displayed on your mobile phone or PC and find effective solutions. Optimize your storage experience today.



Table of contents

table iconI. The reason why the files on the SD card are not displayed
table iconII. Use Renee Undeleter to recover lost data from SD card
table iconIII. Detailed introduction of SD card repair method
sd card files not showing

I. The reason why the files on the SD card are not displayed

1. The file is hidden

In order to solve the problem that the SD card files are not displayed, you first need to check whether the files on the SD card are hidden due to virus infection or other reasons, resulting in the files not being displayed.
Open the file explorer/this computer, switch to the (view) tab, check (hidden items), and then the hidden files in the SD card will be displayed. If the SD card files (such as photos) cannot be displayed in the Android mobile phone album, you can alsoclick here See why.
Tick hidden items

2. The method of inserting the SD card is improper or there is a problem with the card reader

If you do not insert the SD card into the device in the correct way, or if there is a problem with the card reader, the phone or computer may not be able to recognize the SD card normally, so the files inside cannot be displayed. It is recommended to safely remove the SD card, insert it into the phone in the correct direction and angle, or replace the card reader to connect to the computer.
After checking the reasons for the above two aspects, if the SD files are still not displayed, then these files may have been accidentally deleted or infected with a virus.

3. Accidental deletion or virus

Accidental deletion is a common cause of data loss. If you often accidentally delete data, it is recommended that you regularly back up the SD card. Viruses in the SD card may also cause file loss. Some viruses will automatically delete files in the SD card. At this time, you can connect the SD card to the computer through a card reader, and use anti-virus software to scan and kill the virus.

4. SD card failure

When the SD card fails, the files in it may also be lost. This phenomenon often occurs in those SD cards that have reached the end of their service life or are of low quality.
If the SD card files you cannot find are important files, you can use the following methods to restore them, and then check and repair the SD card failure.

II. Use Renee Undeleter to recover lost data from SD card

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Rene.E Laboratory ™ data recovery software It is a software specially used to restore system data files. When you accidentally delete important files, empty the recycle bin, or format the disk/storage, you can use this tool to retrieve the lost data. The software covers four functional modules, including file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery and image creation, which can help you solve all data loss problems in an all-round way.
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Supported file types Image, video, audio, text, email and so on;

Image creation Create a partition image to read and back up data;

Supported devices SD card, SDHC, SDXC, USB flash drive, hard disk and computer.

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Multiple scan modes Fast partition/whole partition/whole disk scan;

Supported devices SD card/USB/hard disk.

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2. How to recover lost SD card data with Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter not only has comprehensive functions, but also has a very simple operation process. The specific operation steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer using a card reader. Download, install and open Renee Undeleter, and select (Format Recovery).
Note: Do not install Renee Undeleter in the disk where data is lost to avoid data overwriting.
Select formatted recovery option
Data recovery function introduction:

File Recovery – Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
Formatted Recovery – Quickly recover files lost due to inaccessible or formatted partitions.
Partition Recovery – Analyze and get partition information and perform a full scan of the entire partition.
Create Mirror – You can create a mirror image for a partition to back up the current partition state.

Step 2: Select the SD card partition where the data is lost, and click (Next). Then enter the file scanning process, please wait patiently. The scan time is determined by the partition size.
scan document
Step 3: After the scan is over, select the files you want to recover and click the (Recover) button. Please save the recovered files on other disks, and avoid saving files to the original storage location (SD card) which may cause data overwriting.
Select the file you want to restore and click Recover

III. Detailed introduction of SD card repair method

1. Check the system file error of the SD card

You can check and repair the SD card with the built-in file system error checking function of the Windows system. The premise is that the SD card can be displayed in the file explorer. If it cannot be displayed, you can perform this operation in the disk management.
Specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the Windows computer through a card reader.
Step 2: Open the file explorer, right-click on the SD card, select (Properties) > (Tools), and click (Check) in the “Error checking” column.
Check for file system errors
Step 3: Click (Scan and Repair Drive). If errors are found, restart the computer to repair the file system.
scan and repair drive

2. Format the SD card

Formatting an SD card can fix many problems. If the SD card is not displayed in the PC file explorer, please right-click the (Start) menu and enter (Disk Management) to format the SD card.
Specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer via a card reader.
Step 2: Open File Explorer, right-click on the SD card drive, and select (Format).
format SD card
Step 3: In the formatting window, choose an option from “File System”. Select FAT32 if the SD card is 32GB or smaller; select exFAT if the SD card is larger than 32 GB. (Click here to learn about the characteristics and differences of each file system)
Step 4: Click (Start) to start formatting the SD card. Then reconnect to see if the problem is resolved.
Select SD card file system

3. Use Chkdsk to repair damaged SD card

As long as the SD card is not physically damaged and the computer has a way to recognize the SD card, then you can use the Chkdsk tool to fix logical errors. Note: This method will clear the data in the SD card, please back up important files first.
Specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer through a card reader.
Step 2: After the connection is successful, search for (cmd) in the computer search box, right-click (command prompt), and select (run as administrator).
search command prompt
Step 3: In the command prompt window, enter the command (chkdsk H: /f) (H: is the drive letter of the SD card, /f is the repair parameter), and then press the (Enter) key. The repair process will take some time, depending on the severity of the damage and the size of the storage capacity. Exit Command Prompt when the repair is complete.
Kind tipsIf this command does not repair the SD card, you can also try the (chkdsk H: /r) command, (/r) is also a repair parameter, which can find bad sectors and restore readable information. (/r) includes the functionality of (/f) with additional analysis for physical disk errors.click here See also other repair methods and recommendations for daily SD card use/maintenance. the