SD Card Shows Blank Asking to Format - 3 Fixes
Overview: Few things are more frustrating than plugging in your SD card only to see it appear completely blank—or worse, being told it needs to be formatted before use. All your photos, videos, music, and important files seem to vanish in an instant. Don’t panic! This guide will walk you through why this happens, how to repair a blank SD card safely, and most importantly, how to get your data back without losing precious memories.
Background
"I have about 1GB of data (images, videos, and music) on my 8GB memory card. However, when I turned on my digital camera today, the memory card shows blank or reports an unsupported file system. When I tried to open the SD card to copy some files, it said the card needs to be formatted. What should I do when a memory card shows blank and asks to be reformatted? Can I format the blank SD card and still recover my lost data? And if the data is erased after formatting, how do I recover files from a formatted memory card?"
Table of contents
So, what can you actually do when your SD card goes blank and demands formatting? In this article, you’ll discover the real reasons behind the error, how to repair a damaged SD card, and step-by-step methods to recover your files safely. Even if your card shows RAW or an unsupported file system, you still have a chance to bring your data back before it’s too late.
3 Free Ways to Repair a Blank Memory Card Asking for Reformatting
The methods below provide alternative solutions to the video above and can help restore a memory card that shows as blank or repeatedly asks to be reformatted.
Solution 1: Run Windows Error-checking to fix system errors.
Right-click your memory card under This PC/My Computer, select Properties, go to the Tools tab, and choose Check. This option scans the card for file system errors and repairs bad sectors automatically.
Solution 2: Format the card with Disk Management or right-click format.
Open Disk Management, locate the memory card, and select Format. Alternatively, right-click the card directly in This PC and choose Format. Select a compatible file system such as FAT32 or exFAT before confirming.
Solution 3: Use Command Prompt with diskpart.
Open Command Prompt and enter the command below (replace F: with the letter of your memory card):
format F: /fs:fat32
If the card remains inaccessible, use diskpart to clear attributes and reformat. This removes write-protection and prepares the card for a fresh format.
Also see: Blank SD card recovery solutions, or 7 free SD card repair tools.
Recover Files from Blank Memory Card that says Unformatted
If there are important files on the SD card, it’s important to recover files off the card. Although memory card shows blank, all data is still stored on its original place. What you need to do is to use free tool iCare Data Recovery Free software to extract data from the damaged memory card.
Steps to Recover Files from Not Formatted Storage Card
Step1. Insert the storage card to your computer. 
Download and install iCare Data Recovery Free on your computer. Run this program and select 'Deep Scan Recovery' mode to start.
Step2. Choose your memory card to scan. Wait a few minutes, it will find your files .
Step3. You can have a preview of found files after completing scan. So you have the chance to decide which files to recover.
What to do if memory card chip is physically damaged
How to tell your memory card is of physical damage?
- The recovered files are all corrupted
- Windows cannot see your memory card nor the camera, nor your phone, nor the software
The only option for a physical damaged memory card would be "local repair shop" and especially the 100% clean data recovery service center that may do a little hope for recovering the inside data, but the price is usually of 300-1000USD.
You may Google "data recovery service center + your location/city" to find available shops.
Why memory card is blank with unsupported file system
Why does memory card show blank? When a storage card is saying blank, the capacities of the memory card might show 0 byte. Meanwhile, Windows might detect the memory card as unknown device and reports RAW or unsupported file system when you connect the card to your computer.
It could be the reason of the following:
- Virus infected your memory card when you connect it to PC - can be repaired
- Unsafe removal or eject the memory card without safe removal - can be repaired
- Physical damage (chip damage) - can not be repaired by any software
- Bad blocks after saving data again and again (logical damage) - can be repaired
Besides the above causes of memory card damage, sometimes your memory card would just go without control or wild all of a sudden. The error message you may see is something like
- 'Blank SD Card, sd card is blank or has unsupported file system'
- 'Windows can't format F'. Check to see that the disk and drive are connected properly.
- The disk in drive H is not formatted. Do you want to format it now?
- Card not formatted. Format card with this camera.
- Location is not available. The disk structure is corrupted and unreadable.
- F:\ is not accessible. Data error (cylic redudancy check)
- USB Device not recognized
- H:\ is not accessible. Access is denied.
- Removed SD Card. SD card removed, Insert a new one.
- Location is not available. F:\ is not accessible. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.
Last updated on Aug 22, 2025
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