If your SD card is blocked it’s not the end of the world, you still have a chance to unblock it.
Everyone uses memory cards if they own a smartphone, tablet, or any other SD card compatible device. For some reason, the SD card inserted into your device will give an error.
Your card gets locked due to various reasons. Sometimes, it can be due to the lock switch but unknown reasons exist too. Hence, if you face any such problem in the future then you must know about how to unlock the SD card. Mostly, the camera users face this issue that does not let them view, edit, or store a new file into the memory card. To handle this problem, we have prepared this content to help you to unlock the SD card.
What is the lock for an SD card?
Each modern SD card features a lock switch at its left part. It is mainly used for write protection when the switch is turned on by sliding it down. When this switch is on, you can’t delete or modify the data stored on the memory card. You can only view the files and every other action is forbidden. This is a great facility but can be troublesome if you are not experienced enough to unlock the SD card. The lock on an SD card is simple to unlock using the solutions we have given right here.
1.Slide the lock switch upwards
As we have already talked a lot about the lock switch, just slide the lock tab in the upward position. For your convenience, refer to the given picture of the Sony SD card. When this locking tab is loose then it will slide up automatically. This means it has been corrupted and you have to replace the SD card with a new one.
2.Unlock SD Card with Password
Android smartphone users can unlock the SD card with a password but how will you get the password? Some online service offers you to unlock memory card password online. For this, either you can go to an expert and tell them to unlock your SD card, but they might steal your data too. The better option is to use ES File Explorer, see how.
Step 1: Run ES file Explorer
Install and run “ES file Explorer” on your Android device.
Step 2: Rename the file
Open the “System” folder and find the file “mmcstore“. Rename this file with mmstore.txt. This is where you will get the password of your memory card. Enter this password to unlock your memory card when prompted.
Solution 3: Unlock SD card in Windows using CMD
If your phone or camera is showing “the disk is write protected“, then you need to use Windows to unblock the SD card. This is the perfect solution for the locked memory card issue.
Step 1: Insert the card
Insert the locked SD card into a card reader and connect it to your computer.
Step 2: Run CMD
Press the “Windows” key + “R” to open the run dialog box. Type CMD to open the administrator command prompt. Windows 8 users have to press Windows key + S, enter CMD in the given Run dialog box space. Right-click on it and choose “Run as admin”.
Step 3: Type commands
Now, type the following command one by one and keep hitting enter after typing a command
- Diskpart
- List disk (this shows the list of all storage media connected to your computer)
- Select disk #, where # represents SD card number
- Attributes disk clear read only
When you are done then exit the command prompt and check if the memory card lock error has been fixed.
Solution 4: Unlock SD card on Mac
Some of you might not own a Windows PC. On Mac, you can perform SD card unlocking using a disk utility tool. This is not a complicated process. All you have to follow some simple steps as given here.
Step 1: Plug in the card
Connect the SD card to your Mac PC. Make sure that no file is containing “Read-only permission“. One file having a “Write-protection” can affect the complete disk. In such a case, change the permission to “Read and Write“.
Step 2: Open Disk Utility
Go to the “Spotlight or magnifying glass” icon for opening the “Search” bar. On the given space, enter the “Disk utility” and then double-click on it from the given results.
Step 3: Fix the issue
As the “Disk Utility” window opens, choose your SD card name. Click the “First Aid tab” located at the top of the window. This will attempt to fix the errors. Do not forget to follow the instructions carefully.
Solution 5: Force unlock your memory card by formatting
Your SD card may be infected with a virus when the problem is not going away. Instead of wondering, “my sd card is locked how I unlock it”, force unlock your memory card by formatting it. Although it will lead to data loss you can recover it using a reliable SD card recovery tool.
Step 1: Connect SD card
Insert the infected SD card to a card reader and connect this to your PC.
Step 2: Open the location and format
Open “My computer” and find the SD card drive icon. Right-click on the SD card icon to view more options. Click on “Format” and in the new appearing drop-down menu, select the “Quick” option and then “OK“.
