Why is my SD card not detected on Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus and how to fix it? [Troubleshooting Guide]

This context highlights a few possible solutions and suggested workarounds to fix an SD card issue on the new Samsung Galaxy S9+ in which the device is unable to detect the SD card. Read on and find out what to do if ever you’ll encounter the same scenario with this new Samsung handset.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ support and use microSD cards up to 400GB in capacity. Some memory cards may not be fully compatible with the device depending on the memory card manufacturer and type.  If the SD card you are having trouble with is a new one, then verify and ensure it’s compatible with your device. Using an incompatible card may cause damage to your device or memory card itself. You can check on complete specifications of the Galaxy S9+ on Samsung’s official website. If you’ve met all these memory card requisites but still your Galaxy S9+ cannot detect your SD card, then you may try these subsequent workarounds and troubleshoot the problem on your end.

Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our Galaxy S9 Plus troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit.

First solution: Restart your phone.

The simplest possible solution to device errors triggered by minor software glitches is a soft reset or device reboot. Assuming that a software glitch is hindering your phone from detecting or reading the SD card, a device restart will likely fixt it. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Press the Power button for a few seconds until the menu appears on the screen.
  2. Select Power off from the menu options.
  3. Then tap OK. Your phone will then shut down.
  4. After 30 seconds, press the Power button again until your phone powers on.

Alternatively, you can do a forced restart. Similar to a soft reset, a forced restart helps rectify minor issues triggered by random software glitches. Here’s how:

Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for up to 45 seconds or until the phone power cycles.

Both soft reset and forced restart won’t affect any of your data stored on the internal memory of your phone, thus there’s no need to worry about data loss in either procedures.

Second solution: Unmount then remove microSD card.

It is recommended to unmount your SD card before you remove it from your device to prevent data corruption. To unmount the microSD card on your Galaxy S9+, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Settings menu.
  2. Search for and select Storage.
  3. Touch More Options.
  4. Select Storage settings.
  5. Touch Unmount.

Wait until the unmounting is finished then you can remove the SIM and microSD card from the tray. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Insert the ejector tool into the tiny hole on the SIM/microSD card tray.
  2. Then gently push until the tray pops out.
  3. Remove the SIM card and microSD card from the tray.
  4. Check and ensure the card is clean and has no visible signs of damage like scratches.
  5. Place the SIM card and microSD card back into the tray. Make sure both cards are properly positioned.
  6. Insert the tray back into the slot.

Turn on your phone then see if it is now able to detect your microSD card.

Third solution: Mount and unmount your microSD card.

There are times when some of your SD card files and data segments are crashing or get corrupted. When this happens, the SD card reading function on your phone will likely be affected. And this is when you will encounter troubles like your phone unable to detect the SD card. Unmounting and mounting the SD card on your device is usually the simplest remedy. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Go to the Home screen.
  2. Open the Apps tray.
  3. Touch Settings.
  4. Scroll to and tap Storage.
  5. Touch to select SD card.
  6. Tap Unmount.

Restart your phone then go back to the Home screen and follow these steps to mount your SD card again.

Open the Apps tray then head over to Settings-> Storage-> SD card, then at this point, select the option to Mount SD card.

Typically, the SD card will be recognized promptly but if that isn’t the case, try to reboot your phone (soft reset).

Fourth solution: Format your microSD card.

The last possible solution to consider if your SD card remains undetected or not recognized by your Samsung Galaxy S9+ is a reformat. Formatting the SD card deletes all data and files stored in it. So don’t forget to move these files to your computer for backup purposes. Once you’ve got everything ready, follow these steps to format microSD card on your phone:

  1. Go to the Home screen.
  2. Open the Apps tray.
  3. Touch Settings.
  4. Scroll to and tap Storage.
  5. Touch to select SD card.
  6. Select Format from the given options.

Wait until the SD card formatting is complete. When it’s done, all your data stored on the SD card will be erased making it clean and empty.

Just note though that frequent writing and erasing of data can shorten the lifespan of your memory card. That said, reformat your SD card only when it’s really necessary.

You can verify and check the memory card’s file directory to see if everything is cleared. To access this directory on your phone, simply go to My Files-> SD card folder.

Other suggestions

  • Test the SD card with your other smartphones. If it works on your other device, then it means a possible software issue on your Galaxy S9. In that case, try to run your device in safe mode then insert your microSD card.
  • Test the SD card on your computer. To rule out the possibility that your microSD card is busted, try to insert it in your computer and see if it’s able to read your card. If you find success in this workaround, it’s possible that the SD card is just not compatible with your Galaxy S9+ and so you’ll need to replace it.

If your microSD card remains not detected on all your devices, then it’s most likely busted. In this case, get a new microSD card that is compatible with your Galaxy S9+ and then try to see if it’s working as intended. If you aren’t sure of which microSD cards are compatible with your Samsung Galaxy S9+, you may visit the Samsung Support website for more details. Otherwise, contact Samsung Support

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