How to fix Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card | SD card not recognized

Samsung Galaxy devices may sometimes encounter problems related to SD cards. In this post, we’ll give you the solutions that you can do if your Galaxy Note10+ is not detecting SD card or if the SD card is not recognized. Be sure to follow our suggestions below and see which one will be able to fix the trouble.

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How to fix Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card | SD card not recognized

If your Galaxy Note10+ is not detecting the SD card and you have no idea what to do, follow our suggestions below.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #1: Reseat the SD card

When dealing with any SD card-related problem, the very first thing that you want to do is temporarily disconnect the card from the device. This is often effective in fixing bugs that stem from poor SD card connection. If you haven’t tried this yet, make sure that you do it as the initial potential solution for your problem. Be sure that your Galaxy Note10+ is turned OFF to avoid corrupting the SD card or your phone’s software. 

Follow these steps to disconnect your SD card from your device.

1. Turn off your Galaxy Note10+. This is important. Removing an SD card while the device is on may result to corrupted data.
2. With your phone’s screen facing you, remove the card tray. You can use the insertion/removal tool (or a paperclip) to unlock the tray by inserting it into the provided slot. This small hole should be visible on the top part of your device.  
3. Remove the SD card from the tray. You can lift the card up from the bottom. To assist, use the opening on the opposite side of the tray to dislodge (using a fingernail).
4. Wait for a few moments to 

Remember to also re-insert the SD card while the phone is still off. 

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #2: Confirm SD card is working

The next good thing that you can do if your Galaxy Note10+ is still not detecting the SD card is to ensure that the card itself is working. If you have another phone, insert the SD card in there and see it gets recognized. Then, try to save a file or files to it to check if it does receive file transfers normally.

If you don’t have another device to use, find a computer that has an SD card receptacle or reader. Some laptops may come with a built-in SD card reader so you can use that. Your goal at this point is ensure that it’s not an SD card issue. If your SD card works on another device, that’s a clear indicator that there’s an issue with the device. Do the rest of the troubleshooting suggestions below to fix the problem.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #3: Restart device

Some SD card issues on Android devices are temporary and may be the result of minor bugs. Such bugs often go away on their own after a device has been reset. Follow the steps below on how to restart your device.

1. On your screen, tap the Recent Apps soft key (the one with three vertical lines on the left of the Home button).
2. Once the Recent Apps screen is shown, swipe left or right to look for the Instagram app. It should be here if you managed to run it previously. Then, swipe up on the app to close it. This should force close it. If it’s not there, simply tap the Close All app to also restart all apps.

Another way to force close an app is this:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap the More settings icon (three-dot icon, upper right).
4. Tap Show system apps.
5. Find and tap the messaging app.
6. Tap Force Stop.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #4: Reformat SD card

If you’ve already established the fact that the current SD card is working normally, that is, it can still save files or your device can read files from it, the next move that you want to do is to reformat it. Sometimes, an Android phone may encounter an issue when trying to read an SD card. There may not be a serious issue with the SD card or device itself but the bug may still prevent your phone from reading contents. In some of these cases, reformatting the card solves the problem. Make sure to try that. To reformat an SD card:

1. From home, tap Apps.
2. Tap Settings.
3. Tap Device maintenance.
4. Tap Storage.
5. Tap More options.
6. Tap Storage settings.
7. Tap SD card.
8. Tap Format.
9. Confirm by tapping on Format.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #5: Reset app preferences

In other similar cases, an SD card error may develop if Android is unable to use a critical default app. To ensure that all default apps are up and running, try to do these steps:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
4. Select Reset app preferences.
5. Restart your Galaxy Note10+ and check for the problem.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #6: Clear cache partition

If your Galaxy Note10+ is still not detecting the SD card at this point, the next thing that you can do is to ensure that you wipe the cache partition. This is a portion of your internal storage that keeps the system cache. Sometimes, updates or app installation may corrupt the system cache and cause problems. Fortunately, problems coming from a bad system cache can easily be fixed by simply clearing the cache partition. This will erase the system cache so the system can rebuild a new one as you use the device. If you haven’t tried this one yet, here’s how to do it:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby / Power key.
3. When the green Android logo displays, release both keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
5. Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe cache partition.’
6. Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe cache partition.’
7. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
8. Press the Power button to confirm the action to clear the cache.
9. Wait for a second as the system wipes the cache.
10. Press the Power button again to reboot the device. This will return the device to the normal interface.
11. That’s it!

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #7: Check for bad apps

Another possible reason for your problem may be a third party app. Sometimes, a third party app may interfere with Android and causes problems. To check if that’s the case, restart the phone to safe mode and see what happens. On Safe Mode, all third party apps will be suspended. So, if your Note10+ detects the SD card and works with it normally, that means one of the downloaded apps is to blame. Learn how to restart your phone to Safe Mode with these steps:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

If your SD works normally on safe mode, you must find out which of your apps is causing the trouble. To do that:

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Check for the problem.
3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
5. If your Galaxy Note10+ is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #8: Install updates

Not many Android users know that installing software and app updates can fix known bugs. Updates not only bring changes but also fixes for problems that developers discover along the way. It is for this reason that you want to make sure that your device is running the latest available software and app versions. By default, your Note10+ is set to automatically download and install updates. If you change this feature before, you can manually check for updates under Settings > Software update.

For app updates, just open the Play Store app and download any available updates.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #9: Reset all settings

Resetting all settings is like a semi factory reset. It returns all software settings to their defaults but without actually erasing apps and personal data. Make sure to do it if nothing has worked so far.

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap General Management > Reset settings.
3. Tap Reset settings.
4. If you have set up a PIN, enter it.
5. Tap Reset settings. Once complete a confirmation window will appear.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #10: Factory reset

Galaxy Note10+ i still not detecting SD card at this time, erase the device by doing a factory reset. This will wipe the phone and clear all downloaded apps. It will also revert all software settings to their defaults, effectively bring the device to its factory state. If the cause of the problem is software-related, factory reset will most likely fix it.

There are two methods to factory reset your device. Here’s each of them:

How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Note10+ via Settings Menu

1. Create a backup of your personal data and remove your Google account.
2. Open Settings app.
3. Scroll to and tap General management.
4. Tap Reset.
5. Select Factory data reset from the given options.
6. Read the information then tap Reset to continue.
7. Tap Delete All to confirm action.

How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Note10+ using hardware buttons

1. If possible, create a backup of your personal data ahead of time. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
2. Also, you want to make sure that you remove your Google account. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
3. Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
4. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby / Power key.
5. When the green Android logo displays, release both keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
6. The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
7. Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
8. Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
9. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
10. Press the Power button to confirm factory reset.
11. Follow the rest of the instructions to finish the task.

Galaxy Note10+ not detecting SD card fix #11: Repair

Although it’s rare to see Samsung Galaxy devices having hardware issues and not detecting SD cards, it’s not totally impossible. Some problems do come from hardware malfunction. If a factory reset won’t fix your issue, that’s a clear sign that there may be a deeper hardware trouble causing it. In this case, you want to get help from Samsung. They may end up doing repair or replacement.

 

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