Summary :
Shop for memory card reader at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. But Windows 8 can also grab photos straight off the memory card, a method praised by those who’ve lost their camera’s cables. The secret is a memory card reader: a little slot-filled box that stays plugged into your PC.
Does your SD card reader fail to work when you insert an SD card to it? Why does this happen? How to fix this issue? In this post, MiniTool shows you 4 solutions to SD card reader not working.
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SD Card Reader Not Working Windows 10
Windows 10 is quite an excellent Windows operating system and many Windows users have chosen to upgrade their system to Windows 10. However, lots of users reported their SD card reader not working on Windows 10.
Hey, my laptop came with Windows 8, but I bought an SSD and downloaded Windows 10 for it. It has a built-in SD card reader but my SD card won’t show up.tom’sHARDWARE forum
“Why is my SD card reader not working” may be the most concerned question for these new Windows 10 users. The culprits behind this issue are various, but the most possible factors are a poor connection between SD card and SD card reader, missing SD card driver, and SD card infected with virus.
For most computer issues, you can try restarting your computer to see if the issue has been fixed successfully. So, when running into SD card reader not working on Windows 10, you can try restarting your computer first.
Before restarting your computer, disconnect the external card reader if you are using it to read your SD card and then reconnect it after restarting. See if your SD card reader can work well. If not, you can try the following solutions.
Solutions to SD Card Reader Not Working Windows 10
After learning about the possible factors that lead to SD card reader stopped working on laptop, you can try the following solutions one by one when the built-in SD card reader or the external SD card reader is not working.
- Check the hardware issues.
- Run Windows Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.
- Assign a new drive letter to SD card.
- Update SD card reader driver.
- Clean up virus or malware on SD card.
Fix 1: Check the Hardware Issues
When SD card reader stopped working on Windows 10, you should check the following hardware, including the SD card, SD card reader, the USB cable, etc.
Check the SD card reader
You should make sure that the used SD card reader is compatible with your current operating system (Windows 10). Older readers might be unable to work with the newer operating system.
Apart from the incompatibility between the older reader and the current operating system, the incompatibility between memory card format and the older reader can also lead to SD card reader not working.
Some older memory card reader is unable to recognize the SDHC and SDXC memory card format. Is your SD card reader too old? If yes, you may need to buy a new one and make sure it is compatible with the SDHC or SDXC format or your current operating system (Windows 10).
Check the USB cable
Excluding the above factors, you should check whether the USB cable leads to SD card reader not working if you are using the external SD card reader. To do that, you just need to try to replace the current USB cable with a different one.
Check the SD card
Check whether the gold finger (transmitting signals) on the SD card turns black. If yes, it means that the gold finger has been oxidized and you need to use an eraser to erase the oxide layer.
Then, check if the SD card gets corrupted. If you unplugged SD card while the card was being read, leading to a loss of electrical power to the card, the card may be corrupted. To repair the corrupted, you can read the post Fix Corrupted SD Card with Professional SD Card Repair Tools.
Check the USB port
SD card not working can also be ascribable to the USB port if you are using the external SD card reader. As we know, the external SD card reader needs power through the USB connection when it connects to your computer. However, when the USB port on your computer doesn’t carry enough electrical current to power the reader, the latter will not work.
Therefore, try a different USB port on your computer to see if the SD card reader not working issue could be fixed.
After excluding all the above hardware issues, you can try the following fixes if your SD card reader still does not work.
Fix 2: Run Windows Hardware Devices Troubleshooter
Maybe some potential device issues lead to SD card reader not working on Windows 10. If that is in case, please run the built-in Windows tool – Hardware and Devices troubleshooter. This tool will quickly figure out the device issues.
How to run this tool? Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Insert the SD card into the card reader. Connect the reader to the Windows 10 computer if it is an external SD card reader.
Step 2: Hit the Windows icon and then click the Settings icon from the menu.
Step 3: On the Settings window, click Update & Security.
Step 4: Select Troubleshoot from the left pane of the new window and then find and click Hardware and Devices from the right pane and click the Run the troubleshooter button.
When the tool finishes its work, please see if SD card reader not working has been solved.
Fix 3: Change Drive Letter to SD Card
SD card reader not working can be ascribed to the driver letter confit. For example, the SD card has a drive letter that is D, while the CD/DVD on the computer also uses the same letter.
If the drive letter conflict is the reason for this issue, you can try changing a drive letter to the SD card.
Media Card Reader Slot
Casino morongo entertainment schedule. To finish this fix, you can try the Windows built-in tools (Disk Management and Diskaprt) and a third-party program (MiniTool Partition Wizard).
