How to Wipe an SD Card on Windows 11/10

When is it necessary to wipe an SD card?

An SD card is a great option to store data on devices like phones, cameras, or other portable electronic products. However, wiping an SD card can be necessary in many situations. For example, if you plan to sell or give your SD card to someone else, wiping it protects your data from being accessed or recovered. Additionally, if your card is infected with a virus, wiping it can clean the card and make it safe to use again. This post will show you how to wipe an SD card effectively. Keep reading to discover the steps to securely erase your data.

Difference between wiping and formatting an SD card

Before diving into how to wipe an SD card, let’s discuss the difference between wiping and formatting. Many people are confused about the two actions. Although they both clear data from SD cards, they differ in their methods and outcomes.

Wiping an SD card refers to completely erasing all data on the card and overwriting it with new data. This process ensures that the old data cannot be recovered, even with advanced recovery tools. In contrast, formatting only removes the file system structure, but the actual data remains on the card until it is overwritten. And you can recover it using professional tools.

In other words, if you're looking for a way to erase your data permanently and ensure it cannot be recovered, wiping is the ideal choice. However, if you simply want to clear your memory card for reuse, formatting is a faster and more efficient option.

How to wipe an SD card completely?

To completely wipe an SD card, using professional tools is essential. AOMEI Partition Assistant is a powerful disk management tool and professional partition software compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, 8.1, and 7. It includes a feature called Wipe Hard Drive that enables you to effectively and securely wipe SD cards for free.

Whether you’re wiping an SD card or any other type of storage device, AOMEI Partition Assistant works well while ensuring your data is permanently erased, preventing unauthorized access.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

100% Secure

Before wiping your SD card, remember that erased data cannot be recovered. To prevent unnecessary data loss, consider creating backups beforehand.

Here’s how to wipe an SD card on Windows 11/10 using AOMEI Partition Assistant:

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant; then click the Wipe tab and select the Wipe Hard Drive option. 

Step 2. Select the SD card you need to erase and click OK.

You can choose a wiping method from the given options: Gutmann, DoD 5220.22-M, Fill in random information, and Fill in 0. The last method erases data for free by overwriting all sectors with zeros, while the other methods offer a safer way to wipe your SD card.

Step 3. Finally, click Apply and Proceed to start executing the operation.

Alternative ways to erase SD card data

“Can I erase SD card data without third-party software?” Sure! In addition to using professional tools, there are several ways to clear data from SD cards. This section outlines two effective methods. Scroll down for more details.  

Fix 1. Erase data from SD cards using DiskPart.exe

Windows provides a command-line utility allowing you to format an SD card in Windows. If you are proficient at command lines, follow these steps to erase your SD card data.

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

Step 2. Type cmd to open the Command Prompt.

Step 3. Type diskpart in the window and press Enter.

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

• list disk
• select disk 1
• list partition
• select partition 1
• format fs=exFAT quick (You can replace exFAT with other file systems you want.)

Fix 2. Erase data from SD cards using Disk Management

Additionally, Disk Management also helps you format your SD card and remove all data. Here’s how to do that:

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

Step 2. Type diskmgmt.msc and press the Enter key to launch Disk Management.

Step 3. Locate the SD card and right-click it. Then choose Format.

Step 4. In the dialogue, set the SD card file system as needed. If you like, you can add a volume label to this SD card.

Step 5. Click OK to save your changes. Then the SD card file system will be formatted, and all data will be erased.

Conclusion

Erasing SD card data is often necessary in many situations. This post explains how to wipe an SD card on Windows 11 and 10 PCs. Compared to other methods, AOMEI Partition Assistant stands out for its ability to securely wipe an SD card for free, ensuring the data cannot be recovered by others. Moreover, this professional software offers a wealth of features to simplify PC disk partition management, including disk cloning, free space allocation, and partition formatting.