How to Decrypt and Format an Encrypted SD Card [Updated for 2024]

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Tracy King 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

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Quick Guide: Format Encrypted SD Card

Extract the encrypted SD card from your Android phone or another device, and connect it to your computer. Then, follow this quick guide to decrypt and format the SD card to get it working normally again:

1. Press the Windows + R keys and type "cmd" in the Run dialog. 2. Hit Enter to open the Command Prompt. 3. Type **diskpart** and press Enter to launch DiskPart. 4. Type **list disk** and hit Enter to view all the disks installed on your system. 5. Input **select disk g** (where 'g' is the disk number of your encrypted SD card). 6. Type **clean all** and press Enter to decrypt the SD card. 7. Type **create partition primary** and hit Enter. 8. [Learn more detailed information...](#4)

Note that this quick method will not only decrypt your SD card but also delete all data from it. For a safer solution to this problem, consult the contents navigator to find a better method:

These days, most smartphones, digital cameras, and other portable storage devices offer encryption features that allow users to lock down the data and files stored on them. Encrypting the contents of an SD card is an effective way to protect privacy and secure data.

However, without the password, you cannot decrypt the encrypted SD card, nor can you even attempt to format SD card, for you have no access to it. In the following content, you will learn about several types of SD card encryption and how to decrypt and format the SD card for each case.

Overview of SD Card Encryption

In this part, you will learn how to: 1. Encrypt an SD card the normal way; and 2. Decrypt and format the SD card separately.

For security and privacy, you might want to encrypt the SD card in your Android phone, camera, Windows PC, or other digital device. However, because decryption methods vary depending on how the SD card was encrypted, you'll need to figure out how it was encrypted in the first place.

Here are some common methods for encrypting an SD card:

1. Encrypt the SD card using a third-party encryption tool or software. 2. Password protect the SD card, for instance, by using BitLocker and setting up a recovery key. 3. Encrypt or lock specific partitions on the SD card, such as enabling SD card write protection or making it appear as read-only. 4. Encrypt individual files on the SD card.

Read more: How to Decrypt Files

Usually, it will send a security error, telling you that the SD card cannot be formatted because it is currently encrypted. If you wish to decrypt and format an encrypted SD card, you must first completely decrypt the card before formatting it with an SD card formatter.

How to Decrypt and Format an Encrypted SD Card:

1. Decrypt using Third-Party Encryption Software or Apps 2. Unlock with BitLocker Recovery Key and Decrypt SD Card with Password 3. Remove Read-Only Attribute via CMD to Decrypt Encrypted SD Card 4. Use DiskPart's Clean or Clean All Command to Decrypt and Format SD Card 5. Format the SD Card after Decryption with an SD Card Formatting Tool

Methods 1, 2, and 3 are for decrypting an SD card only. If you want to format the card as well, remember to follow Method 5 to complete the entire process. Method 4 will use the DiskPart command line to decrypt and format the SD card all at once.

Method 1: Decrypt Encrypted SD Card with Third-party Software

Applies to: Unlock and decrypt an SD card that was encrypted by third-party encryption software, app, or even antivirus tools.

If you used a third-party encryption app or software to encrypt your SD card on your Android phone, digital storage device, or even Windows PC, use it to decrypt your SD card.

Step 1: Reconnect the SD card to the encrypted device.

Step 2: Open the encryption program.

Step 3. Choose an encryption tool or software to decrypt the SD card.

After that, you can connect the SD card to a Windows PC and copy or clone the SD card data before formatting it easily. Method 5 provides a step-by-step guide on how to safely format an SD card.

Method 2: Decrypt the SD Card with a Password

Applies to: Delete encrypted from SD card with password.

If you currently have the decryption password (like a BitLocker recovery key), you can easily and safely unlock and remove the encryption from your SD card.

For example, if your SD card is encrypted with BitLocker, you can enter the BitLocker password to unlock the SD card.

Read also: [How to unlock BitLocker Encrypted SD Card](/partition-master/format-bitlocker-encrypted-drive.html)

If your SD card is encrypted with a different tool, try these steps:

Step 1: Run and open the encryption tool.

Step 2. Right-click on it and choose “Unlock” or “Decrypt SD card.”

Step 3. Enter the decryption password to unlock your SD card.

Step 4: Close the encryption program.

After that, you should be able to access and format your SD card so that it's usable again. The simplest formatting tools, detailed in Method 5, can help with this.

Method 3: Remove Read-Only Attribute from Encrypted SD Card via CMD

Applies to: Using the Attribute Disk Clean Read-Only Command to Remove the Read-Only Status of an Encrypted SD Card on a Windows PC

If your SD card is showing up as read-only on a Windows PC, it's likely that the card is locked in read-only status. You can run the CMD commands listed below to decrypt and unlock the SD card:

Step 1: Insert your encrypted SD card into your computer.