Here I would like to show you how to change drive letter to SD card with MiniTool Partition Wizard. Apart from this function, this program can also help you restore partition on SD card, format 256GB micro SD card to FAT32, and erase an SD card with ease.
If you want to use Disk Management or Diskpart to complete this changing, you can click here.
Step 1: Download the free program by clicking the above downloadable button and then install it and launch it to get its main interface.
Step 2: The SD card will be displayed on Disk Map. Highlight the SD card and then select the Change Drive Letter feature from the left pane. Or right-click the card and select Change Letter.
Step 3: Choose a drive letter that has not been used by other drives from the list. Then, click OK to confirm.
Step 4: Click the Apply button to execute the changes. It will just take a few seconds.
After changing the drive letter to the SD card, check whether the SD card reader still fails to work.
Fix 4: Update SD Card Reader Driver
The fourth reason for “SD card reader stopped working on Windows 10” is that the device driver is outdated, missing or incompatible.
To check whether the device driver is the culprit behind this issue, you can open Device Manager by typing Device Manager in the Cortana’s search bar and selecting the best-matched result.
On the Device Manager window, expand the two places: Disk Drives or Universal Serial Bus controls to see if there is a yellow triangle mark.
If you see a yellow triangle on SD card, it means that your SD card driver goes wrong and you need to replace it with a good one. If not, it means your SD card driver is normal and you can try the following fix to get rid of SD card reader not working.
To update the problematic device driver, you can right-click the target device driver and then select Uninstall device and the Uninstall button. After that, right-click Disk drives and then click Scan for hardware changes to refresh the device driver.
Once the device driver has been updated, you can check whether your computer can detect the SD card reader.
Fix 5: Clean up Virus or Malware on SD Card
If you have tried all the above fixes and you still cannot see your SD card on your computer when you put it into the SD card reader, it is possible that your SD card has been hidden or encrypted on your computer by virus or malware.
Why has your SD card been attacked by virus or malware? The possible reasons include:
- You have connected your SD card to a virus-infected system.
- You have transferred virus-infected files to the memory card.
- You have explored malicious website while using the SD card.
When your SD card gets attacked by virus or malware, you may run into the following situations (including SD card reader not working).
- Files saved in SD card turn into the hidden state.
- The SD card performance becomes sluggish.
- Files miss from the SD card.
- You cannot copy files on the SD card (click here to know more reasons for copy and paste not working).
- You will see error code when accessing the SD card.
- …
Tip: Virus attack is an annoying problem that might happen anywhere and anytime. To keep your data on SD card safe, you need to back up your SD card and scan for virus regularly.
To clean up the virus or malware on your SD card, you need to utilize Command Prompt.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt by pressing Windows + R and typing cmd on the Run window.
Step 2: On the Command Prompt window, type attrib -h -r -s /s /d #:*.* (# means the drive letter of the SD card) and then hit the Enter key to run this command.
After executing this command, your SD card should appear on your computer.
We Want Your Voice
This article comes to an end. Hope all the mentioned fixes can help you solve the issue ‘SD card reader not working’. If you have some doubts when carrying out the above fixes, please do not hesitate to let us know by sending an email to via [email protected] and we will replay to you as soon as possible.
If you have other feasible solutions to the SD card reader not working, please leave them in the following comment zone to help other users who run into the same issue.
SD Card Reader Not Working FAQ
The possible reasons for card reader not working are:
- The reader is incompatible with your operating system or memory card.
- The drive letter conflicts with other drives.
- The driver of card reader is outdated or missing.
- Your card gets virus attack.
Card Slot Reader
- The connection between the SD card and your computer is poor due to the damaged USB port, USB cable, and card reader.
- Your Sd card has been write-protected.
- The drive letter of your SD card is missing.
- The driver of SD card is corrupted.
- The partition on SD card is missing.
- Your SD card is corrupted.
- Check the SD card health by using the CHKDSK command or MiniTool Partition Wizard.
- Reassign a drive letter to the SD card.
- Update the SD card driver.
- Remove the write protection of the SD card.
To recover the data from the corrupted SD card with ease, you can utilize MiniTool Partition Wizard. The detailed steps are list in the post Hard Drive Recovery - Recover Lost Data and Restore Lost Partitions.
Memory cards are great for storing data without having to use a large device. They are mostly used in both digital cameras and smartphones. While they work just fine, the real problem is retrieving the data. Laptops have been getting smaller and hardly any have built-in memory card readers anymore. Just take a look at the newest Macbook Pro 2017. Apple only kept the USB-C ports so now all of the extras have to be external. Sure you could just connect your camera to your computer via a USB cable but that usually takes too long to transfer.
