The error, memory card is not accessible, is common when they insert their cards into digital cameras. This error will prevent you from taking pictures or checking files. To help you resolve this issue, MiniTool will provide useful workarounds in the following content.
Although today seems to be the world of a cell phone camera, many people are still more inclined to use a digital camera since their pursuit of photo quality is getting higher and higher. Among the wide variety of digital camera brands, Canon always has a place; it is no exaggeration to say that Canon has gradually become the industry benchmark.
However, numerous Canon camera users have reported a problem – camera says card cannot be accessed. Do not be frustrated when you face the problem. The memory card, as a type of storage device, is more fragile than a common hard drive. But we still have methods to recover files from it and fix the problem.
Face the Problem – Camera Says Card Cannot Be Accessed
Card cannot be accessed. Reinsert/change the card or format card with the camera.
Really this is The Worst Message any Photographer could have! First, I own Canon T4i/650D, I was photographing a concert and suddenly this message appeared on the screen, and memory card cannot be read! I tried to insert my SDHC memory in the laptop to check the all-day images I photographed, but I was shocked that all my files are gone as it asks me to format the memory on the laptop too! Imaging how all your daily photos can be deleted without any warnings! I have this memory card: Dane-Elec Pro 8GB 200x Class 10 SDHC Memory Card It's Working well most of the time, but this message appears suddenly after a long period of photographing ... I really need your help, is it memory problem, or the card slot pins in my canon T4i. Share your experience 🙂 Sorry for my bad English... Thanks in Advance, Amro.answers.microsoft
Amro Ashraf said in the post that he saw “The Worst Message any Photographer could have” – the card cannot be accessed. All his files are gone and the camera asks him to format the memory card. At this critical moment, he should stop operating the camera and say no to the formatting request unless the files on that memory card are not useful. In the meantime, he ought to find a powerful tool to help him with SD card recovery.
Why Your Card Cannot Be Accessed
Two main reasons should be responsible for the Camera says card cannot be accessed error: one is a corrupted memory card and the other is card reader failure. To figure out the issue, you can change to another card reader to see whether the error still exists. If yes, you should connect the card to a computer for further analysis and recovery.
Find the Solution – Complete Memory Card Recovery Easily
I highly suggest you do a camera card recovery from the card to avoid data loss during the fixing error process. How to rescue files from the inaccessible card? MiniTool Power Data Recovery helps you.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery, the best free data recovery software for Windows, provides a secure data recovery service to you. It is able to recover files from various data storage devices, like inaccessible cards, formatted hard drives, corrupted USB drives, and so on.
Additionally, this software supports you to restore types of files, including photos, documents, videos, archives, audio, etc. You can preview these files before saving them to ensure the accuracy of recovery. The free edition of this software allows you to deep scan the drive and restore no more than 1GB of files. You can try the free edition first, then get the full edition if needed.
Camera SD Card Recovery – A Detailed Tutorial
Step 1: Download and install MiniTool Power Data Recovery on your computer.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2: Insert your card into a card reader and connect to the computer. Then you can launch the software.
Step 3: Select the corresponding partition on the Logical Drives section, then click on the Scan button. You can turn to the Devices tab to scan the whole disk directly as well, but it will take a longer time to finish the scan process.
Step 4: Wait for the process to finish. You can expand different folder paths to find your wanted files.
There might be millions of files on the result page. To help you find targeted files efficiently, you can utilize some functional features:
- Filter: This feature is useful in narrowing down the file list by setting conditions including file size, file type, file category, and date modified.
- Type: This function divides files based on their types. You can choose to only find certain types of files using this feature.
- Search: You can type full or part of the name of your wanted file in the search box. The result page will show you the best-matched result. Then, you can check whether it is the correct one.
Step 5: Add checkmarks to the files you decide to restore, then click on the Save button.
Step 6: Choose a proper storage path in the popup window, then click OK to confirm.
Please do not save the files to the original path. Otherwise, the data may be overwritten leading to data recovery failure.
