Solving the Issue of SD Card Files Not Showing in File Manager

Overview of SD Card Files Not Showing Up

"I can't see any files on my 16GB Samsung microSD card, including videos, audio, images, and documents, even though it's almost full. I tried connecting the SD card to my computer, but Windows prompts me to format it before use. I don't want to proceed with the instruction for fear of losing any files on the SD card. I need help."

"While transferring photos from my Canon camera SD card to the computer, I was surprised to find the SD card showing up as empty. I can view the pictures on the SD card through the camera but not on the computer. Isn't it weird? What should I do?"

Many people complain that their SD card files are not showing up on their phones, cameras, or computers. Are you one of them, unable to see files like photos, videos, or apps on your SD card? You're not alone. Here are some ways to help you view the files and fix the hidden files issue on an SD card. Data Recovery Wizard is a third-party memory card data recovery software that can scan and find the missing files on your SD card.

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Reasons for Hidden SD Card Files

Before attempting any fixes, you might wonder what causes this annoying problem and how to deal with the missing files on the SD card.

Regardless of whether you're looking at the files on your SD card from your phone, digital camera, or a Windows PC/Mac, you'll usually see a blank or empty SD card due to the following reasons:

• The file is hidden.
• The SD card is locked.
• The SD card is damaged.
• The file is infected with an unknown virus.

As you can see, there are many reasons why you might be denied access to view the current files on your SD card, so you'll have to take it step by step to truly get to the bottom of things. Let's quickly go over them:

First, check if your SD card has a physical lock switch.

Some brands of SD cards, including microSD, SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards, have a physical lock switch that disables write access to the card, preventing anyone from deleting or modifying files. If you can view your files on the camera but not on your computer, try unlocking the SD card by sliding the switch from the lock position to the unlock position.

How to remove write protection from an SD card without a lock switch? Look for solutions on the page linked here: Remove Write Protection in Windows 10/8/7.

Secondly, try to unhide files on Windows 10/8.1/8/7 PC

This is mostly because the files on the SD card are not viewable on a computer. As per investigations, most memory cards do not show files because they are set to be hidden, requiring manual un-hiding of the memory card.

Display SD card files on computer:

Open File Explorer, go to the “View” tab, and check the “Hidden items” checkbox.

Third, scan and remove the virus.

Are you also experiencing other unusual issues, like apps opening very slowly or your Windows operating system freezing frequently? If you often use the SD card across multiple digital devices, take note that it might have been infected by a computer virus.

It's easy and efficient to scan and delete viruses by installing antivirus software on your computer. You can also remove a virus from your PC/laptop without antivirus.

Video Tutorial: Fixing the SD Card Not Showing Up or Not Being Detected Error

This video contains more fixes that can help you resolve issues where your computer fails to detect or display errors with your SD card. Let's dive into the details:

Further troubleshooting for SD card files not showing

If unlocking and hiding files on the SD card doesn't help, you might need some deeper troubleshooting. If you don't want to lose important data, follow this guide strictly. First, download the Data Recovery Wizard tool to attempt scanning and restoring all existing files on the SD card. After that, try fixing the corrupted SD card.

Recover files not showing on SD card:

Step 1. Select the SD card to scan

< li > Download and install the Data Recovery Wizard tool on your Windows computer.< /li >< li > Connect your SanDisk / Lexar / Transcend SD card to the computer properly.< /li >< li > Launch the SD card recovery software. On the left, select "SD Card Recovery". All connected drives will be displayed here. Choose your SD card and click "Scan".< /li >

Step 2: Check the scan results

< li > Wait for the scan to finish. < /li > < li > Select a file type to display, such as pictures or videos. < /li > < li > Click "Preview" to check if they're the files you want. < /li >

Step 3: Recover Data from SD Card

• Preview the recovered files and then click "Recover".
• Choose a location different from the original SD card to save the recovered files.

Note: The utility Data Recovery Wizard Free allows you to recover up to 2 GB of files for free, so you'll need to activate the free version to the Data Recovery Wizard Pro tool to restore data without any limitations.

Fix a Damaged SD Card that Won't Show Files:

The CHKDSK command and Windows Disk Management are considered two of the most effective methods to fix a corrupted SD card. A damaged SD card usually makes files inaccessible or display incorrectly, with symptoms like RAW file system, unallocated, and Windows prompts to format before use, etc. Now, you can make the most of these two SD card repair tools here.

Solution 1: Show Hidden Files on SD Card via CMD

Step 1: Open the Windows Command Prompt as an administrator (press Windows + X).

Step 2: Type attrib -h -r -s G:\*.* /s /d and press Enter. (Replace "g" with the letter of your SD card's drive.)

Step 3: Wait for the command to take effect.

When you're done, type exit to close the Command Prompt window.

CleanGenius is a user-friendly system repair tool that is both safe and lightweight. It's the perfect alternative to the CHKDSK command. With just one click, it easily fixes damaged file systems.

Step 1: Download and install CleanGenius on your computer.

Step 2: Run the software, click “Optimize,” and then choose “File Display.”

Step 3: Select the damaged file system drive. Check the option to 'Check and fix file system errors' and click 'Execute.'

Step 4: Wait for the tool to perform the repair task. After that, click on the “Click here” button to scan the drive.

Solution 2: Format the Damaged SD Card via Disk Management

Step 1: Open Disk Management (press Windows+R to open the Run dialog, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter).

Step 2: Locate your SD card, which should show up as a removable disk. Right-click on it and select “Format…”

Step 3: Choose a file system from the list, usually NTFS/FAT/FAT32, and perform a quick format.

As you know, formatting the disk will completely erase data from the SD card, so if you haven't used the Data Recovery Wizard tool beforehand, download and install it now to retrieve data from the formatted SD card.