Action cameras and vlogging has been gaining popularity and 4K videos are pretty much the standard now. Which requires faster transfer speeds. The best memory card readers are exactly capable of that. All you need is a USB 3.0 or a USB-C port! Plus the top ones are so small that you won’t even notice them in your bag. All you have to do is pick the right one for you. And what it basically comes down to is how much you are willing to spend.
Don’t worry if you aren’t looking to spend much. The best doesn’t always mean the most expensive and all of my chosen card readers are the highest rated in their price range.
1. Anker USB 3.0 Card Reader – $9.99
Anker is a company that is mostly known for their phone accessories. Their products are always reliable and most importantly well priced. The Anker USB 3.0 memory card reader is exactly that as well. It is the best option if you aren’t looking to spend much and just want a memory card reader for your laptop. And don’t let the price fool you, it’s still a very high quality and portable device. Just like all of Anker products!
Anker has always been known for their portable devices and their memory card reader is no different. It’s a small device with a dimension of 53×27×11 mm / 2.1×1.0×0.4″ and has a built-in USB plug. You just attach it to a USB 3.0 port on your laptop or PC just like you would with a typical USB memory stick. So no messing around with cables. Plus it doesn’t take up any space. The only downside is that it doesn’t support many memory cards. It only has the MicroSD and SD card slots. Which is perfectly fine in my opinion as those are the most popular memory cards at the moment. So if you are looking for a simple reader for those two then the Anker is the best for it’s price.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 53×27×11 mm / 2.1×1.0×0.4″
- Memory card slots: MicroSD, SD / SDHC / SDXC
- Compatible speed class: UHS-I
- Connection: USB 3.0
As far as the speed goes it’s pretty standard. As long as you are using a USB 3.0 port, you’ll be capping out at 104 MBps. Which is also the maximum for UHS-I cards. You can also use UHS-II cards with this reader but the read and write speeds will still be limited by the UHS-I standard.
2. Cable Matters USB-C Dual Slot Card Reader – $11.99
If you recently bought a new Macbook Pro then you already know the struggle of having to buy USB-C adapters. Fortunately, some companies are already making accessories with USB-C plugs as more companies move onto the new USB standard. Cable Matters is one of those brands and their USB-C memory card reader is available for just $11.99! That’s great news for photographers who need a new reader for their laptop.
8 Slot Memory Card Readers
The card reader itself is a dual slot one. Which means that it only has slots for MicroSD and SD / SDHC and SDXC cards. Which is still enough in my opinion as that’s what most digital cameras use nowadays. The reader is also very compact and comes in a nice black color. It has a dimension of 61×23×10 mm / 2.4×0.9×0.4″. It also has a built-in USB-C cable. I actually prefer the cable on that as USB-C ports tend to be quite close to eachother. So with a cable, the reader doesn’t block the rest of the ports.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 61×23×10 mm / 2.4×0.9×0.4″
- Memory card slots: MicroSD, SD / SDHC / SDXC
- Compatible speed class: UHS-I
- Connection: USB-C
You can also use two cards at the same time with this reader. The speed of the reader is limited however. It’s designed for UHS-I cards so the speed caps out at 104 MBps. You can still read a UHS-II card with it but you won’t be able to take advantage of the speed. Despite that, the Cable Matters is one of the top memory card readers for USB-C ports and definitely the best for anyone using UHS-I cards!
3. RayCue iPhone SD Card Reader – $13.99
Not all memory card readers are for laptops or PC’s. Almost everyone has a phone or even a tablet with them. Especially while travelling. And something you might want to transfer those photos or videos from your camera onto your phone. RayCue has the solution for iPhone users. They have the best SD card reader for Apple devices and it costs $14! It’s also the best selling memory card reader on Amazon.
The design is as simple as it gets. The reader is just a white plastic rectangle with a lightning cable. Nothing special about it and looks like basically every other Apple accessory. It also has a dimension of 150×66×15 mm / 5.9×2.6×0.6″ (including cable) so it’s very small and super portable. You can easily just put it into a pocket. The reader does only have 1 slot for SD / SDHC cards with a capacity up to 64 GB (included). You can also use a MicroSD card as long as you use an SD adapter. PS! The reader doesn’t work with WiFI SD cards or high speed SONY SD cards. Also you can’t transfer data from your iPhone to a memory card via the reader.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 150×66×15 mm / 5.9×2.6×0.6″
- Memory card slots: SD / SDHC / SDXC
- Compatible speed class: UHS-I
- Max SD card capacity: 64GB
- Connection: Lightning port
Transfer feed is pretty fine as well. It averages at around 14 and 16 MB/S. I do want to note that make sure the photos and videos are in a supported format. It recognizes JPEG & RAW for photos, H.264 and MPEG-4 codecs for videos.