Step 2: Open the command prompt:

Type cmd in the search box, then right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator."

Step 3: Type diskpart, and then press Enter.

Step 4. Type each of the following lines one at a time, pressing Enter after each:

• List Volumes
• Select Volume * (replace * with the number of your SD card's volume).
• Check Disk Attributes, and Clear Read-Only.

5. When the read-only wipe is complete, type exit to close the Disk Utility window.

When it's done, you should be able to access and reuse your SD card. To quickly format the SD card, you can run Windows File Explorer, or follow Method 5 to format the card.

Method 4: Decrypt and format your SD card using the DiskPart Clean or Clean All command

If you don't have the password or have lost the SD card decryption key, your last resort might be to use DiskPart with the clean or clean all command.

While the clean or clean all commands in DiskPart will remove everything from an SD card, they will also remove any encryption. Follow the steps below to decrypt your SD card and format it back to normal.

To prevent any data loss, try to recover your files from the SD card first with a data recovery tool like the Data Recovery Wizard Pro, as long as your computer can read it. Now, carefully follow the steps below to decrypt and format your SD card:

Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys, then type cmd in the Run dialog box.

Step 2: Press the Enter key to open a new Command Prompt window.

Step 3: Type diskpart, and press Enter to see a list of all the hard drives installed in your system.

Step 4: Type list disk to list all hard disks installed on the system.

Step 5. Enter each of the following lines, pressing Enter after each one:

• Select Drive G: (where G is the disk number of your encrypted SD card). • Choose Wipe or Wipe all (this command will delete everything on the SD card and sanitize it). • Select Create primary partition (this command will create a new partition on the SD card). • Assign Drive letter=M: (replace M with the new drive number for the SD card to make it detectable again). • Choose Format fs=ntfs quick or Format fs=fat32 quick (this command will set up a new file system on the SD card so it can save data again).

Step 6: Type exit to close the Diskpart window.

In a few minutes, the Diskpart utility will wipe out all data on your encrypted SD card, create a new partition, and reformat the SD card. If you had some useful data saved on the SD card and ran the clean command, you can still use powerful data recovery software to retrieve data from the SD card.

If you used method 1, 2, or 3, you will still need to complete the final step of method 5.

Method 5: Format the SD Card after Decryption with the Simplest Formatting Tool

Applies to: Formatting an encrypted SD card after decryption, or formatting the decrypted SD card for reuse.

If your SD card is still inaccessible after decryption, you can also use the formatting tools listed here to make your SD card available for data storage again.

Using a partition manager software is the best choice and the easiest way to format an encrypted SD card on your computer. Apart from that, you can also use its "Check File System" feature to check and repair bad sectors and corrupted file systems on the SD card.

Step 1: Right-click the partition on your SD card that you wish to format and select “Format…”

Step 2: Set the new partition label, file system (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT) and cluster size for the selected partition, then click "OK".

Step 3: Click "Yes" in the dialog box that appears to continue.

4. Click the “Perform 1 Task” button on the toolbar, then click “Format” to begin formatting your SD card.

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After going through these steps, you should have successfully decrypted and reformatted your SD card as new. You can even use partition manager software for more advanced operations like managing computer hard drives and optimizing SSD performance.

Conclusions

On this page, we explain what an encrypted SD card is and how to encrypt and decrypt an SD card normally.

To format an encrypted SD card, you must first decrypt the card. You can run third-party software, use a password, clear the read-only command, or even use a wipe command to delete encryption or write protection from the SD card.

After decrypting the SD card, you can use a reliable SD card formatting tool to format the card back to its normal state. Last but not least, we also recommend backing up your valuable data in time and on a regular basis. It's always worth having a Plan B to safeguard your data.

Frequently Asked Questions about Decrypting an SD Card

Aside from guiding you through the process of decrypting and formatting your SD card to restore it to normal for reuse, we've compiled some popular topics. Feel free to continue reading to find answers to those here:

1. What happens if you decrypt your SD card?

You may encounter the following issues when decrypting your SD card:

• You can access, read from, and write to data saved on the storage card.
• You can also make changes to the SD card, such as formatting or changing the file system.
• If you forget or lose the password for decrypting the SD card, all data on the SD card will be deleted when you decrypt the device.

2. Can you recover encrypted SD card?

Yes, of course. You have two options to decrypt the SD card.

One way is to use an encrypted password to unlock and decrypt the SD card.

The other option is to wipe the SD card, so it's ready to have data and files restored to it again.

3. Why is my SD card encrypted?

There can be various reasons that lead to SD card encryption, and here are some primary ones:

• You set a password on the SD card to encrypt and lock it for securing private or confidential data.
• Malware or a virus has encrypted your SD card.
• The SD card status shows as read-only.
• The SD card is locked by its physical switch.
• Your SD card driver is outdated.
• The SD card wasn't properly inserted or ejected.