
Is there an alternative solution to storage on Android?įinally, we’re going to close this article with an alternative storage solution that will allow you to avoid an Android unable to format anSD card error altogether: by removing SD cards from the equation entirely. What you’ll have to do is take your SD card to a data recovery expert who may or may not be able to make a copy of the data still saved on the card. Unfortunately, there’s nothing left that you can do on your own at this point. If you can’t use another device to format your SD card, that likely means the onboard read/write controller is either broken or has encountered enough errors to choose to lock itself down. If the Android unable to format SD card error also means that you can’t read said data, you might be in trouble. In the popup Window that you see next, format the card as “FAT32.” This will wipe any data on the SD card, but if Windows is able to format it, it will be usable (albeit with a lesser amount of remaining storage.) What if I need to save my data? Right-click on your SD card, then select “Format.” Once you plug your SD card into your PC, open Start, type “My Computer” (or “This PC” on Windows 10) and look under “Devices and drives.”

This is where a PC will come in handy – preferably a laptop with a built-in card reader, but you can also get a USB card reader for your desktop if need be. To keep using your card, you’re likely going to have to format it on another device. However, you can still take steps in the meantime to continue using the card or to recover your data. If you’ve encountered this error, it’s likely already time to start looking for a replacement.

SD cards have a lower density for write operations than other forms of storage which means after a certain amount of usage, all SD cards will eventually be unwriteable, and some time soon after that, unreadable. Whenever you get the Android unable to format SD card error, it often happens because the SD card is already formatted with a file system it doesn’t recognize, or the SD card can no longer perform write operations. Why does the “Android unable to format SD card” error happen?
