Can You Format a Dead Micro SD? [3 Ways in Windows]

Can you format a dead micro SD?

The possibility of formatting a dead micro SD card depends on the nature of the corruption—physical or logical.

✍ Case 1: Physically corrupted

If the micro SD card is physically damaged (e.g., broken pins, cracked housing, or water damage), formatting is usually impossible. Physical corruption renders the card unreadable by devices, preventing any form of data access or repair. In such cases, professional data recovery services might be the only option, but formatting the card is highly unlikely.

✍ Case 2: Logically corrupted

Logical corruption occurs due to software issues, file system errors, or bad sectors. In many cases, a logically corrupted card can still be formatted using a computer or dedicated disk management tools. However, the success depends on whether the device recognizes the card. If detected, formatting might restore functionality but will erase all data. If the card isn’t detected, specialized software or professional assistance may be needed.

Can you format a dead microSD? Understanding the type of corruption is key to determining whether formatting is a viable option.

How to format a dead micro SD in Windows

If the card is not entirely dead but only malfunctioning, you can try the following steps to format it in Windows:

Method 1. Use Disk Management

Disk Management is a built-in Windows utility that lets you manage disks and partitions easily. Here's how to format your micro SD card using this tool:

Step 1. Use an SD card adapter or card reader to connect the microSD card to your PC.

Step 2. Press Win + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and hit Enter.

Step 3. Look for the microSD card in the list of drives. If it appears as "Unallocated" or with errors, proceed.

Step 4. If prompted, initialize the card (select MBR or GPT).

Step 5. Right-click the card, choose "Format", select a file system (FAT32 or exFAT), and complete the process.

If the card is still undetected, it is likely irreparable, and professional recovery services may be required.

Method 2. Use DiskPart command

DiskPart is a powerful command-line utility for managing disks. Follow these steps to format corrupted SDcard CMD:

Step 1. Press “Win + R” to open the Run dialogue.

Step 2. Type “cmd” to open Command Prompt.

Step 3. Once the Command Prompt is launched, type “diskpart” on the window, and press Enter.

Step 4. When the diskpart.exe is opened, type the following commands:

● list disk

● select disk 1

● list partition

● select partition 1

● format fs=exFAT quick (exFAT can be replaced with FAT32, or other file systems)

Method 3. Use a third-party tool

While DiskPart is a powerful tool, its reliance on precise commands can be challenging for most users. Mistyping a command can lead to unexpected issues, and the tool lacks options to preview or undo operations, adding to the complexity.

Thankfully, AOMEI Partition Assistant provides a more user-friendly alternative. This versatile tool allows you to format SD cards and micro SD cards to file systems such as exFAT, FAT32, NTFS, Ext2, Ext3, and Ext4 through an intuitive interface. It can easily break the 4GB file limit of FAT32 drives.

With just a few simple steps, you can complete the formatting process effortlessly. Download the tool today and follow the straightforward tutorial to get started.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant, install and run the program. Insert your SD card into your computer via SD card reader and verfiy it is detected successfully.

Step 2. Right-click the SD card partition and select Format Partition.

Step 3. Choose a File System for you SD card, hit OK.

Step 4. Press Apply at the upper left corner to format your SD card.

Bonus reading: How to fix a dead micro SD card

CHKDSK is a built-in Windows command-line tool designed to scan and repair errors on storage devices. However, it requires caution, as even a small typo in the command could potentially damage your SD card. To use this tool safely, follow these steps:

Step 1. Ensure your non-functional SD card is properly connected to your Windows PC.

Step 2. On the taskbar, type "cmd" into the search box and select "Run as administrator".

Step 3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter (replace “F” with the drive letter assigned to your SD card):

chkdsk F: /f

Step 4. Allow the process to complete. The duration will vary depending on the size of your SD card, taking anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Be patient and let CHKDSK work through its process to fix errors on your SD card.

Conclusion

Can you format a dead micro SD? This guide tells you how to format an SD card on Windows PCs if the dead SD card is just logically corrupted. Both DiskPart and AOMEI Partition Assistant are effective tools for performing this operation on Windows. Additionally, they can be used to format USB drives, hard drives, and SSDs.

However, AOMEI Partition Assistant is generally the better choice for most users, especially for those who find command-line interfaces challenging. Besides formatting, AOMEI Partition Assistant offers features like creating, deleting, merging partitions, wiping SD cards, changing the SD card's serial number, managing dynamic disks, performing SSD secure erases, and more.