Background
Locate and select the SD card in Disk Utility from the left sidebar, then click “Erase” in the toolbar Give the SD card a name, then choose the file system format you wish to use for the SD card (ExFat is typically the most compatible for SD card use), then click on the “Erase” button. Step 1- Connect SD card with Mac. Insert the card into the SD card slot or connect it with a USB.
How to Format microSD Card on MacOS If the issue is with your Computer or a Laptop you should try using Restoro which can scan the repositories and replace corrupt and missing files. This works in most cases, where the issue is originated due to a system corruption. When you encounter the Mac not reading the SD card issue, do not click on 'Initialize' button to format the SD card. Try the methods in this post to fix the unreadable SD card. If all fixes fail and you have to format the SD card to make it readable again, you had better recover lost data from it first with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to.
How to force format sd card on Mac that cannot be formatted? Sometimes your phone sd card or camera memory card cannot be formatted due to unknown causes, you may want to get the memory card force formatted on Mac when there is only mac machine you have, don't worry, there is way to get memory card force formatted or some other ways to fix the problem even when your sd card is damaged.
Also read: how to format sd card fat32 on mac
Why Unable to Format SD Card or TF Card on MAC
It may be brought by many causes that lead to a format failure on sd card MAC and here are just some of them
- SD card write protected with readonly attribution
- Virus attack, power surge, logical damages that caused partition table or its file allocation table lost
- Physical damages
- Bad chips
- SD card is dying
Force Format Memory Card that is Unable to be Formatted on MAC - 3 ways
There are more ways to force format sd card on Windows computer, phone/camera, if there is only MAC OS machine you have, here are the steps to fix sd card write protected error:
#1 - Remove write protection - Format write protected sd card MAC
There is a switch button on your memory card or miniSD/microSD adaptor that you may get your sd card inserted and then pull the lock button to the unlock state.
Or you may pull the switch button to the middle and then reinsert it to Mac machine to see whether you can read or delete files. Once you can save/delete files from the sd card, it was unlocked with write protection, and then you may format write protected sd card on MAC without problem.
#2 - Remove sd card file&folder readonly write protection on MAC machine
Plug in the SD card into the Mac machine. Check if there is any file with Read-only permission. Sometimes, having one file with Read only in its Privilege may show the entire sd memory card as write-protected. If that is the case then change the permission into “Read and Write.” And then it won't keep the sd card from formation.
#3 - Fix damaged sd card and format it on MAC
As you may know that the sd card may be damaged for many possible causes, it can be fixed on MAC with the following ways
1. Open Spotlight/ magnifying glass icon to open the search bar.
2. Type disk utility in the search box and open it from the results by double-clicking on it.
3. From the Disk Utility window, select the name of your SD card.
4. Click on First Aid tab, situated at the top of that window.
1. Open Spotlight/ magnifying glass icon to open the search bar.
2. Type disk utility in the search box and open it from the results by double-clicking on it.
3. From the Disk Utility window, select the name of your SD card.
4. Click on First Aid tab, situated at the top of that window.
Repair sd card with Mac Disk Utility
It will start running and fix any error that may be causing the problem. When prompted, users follow the instructions prompted during the run of First Aid.
And then format memory card under disk utility Erase tab that can work as an sd card force format utiilty in MAC.
Format sd card with Mac Disk Utility by 'Erase' tab
Also read: 8 sd card format tool on MAC
Best free format tool alternatives
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File Recovery Free > Format Recovery Utility > Howto > Force format sd card mac
Summary: Was the SD card you inserted not readable by the Mac? Cost of office 2019 for mac. This post will offer you solutions to fix the Mac not reading the SD card issue without or without formatting. Before formatting the SD card to make it readable again, you can recover lost data from it with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to avoid data loss.
To fix the unreadable SD cards on Mac, you can try the following solutions:
- 1. Try a different SD card reader or slot
- 2. Connect the SD card to another device
- 3. Update disk driver
- 4. Check if the SD card is encrypted
- 5. Run First Aid to repair the unreadable SD card
- 6. Format the unreadable SD card
Overview of the SD card not readable on Mac
When you connected an SD memory card to Mac, the error message 'The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer' popped up, leaving you three options ' Initialize', 'Ignore' and 'Eject'. Then you knew that you encountered the SD card not readable by this computer issue.
In this situation, you might see the SD card shows up in Disk Utility but SD card is not mounted in Mac Finder nor access the files on the SD card. However, formatting the SD card is not the only option to make your SD card readable again. This post will explain how an SD card gets unreadable and how to fix the Mac not reading the SD card without data loss.
Format Sd Card Fat32
How does an SD card get unreadable?
Unreadable SD memory cards result from various causes, from hardware problems to inner logic corruptions. We list some most common causes for unreadable SD cards on Mac:
- Corrupted partition table. A partition table on an SD memory card contains the information about the beginning and the end of a partition. When a partition table is corrupted, the operating system can't locate the partition and can't read the data in a certain partition either.
- Corrupted file system. A file system contains the location, size, name and other fundamental information of files. When the file system is corrupted, the logic for the Mac operating system to follow is damaged so that SD card is not recognized by macOS.
- Virus and malware infection. Some aggressive virus and malware can attack the data on your SD memory card, making partition table, file system and real data corrupted or lost.
- Human error. A lot of times, people remove the SD card from the slot or card reader without ejecting it safely first but by pulling it out violently. This operation will even cause physical damage to the SD card, resulting in SD card not showing up on Mac.
