Useful Tips on Formatting SD Card Using CMD
Do you need to format an SD card? In this guide, we show you how to format an SD card using CMD. We also provide you with detailed tips on how to solve any problems you encounter.
Ever wondered how to format an SD card using CMD? There are many ways to format an SD card. You probably already know how to do it on your phone or a PC using Windows Explorer. But sometimes, these options may not be available or cannot work.
Formatting a memory card is necessary when it shows signs of corruption. If you notice that it isn't working the way it's supposed to work, you should consider a CMD memory card format. This will erase everything on the storage and rewrite the file system.
Important Terms Before Formatting SD Card Using CMD
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of formatting an SD card using CMD, there are some concepts you need to understand.
1. What's An SD Card and How Does It Work?
An SD card is storage media common on digital cameras, cell phones, laptops, baby monitors, and many more devices. The card is small and portable. This portability makes it ideal for transferring data between devices.
2. When Do You Need to Format SD Card?
There are two main reasons you may need to format an SD card.
- The first reason is that the SD card begins to act up and cannot function normally. You may notice that it is undetectable in a device and cannot save, or you may encounter a case of missing files.
- The second one is that you no longer need the card's data, and you want to erase it so you can use it as a new memory card.
3. What's CMD and How Does It Work?
CMD is an abbreviation for Command. It is a common reference to the Windows Command Prompt, a powerful interpreter that executes commands once entered by the user. Its executable command is cmd.exe. There are several ways to launch CMD depending on your Windows version. In Windows 10, typing Command Prompt in the Windows search bar at the bottom left of a Windows PC will launch the program.
Ever wondered how to format an SD card using CMD? There are many ways to format an SD card. You probably already know how to do it on your phone or a PC using Windows Explorer. But sometimes, these options may not be available or cannot work.
Formatting a memory card is necessary when it shows signs of corruption. If you notice that it isn't working the way it's supposed to work, you should consider a CMD memory card format. This will erase everything on the storage and rewrite the file system.
Important Terms Before Formatting SD Card Using CMD
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of formatting an SD card using CMD, there are some concepts you need to understand.
1. What's An SD Card and How Does It Work?
An SD card is storage media common on digital cameras, cell phones, laptops, baby monitors, and many more devices. The card is small and portable. This portability makes it ideal for transferring data between devices.
2. When Do You Need to Format SD Card?
There are two main reasons you may need to format an SD card:
- The first reason is that the SD card begins to act up and cannot function normally. You may notice that it is undetectable in a device and cannot save, or you may encounter a case of missing files.
- The second one is that you no longer need the card's data, and you want to erase it so you can use it as a new memory card.
3. What's CMD and How Does It Work?
CMD is an abbreviation for Command. It is a common reference to the Windows Command Prompt, a powerful interpreter that executes commands once entered by the user. Its executable command is cmd.exe. There are several ways to launch CMD depending on your Windows version. In Windows 10, typing Command Prompt in the Windows search bar at the bottom left of a Windows PC will launch the program.
What SD Card Issues Can CMD Resolve?
The Command Prompt is a powerful utility that gets things done when other methods fail. Below are CD card issues that CMD can quickly resolve.
Issue 1: Corruption
SD card corruption happens because of power, hardware, or software failure. It can also happen because of an infection by a computer virus. There are many symptoms that corruption has occurred but below are the most common:
You get error messages. If you get an error message anytime, you try to use the card. Then there is a likelihood it is corrupted.
Missing files on the storage. If you have ever found yourself in a situation where you can swear you saved a file correctly but can't find it, then you could be dealing with a corruption issue.
The SD card is undetectable when connected to a PC. When you connect the memory card to a PC, it should appear in the list of drives. If it doesn't, then you have cause to suspect corruption.
In such situations, the chkdsk command can repair a damaged SD card using CMD.
Issue 2: Read-Only and Hidden Files
If you encounter a situation where you get an error message that the stick is read-only or find that you can't view some files, you can use CMD to resolve such issues.
Using a CMD utility known as Diskpart, you can remove the read-only attributes of files on any storage and clear the hidden status of hidden files.
Issue 3: Formatting
This refers to the process that completely deletes the storage media and recreates a file system. You can format a memory card using CMD, a device such as a phone, or other PC utilities available in Windows. In CMD, the main way to do this is to use the Diskpart utility, which we explain in the next section.
One important thing to note before you use CMD to repair or format a memory stick is to make a backup, so you don't lose all your data. To back up, connect the memory stick to a computer and copy all the files to a folder on the computer. You can also back up your files to the cloud using a cloud storage app such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or any other preferred cloud storage service.
How to Format SD Card Using CMD
The instructions that follow are for how to format an SD card using CMD in Windows 10. It takes less than ten minutes to get this done and is one of the most robust ways to format an SD card.
To begin, connect your SD to your computer and make sure it is recognizable. Then follow the steps below.
Step 1: Open Command Prompt
Next, fire up Command Prompt by navigating to the Windows Search bar at the bottom left of your screen and type Command Prompt. Ensure you run it as an administrator, or you won't be able to execute commands. Windows key + R
Step 2: Start Diskpart
Next, type diskpart and hit Enter. This will take you into a screen such as the one shown below.
Step 3: List the Disks
Type, list disk, to identify your disk from a list of disks.
Step 4: Select Your SD Card from the List
Note your disk number and then type in the command select disk followed by the disk number. This will select your SD card.
Step 5: Clean the SD Card
Next, type the command clean and hit Enter. This command erases everything on the SD card.
Step 6: Create A New Partition
You now need to create a new partition on the memory stick. To do this, type in the command, create partition primary, and hit Enter.
Step 7: Run the Format Command
Next, type in the command format fs=fat32 and hit the Enter button. The letters fs are an abbreviation for the file system, whereas fat32 is the file system known as File Allocation Table. If you want your SD card to store files over 4GB, format it using exFAT.
Step 8: Assign a Drive Letter
To complete the process, assign the SD card a drive letter so you can access it from Windows Explorer. Do so by typing, assign letter f. The letter can be any letter of your choosing
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That's how to format a memory stick using CMD. But this isn't the only way. As mentioned, you can also format it using a phone or other features in Windows.
Our next tutorial we will teach u how to format SD card without CMD program.