4. Verbatim USB-C Pocket Card Reader – $16.42
Verbatim is a company that is very well known for their USB devices. Especially their flash drives and external hard drives. So it makes sense that they also have a memory card reader. The Pocket Card Reader is specially designed for photographers and other professionals. It has the new USB-C connection that enables faster speeds that the previous USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports could provide. So if you are looking for a small, portable and fast memory card reader, then the Verbatim is the best option!
As you can tell from the name “Pocket Card Reader”, the device has been designed to be as small and portable as possible. Which is true as it has a dimension of 76×33×15 mm / 3.0×1.3×0.6″. The overall design of the reader is pretty standard. It also has two slots for SD / SHDC / SDXC and MicroSD cards on the side. The bottom of the reader actually has a short cable with the USB-C connection. I understand that they haven’t wanted to add the connector straight to the case as it would then block other ports on your laptop. But the current cable is too short in my opinion. There is barely any flexibility which makes the reader look quite awkward next to a laptop.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 76×33×15 mm / 3.0×1.3×0.6″
- Memory card slots: MicroSD, SD / SDHC / SDXC
- Compatible speed class: UHS-II
- Connection: USB-C
Everything else is spot on though. It’s the only memory card reader in this price range that is fully compatible with UHS-II cards. Which means that it will read and write them much faster than any other reader.
5. UNITEK 3-Slot USB-C Flash Memory Card Reader – $16.99
UNITEK is yet another computer accessories brand that was first established in Hong Kong and has been active since 2001. They have products from Bluetooth speakers to all kind of USB accessories. One of their most popular accessories is the UNITEK 3-slot USB-C memory card reader which has also received high ratings on Amazon.
I really like this UNITEK memory card reader because it has 3 slots. It supports SD / SDHC / SDXC, MicroSD and CF type 1 cards. So unlike most of the other memory card readers in this price range, the UNITEK model also supports CF cards. Despite that, it’s also pretty small with a dimension of 62×57×15 mm / 2.4×2.2×0.6″. The reader has a rectangular design with shaped edges. The body is made out of average quality plastic. You can also choose between 3 colors: grey, silver and rose gold. The reader also has a pretty long (30 cm / 1 ft) USB-C cable
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 62×57×15 mm / 2.4×2.2×0.6″
- Memory card slots: MicroSD, SD / SDHC / SDXC, CF Type 1
- Compatible speed class: UHS-I
- Connection: USB-C
The UNITEK reader is capable of reading two different memory cards at the same time. As far as speed goes, it’s pretty average. The memory card reader is designed for UHS-I class read and write speed. Which doesn’t mean that you can’t use a UHS-II card, just that the transfer speed will be exactly the same as on UHS-I cards.
6. Kingston USB 3.0 Memory Card Reader FCR-HS4 – $17.98
Kingston is yet another American company that is known for manufacturing SSD drives, memory modules (RAM) and SD cards! They also have the best USB 3.0 memory card reader for under $20! It’s an ideal device for photographers, videographers and even design studios.
The Kingston FCR-HS4 is actually one of the most versatile memory card readers available. Especially under the $20 price range. It supports a numerous amount of different cards: CF Type 1 & 2, SD / SDHC / SDXC, MicroSD and a Memory Stick DUO. So that’s 4 cards, out of which the most useful are probably the SD and MicroSD card slots. I also like the design of the reader. It’s just a bit bigger than a credit card. The exact dimension of the reader is 93×53×16 mm / 3.7×2.1×0.6″. So it’s perfect for travelling with and taking it anywhere you need. It also comes with a separate MicroUSB to USB 3.0 cable.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 93×53×16 mm / 3.7×2.1×0.6″
- Memory card slots: MicroSD, SD / SDHC / SDXC, CF Type 1 & 2, Memory Stick DUO
- Compatible speed class: UHS-II
- Connection: USB 3.0
You can also use a USB 2.0 port if you want but that also means sacrificing write and read speeds. USB 3.0 allows you to fully take advantage of UHS-II memory cards which mean faster transfer speed. And yes the reader is compatible with both UHS-I and UHS-II memory cards. And the speed difference is quite noticeable. A USB 3.0 port alone transfers data 10x faster than a USB 2.0 port. And if you happen to use a UHS-II card then the transfer speed difference is even greater than when using UHS-I.