There are many other causes that might lead to an unreadable SD card such as an out-of-date disk driver, encrypted SD card and more. No matter what has made your standard SD cards, miniSD cards or microSD cards unreadable, it is urgent to fix the unreadable SD card and get back data from it.
Read ahead to know how to fix the unreadable SD memory card.
How to repair an unreadable SD card on Mac?
Not many people like to format their external drives unless they have to, so as you. If you are looking for solutions for repairing the unreadable SD card without formatting, you will learn 5 methods in this section. We will walk you through the solutions one by one.
Fix 1: Try a different SD card reader or slot
A damaged SD card reader or slot can make the SD card not recognizable nor readable. At times, simply changing a card reader or slot can solve the problem.
If the solution doesn't work, move forward to the next one.
• What to do if SD card reader is not working?
How To Format Sd Card On Mac
Fix 2: Connect the SD card to another device
Now you need to check if it is the problem of the memory card or your Mac computer.
- 1. Disconnect the SD card from Mac.
- 2. Connect the SD card to another device, i.e. a Mac or a camera.
If it is readable on another device, then your Mac may have some encryption or driver-related issue with the SD card. On the other hand, if your SD memory card still doesn't work right on another device, then it is corrupted very possibly.
Check the next method to see how to make the SD card readable on your Mac by updating the disk driver.
Fix 3: Update disk driver
A disk driver is a group of files that enable the disk to communicate with the operating system. Therefore, if the driver is too old on a Mac, the macOS can't send nor receive data correctly to the up-to-date memory card.
Here is how to update the disk driver on Mac:
- 1. Click on the Apple icon at the top menu bar and select 'System Preferences…'.
- 2. Choose 'Software Updates'.
- 3. Click on 'Update Now ' or 'Update All' if you have multiple updates.
After having updated the disk driver, your SD card should be readable now. If this doesn't solve the SD card not readable by Mac, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Pro or Mac mini problem, it might be because the SD card is encrypted. Check the next solution.
Fix 4: Check if the SD card is encrypted
This solution will tell you how to check whether the SD card is encrypted and solve the unreadable SD card problem on Mac. If your memory card is protected by third-party encryption software or non-Mac native encryption programs, then it can't be recognized on Mac. For example, if your memory card is encrypted by BitLocker, an encryption program developed by Microsoft and not supported by macOS, it will appear unreadable on Mac. Therefore, you will need to decrypt the SD card first using the according decryption software. Then reconnect the SD card to the Mac and your SD card should be readable on Mac.
• BitLocker Data Recovery: Recover deleted/lost files from BitLocker encrypted drives
Fix 5: Run First Aid to repair the unreadable SD card
If the methods above fail to fix the SD memory card that is not readable on Mac, the SD card may have some file system errors. Luckily, macOS has a built-in utility called First Aid to check disk error and repair the corrupted file system.
Here is how to repair a non-readable SD card using First Aid in Disk Utility:
- 1. Go to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- 2. After launching Disk Utility, choose 'View' from the upper right menu bar. From the drop-down menu, select 'Show All Devices'.
- 3. Choose the unreadable SD card at the left sidebar and click on 'First Aid'.
- 4. Click 'Run'. This will start the verification and repair process.
If Disk Utility reports that the disk appears to be OK or has been repaired, you're done. You can click 'Done' to exit and then you can use your SD card as usual.
However, First Aid can only fix minor file system issues. If the First Aid fails to repair the disk, the SD card has been corrupted seriously. Fixing the unreadable SD card by formatting could be your last option.
Fix 6: Format the unreadable SD card
Before you format your SD card, you should note that formatting a disk will write in new file system on the disk and make your disk appear blank.
• How to format an SD card on Mac?
If you don't have any important files on it, go ahead to format it. But if you do have important data that you don't want to lose, remember to recover lost data from unreadable SD card.
• How to recover data from an unreadable SD card on Mac?
After the formatting process completes, you just reconnect the SD card to the Mac and it should be readable by now.
If the SD card can't be formatted, it means the card has been physically damaged. Unfortunately, there is no software can help you fix any hardware problem of an SD card. You can only send it to a local repair shop or replace it with a new one.
Effective tips to prevent SD memory cards from being corrupted
What is an SD card?
An SD card or a Security Digital card, is a type of removable flash memory cards used for storing documents, media and other files. According to the physical sizes, SD cards include standard SD cards (32 mm X 24 mm), miniSD cards (21.5 mm X 20 mm) and microSD cards (15 mm X 11 mm). The capacity of an SD card ranges from 1MB to 128 TB by now.
It is designed to provide high-capacity storage in a small size and can be added in many small portable devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras, audio players, digital video camcorders, tablets, etc. It has been the most popular and efficient way to expand the storage space of a device.
Effective tips to prevent SD cards from being corrupted
It is very convenient to use an SD card as extra memory storage, but SD cards are prone to be corrupted. We list some nice tips for you to prevent corrupted SD cards.
- Shut down the device completely when you take the SD card out.
- Don't use SD cards when devices' battery is low.
- Leave some free space on SD cards.
- Use high-quality card readers.
- Safely eject SD cards on computer.
- Remove SD cards before the computer turns off or restarts.
- Handle SD cards carefully to avoid physical damage.
When you encounter the Mac not reading the SD card issue, do not click on 'Initialize' button to format the SD card. Try the methods in this post to fix the unreadable SD card. If all fixes fail and you have to format the SD card to make it readable again, you had better recover lost data from it first with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac to avoid data loss.