I recently bought a brand new 64gb SD Card and upon placing it in my phone I get a message in the dropdown that the “Sd card is blank or has unidentifyable files”. I then click that and it gives me the option to erase and format the SD card. Upon clicking ‘yes’ I get a message that says “The SD Card is being checked” and then nothing happens. I’ve tried to connect it to my computer and it recognizes the phone as an internal memory store but won’t recognize the SD card. If anybody has any information which could explain and solve my issue it would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Have you tried using an SDXC-compatible card reader and see if the card is recognized by your computer then?
Yes the card came with a card reader and when inserted into my mac the card appeared and I was able to open it, albeit it was blank as expected.
Hi JCortez242,
Dear member of SanDisk Community, welcome.
Please do the following tests:
1- Check, if the phone slot is clean.
2- Check, if your phone accepts SDXC cards (if it have the logo, or at the manual).
3 - Test your phone with other cards (SDHC and SDXC).
4- Test your card with problems, in other laptop, directly to its port-card.
See in Properties, the capacity and format.
Then test to save and delete different files.
Luck, and then you tell us, what happened, please.
Regards, Alfred. (Google translated)
Well I did some research and eventually found out the android devices can only run SD cards with file system NTFS or Fat32 and my large 64gb card was in exFat. So I tried to use a Fat32 converter and converted the file system from exFat to Fat32 and the problem still persisted. I used this video to help but to no success https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA9fp863d-o
Hi JCortez242,
Well, check if your phone accepts SDXC cards (if it have the logo, or at the manual).
Then, try to convert to NTFS system your SanDisk Ultra SDXC of 64 GB, with (free):
USB Flash Format (HP) 2.23, http://filecloud.io/6az3c7kg
Regards, Alfred. (Google translated)
Hi JCortez242,
Well, check if your phone accepts SDXC cards (if it have the logo, or at the manual).
Then, try to convert to NTFS system your SanDisk Ultra SDXC of 64 GB, with (free):
USB Flash Format (HP) 2.23, http://filecloud.io/6az3c7kg
Regards, Alfred. (Google translated)
It sounds like your new 64GB SD card is either corrupted, improperly formatted, or defective. Here’s how to troubleshoot and fix it:
1. Try a Different Device
- Insert the SD card into a computer (via built-in SD slot or USB adapter).
- If it doesn’t show up in File Explorer (Windows) or Disk Utility (Mac), the card may be dead.
2. Manually Format the SD Card
On Windows:
- Press Win + X → Disk Management.
- Locate the SD card (should appear as “Removable”).
- If it shows as “Unallocated”, right-click → New Simple Volume.
- If it shows as “RAW” or corrupted, right-click → Format → FAT32 (for <64GB) or exFAT (for 64GB+).
On Mac:
- Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities).
- Select the SD card (left panel).
- Click Erase → Choose MS-DOS (FAT) for FAT32 or exFAT.
3. Check for Physical Damage
- Inspect the SD card’s contacts (clean with rubbing alcohol if dirty).
- Try a different SD adapter if using a microSD.
4. Test with SD Card Formatter (Official Tool)
- Download free SD card format tools and try a full overwrite format.
- If you don’t want to lose data on the problematic SD card, try SD card recovery software before the formatting process.
5. If Still Not Detected
- The card may be defective (common with counterfeit or faulty cards).
- Try another SD card to confirm.
- If under warranty, return/replace it.
Final Fixes if Card is Detected but Not Working in Phone
- Some phones require specific formats (e.g., Samsung likes exFAT).
- Try formatting the phone again after a PC/Mac format.