More information: Kingston FCR-HS4 review
7. SanDisk Extreme PRO UHS-II SD Card USB-C Reader – $36.99
SanDisk is the global leader when it comes to memory storage devices. Chances are that you have seen SanDisk SD and MicroSD cards before. They are known for making both affordable consumer memory cards and more expensive professional ones. The plus side is that both of them are always the highest quality. But you also need a device to read them. So SanDisk has released one of the best memory card readers for UHS-II SD cards.
What makes this SanDisk memory card reader so unique is the design. Instead of using an external cable, SanDisk has attached a USB-C connector to the body of the reader. And to avoid blocking other ports on your laptop or PC, they added some distance to the connector. Which has made it look kind of like a spoon in my opinion. On the plus side it’s still a pretty compact solution despite it’s size (86×35×8 mm / 3.4×1.4×0.3″). The overall quality is really nice though and it’s also officially supported by Apple.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 86×35×8 mm / 3.4×1.4×0.3″
- Memory card slots: SD / SDHC / SDXC
- Compatible speed class: UHS-II
- Connection: USB-C
The memory card reader does only have one slot for SD cards. You can also use a MicroSD as long as you have the SD adapter for it. Since it has a USB-C connection and UHS-II compatible, it’s one of the fastest memory card readers available. I do want to point out that there have been troubles with the card reader as well. I have read reviews that it didn’t read certain Lexar memory cards so definitely check that as well. You can check out those on Amazon.
8. Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader – $39.99
Lexar is one of the oldest memory card manufacturers in the world. They have been in business for over 20 years and made everything from simple USB drives to CompactFlash cards. And most importantly SD cards for professionals. In order to read them, Lexar has also created some of the highest rated memory card readers. Their latest and fastest one is the Dual-Slot Reader.
The Lexar Dual-Slot reader has one of the most unique design I have seen. Firstly it’s super small with a dimension of 140×119×23 mm / 5.5×4.7×33″. Secondly the build quality is just superb. It even has a dual plastic shell. The top black part has two memory card slots – SD and CF. There is also a white see-through plastic around/underneath the black part. It works as a protection when you place the reader into a bag. The unit also comes with a removable USB 3.0 cable.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Dimensions: 140×119×23 mm / 5.5×4.7×33″
- Memory card slots: SD / SDHC / SDXC, CF Type 1 & 2
- Compatible speed class: UHS-II
- Connection: USB 3.0
As long as you use a USB 3.0 port, you should always get the maximum transfer speed your memory cards support. The newest Dual-Slot reader is compatible with UHS-II cards as well so reaching the faster speeds isn’t a problem with it. You can also use UHS-I cards but then the transfer speed won’t obviously be as fast. So if you have been looking for the best memory card reader and want the highest quality, then the Lexar Dual-Slot reader is the one to get.
How to choose?
There’s a lot of different memory card readers available. And that can make it pretty confusing to pick the best one. All of them have their good and bad sides. Obviously it’s the easiest to just buy the most expensive one with the most features. But that’s not always reasonable as why pay more for features that you won’t even use? So that’s why I have created a couple of points here that you can follow.
Card types: Most commonly used memory cards are SD and MicroSD. Now there are also other types as well, such as CF and Memory Stick DUO. These aren’t nearly as popular. So if you don’t use these then you can choose a simpler reader that has only got slots for SD and MicroSD for example. Not only are these easier to find but they are generally also smaller.
Speed rating: All memory cards have speed ratings and they are matched by the readers as well. If you want to be future proof then it would be a good idea to choose one that supports UHS-II. It’s much faster than the UHS-I standard and you can use UHS-I memory cards with it as well. Also UHS-II have been getting cheaper so chances are that you’ll be using them soon as well. And that will let you actually achieve the maximum transfer speed.
Connector: There’s kind of a weird overlap period at the moment between USB 3.0 and USB-C. So I recommend choosing a reader that has a connector that your computer currently has. If you do have a USB-C on your laptop for example, then it might be a good idea to look at a device that has it as well. But if you don’t, then the USB 3.0 connector is just as good as well. And it will probably be cheaper as well.
Design: In terms of design, there are mainly two different styles. First the type where the USB connector is directly attached to the reader. These are generally much smaller and the plus side is that they are incredibly portable. You won’t need to carry around an annoying cable. The only negative is that they tend to block ports around them. The other type is having the reader attached to a cable. These are better in the sense that you can place them further away. It pretty much comes down to personal preference here.