Repair the Card – Some Practical Methods for You
Fix Card Cannot Be Accessed Error
When the “memory card cannot be accessed error” shows up on Canon cameras or other devices, you won’t be able to continue taking photos or viewing them. How to fix the camera memory card? The methods and steps are shown below.
Format the Card in the Camera
Step 1: Make sure the SD card has been inserted properly into your camera, and your camera has enough power to avoid shutdown because of insufficient power during the format process.
Step 2: Turn on the camera, then select the Menu or Preference button on your camera.
Step 3: Press the Multi-controller to navigate to the Camera Settings menu.
Step 4: Look for the Format or Format card option and click on it.
Step 5: Click OK to confirm the action.
All the data on the card will be erased after formatting. Please wait for the formatting process to end. Then, you can check if the error is fixed.
Format the Card in Computer – 4 Choices
You can also choose to format the card on your computer. In this section, I will introduce you to four methods to format your card. You can try these methods with the following guide.
Method 1: Format with MiniTool Partition Wizard
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a multifunctional tool that can help you manage your partitions easily and safely. Compared with Disk Management, the Windows built-in partition management tool, MiniTool Partition Wizard is more friendly to the novice because it gives a chance to undo the order.
This tool is able to merge, resize, and split partitions. Besides, you can use it to format devices, convert MBR to GPT, copy disk, and so on. Please format the card with the following steps.
Step 1: Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard.
MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2: Connect the card to your computer and run the software.
Step 3: Select the disk from the interface, then choose Format Partition from the left pane.
Step 4: Set Partition Label and File System according to your requirements and click OK to save the changes.
Step 5: Then, click Apply on the left bottom of the interface. If you have set the wrong information, you can choose Undo to revoke the change and set it again.
Step 6: Click Yes in the following window to apply the pending changes.
Wait for the process to finish. Then, your memory card has been completely formatted.
Method 2: Format in File Explorer
File Explorer is a resource management tool provided by the Windows system. You can use it to view and manage all the resources of the computer.
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer and press Win + E to open File Explorer.
Step 2: Choose This PC from the left pane and select the target drive.
Step 3: Right-click on the drive and choose Format from the context menu.
Step 4: Type the Volume label and select File system in the popup window, then check the Quick Format choice in the Format options section.
Step 5: Click Start to begin the format process.
Method 3: Format in Disk Management.
Disk Management is a system utility in the Windows system. You can use it to change drive letter, format disk, extend volume, shrink partition, and so on. But you should be careful when you make changes in Disk Management. The changes will apply directly to your system once you confirm. Any wrong settings may cause the operating system to be corrupted.
Step 1: Connect the card to the computer.
Step 2: Press Win + X and select Disk Management from the WinX menu.
Step 3: Find the disk and right-click on it.
Step 4: Select Format from the context menu.
Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions to finish formatting.
Method 4: Format in Command Prompt
Command Prompt, also known as CMD, is the command-line interpreter for the Windows system. You can use it to perform various command lines to resolve Windows issues or change system settings. Thus, you can also run a command line to format drives.
Step 1: Connect the card to the computer and make sure it appears in Disk Management.
Step 2: Press Win + R to open the Run window.
Step 3: Type cmd into the text box and press Shift + Ctrl + Enter to run the Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 4: Type the following command lines and hit Enter after each command.
- Diskpart
- List disk
- Select disk x (Please replace x with the drive letter of the target drive.)
- Clean
- Create partition primary
- Format fs=* (* is the file system you want the card to be formatted with. You should choose the file system that is compatible with the camera.)
- Assign letter=x (x refers to the drive letter you want to assign to the card.)
- Exit
Draw a Conclusion – Camera Card Recovery Is Not Difficult
When you face the error – camera says card cannot be accessed, you can refer to this post to find solutions. But to ensure the security of your photos in the camera, please rescue them first. MiniTool Power Data Recovery can be your best helper.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
If you have any problem with using this data recovery software, please contact us via [email protected].
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Andrea graduated in English and has a keen interest in the IT industry and questions that arise when computers are used. She is passionate about new things and challenging things and has a wide range of interests like playing guitar, gaming, and crafting.