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Often, it happens time with me that SD card stops working or my Samsung phone doesn’t detect SD card; being a Samsung user for a long time, I can assure you it’ll take no longer to fix the Galaxy S20Ultra not detecting SD card. Nevertheless, we buy the phone with 512GB or 1TB, a microSD card is needed the most to store high-resolution videos and creepy pictures. Although it is not the only problem for Samsung phones, other Android devices are also dealing with the same problems and are able to fix by trying a few workarounds.
This article will show you why S20 not recognizing SD card and how to fix the SD card not working on Galaxy S20Ultra, S20Plus, and S20.
Fix SD Card Not Working on Samsung S20Plus, S20Ultra, S20
Why Samsung S20 Not Recognizing SD Card?
- The data stored in the SD card is corrupted
- Memory Card is damaged
- Incorrect SD card format
- Phone’s SD card slot is broken
- Moving corrupt files to the SD Card
Unmount & Mount the Memory Card
Do you know from the system settings there’s a quick option to unmount the SD Card on Samsung S20? If it’s a minor software bug, causing SD Card Not Detecting error on Galaxy S20, unmounting and mounting it back would work.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Device Care.
- Select Storage.
- Tap on three vertical dots.
- Choose Storage settings.
- Tap on Memory Card.
- At the bottom, select Unmount.
Now that you’ve unmounted the SD card, reboot the phone to ensure it starts works properly. Press the power button and choose Power Off.
Remove, Clean and Insert the SD Card Again
Did you recently open the SIM tray? Or Installed the Memory Card? If yes, then cleaning up the SD card will fix the memory card error on your Samsung phone. A tiny dust particle could really be a reason for a tiny heart attack that you can have if issues like this occur on such expensive phones.
- Turn Off the phone.
- What I can suggest is, bring the tray removal tool and hold the phone like we used to, and remove the SIM tray. The hole is small, it might be difficult to find if you have weak eye-sight, instead go in a bright area and push the tool gently to eject the tray.
- After removing the SD card, rub it with a smooth cloth, make sure to clean the golden pin, without damaging it.
- Mildly blow some air from your mouth in the SIM tray to clean it up too, and insert the SD card back. Push the tray after inserting it.
- Power On the phone.
Try Using the Same SD Card on Another Phone
This is where you can confirm whether the SD card is corrupted or the phone’s hardware. Apparently, cleaning and inserting the SD card didn’t resolve the Galaxy S20Ultra SD Card not detected error, then ask yourself few questions, are you sure the SD card was working before? Did you use the SD card on a corrupt or old device? SD Card was working previously?
Not sure about the answers? Again remove the SD card from the phone, and try using it on the alternate phone. If the card is not working on another phone too, then definitely you would need a replacement for the SD card. And if it is working, then repair the memory card using the PC, after reviewing how to do it from the next section.
Repair SD Card on Computer
One of the appealing methods to repair the SD card on PC is to repair it from the Windows abilities, without need to format or flash out the drive. However, to connect the SD card, the microSD card reader will be much needed.
- Connect the SD card to the PC using the MicroSD card reader.
- Launch the Command in Administrator Mode.
- Type the following command, chkdsk E:/f (Here E refers to drive).
- Hit Enter to start the repairing process. It will take a few minutes to scan and fix the hidden problems of the SD card.
Update System Software
All of sudden, why S20Ultra or S20Plus not detecting the microSD Card? Let me be clear if you haven’t already updated the phone to the latest firmware, these kinds of problems are going to happen until your phone is updated to the latest software update.
Connect the phone to Wi-Fi, keep the battery 50% or more, and check the storage left on the phone, because that’s what you would need the most to download and install the update.
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down to the end, tap Software update.
- Tap Download and install.
Try Safe Mode
In case if any third-party application went rogue and turning up awkward glitches, then you can test the phone by enabling Safe Mode. It’s a simple and quick way to encounter the third-party culprit app causing such errors.
- Turn off the device.
- Hold down the Power button until you see SAMSUNG logo, and when it appears, leave the Power button and immediately hold down the Volume down button.
- Do not release the Volume down button until the phone reboots.
- Verify the Safe Mode label on the lower part of the screen.
Now check if the microSD Card is working or not. If everything is fine, remember the last third-party application you had installed and start removing one-by-one until the microSD card works on the phone.
Reset App Preferences
Likewise, the SD card error on S20 may disgorge due to random app lost the default settings, besides, it’s really hard to keep the track of default settings. The only trick to figure out is to reset all preferences. Here’s how it can be done,
- Swipe up the App tray.
- Tap Settings
- Tap on three-dot
- Choose Reset app preferences.
Wipe Cache Partition
Your phone stores temporary data of system apps and software to quickly access it. It is supposed to speed up the phone; however, if the same cache stays for long time, it won’t boost up apps and phone, the phone will start showing errors and clutters. It might help you to fix the Galaxy S20, and S20Plus not recognizing SD card. Doing this will not delete any personal data; for your information, it is far different than clearing the app cache individually.
- Turn off your phone.
- Press and hold the power key and volume down key.
- When the Android logo appears, release both the keys.
- Wait until the Android recovery options displays.
- Using volume down key, navigate to the wipe cache partition.
- Once the wipe cache partition is highlighted, press the power button to clear the cache.
- It will take a minute or two to complete the process.
- Reboot the phone, when the wipe cache partition is done.
Format Memory Card
I’ve been keeping this step from you as long as I can to fix the SD card without data loss. But it seems like your phone still isn’t detected the SD card and now the only option workaround is to do is format the memory card.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Device maintenance.
- Go to Storage.
- Tap More options > Storage settings.
- Select the SD card.
- Format
- Confirm Format.
If formatting the SD card from the S20 doesn’t work, then use PC to reformat the memory card to exFAT. exFAT is always the recommended option to use the memory card with smartphones.
Connect the SD card to the PC, using the same memory card reader, and format it. While formatting choose the exFAT option.
Ask Customer Support for Help
It’s good to know that nowadays, storage devices like microSD cards come with quite a long warranty, for, say 5 years or 10 years. Reach to customer support, and ask them for a replacement to save money, or you could directly purchase the new microSD Cards that work with 8K video recording from below.
Buy New microSD Card
With Samsung S20Ultra, S20Plus, and S20, the taste has changed; people are always finding a memory card that can record 8K videos, transfer data at minimum 100Mbps, and works flawlessly. Here are a few picks for the best microSD cards to record 8K videos for Galaxy S20Plus, S20Ultra, and S20.
Final Thought!
Samsung could release troubleshooting to fix SD card not working on Samsung S20Ultra or S20Plus. Meanwhile, wait for some time. And if the solution above worked for you, let us know which steps worked for you!
