How to Fix SD Card Deleting Files by Itself?

While an SD card is one of the most used external storage options for digital devices, it also comes in handy to transfer your precious data between devices. From its humble beginning of a few MBs capacity, these days you can easily find SD cards ranging from a few GBs to hundreds of GB. That is why most users rely on SD cards to extend their storage space on smartphones and cameras.

However, just like any other storage disks, SD cards also tend to face numerous errors and issues. But by far, the most annoying error to encounter is the SD card deleting files by itself. Often, this error goes unnoticed until you pay attention to the missing files in your SD card. For instance, you transfer your photos or videos to an SD card. Later, when you try to access it, the media is not available or visible.

If you are also struggling to fix SD card deleting files by itself issue, read along the article for simple solutions with easy steps. The article also provides different reasons why SD card deleting files by itself error, to better analyze and apply the right solution.

Part 1: What Are the Reasons For SD Card Deleting Files by Itself?

Some of the typical reasons why an SD card keeps deleting files by itself error:

1. Physical Damage: Sometimes, if there is any physical hardware damage to the SD card, it might malfunction and randomly delete files by itself. These physical damages can be due to human error, for example, keeping the SD card in a wet or dusty environment.
2. Software Bugs: Software issues can arise as a result of a sudden power outage or ejecting storage from a PC without following the recommended ejection protocol. If a USB storage device was removed unsafely from the device or system, it will get corrupted and result in malfunction.
3. Manufacturer Defect: An SD card with a manufacturer defect could fail and delete files on its own. Additionally, regular wear and tear might cause an SD card to break down.
4. Virus Infection: When an SD card is infected with a virus or malware, the infection tends to corrupt or delete random files from the card.
5. Corrupt File System: Often, SD card tends to encounter file system error due to prolong usage. This can also result in inaccessible files, making it seem like accidental deletion of the files.
6. Incomplete File Transfer: If your file transfer to your SD card was interrupted due to various reasons, such as sudden system shutdown, it might also result in the deletion of the files.

Part 2: How to Recover Deleted Files From SD Card

Before we go to the solutions part to fix the SD card keeps deleting files by itself issue, let us focus on the part to recover the deleted files. To achieve this, you can use the most reliable data recovery tool, Recoverit - Data Recovery. This easy-to-use data recovery application is available for both Windows and Mac systems and can help you recover your deleted files in simple steps.

Follow the below steps to recover data from a RAW memory card with an invalid directory name error using the Recoverit application:

Step 1: First, download and install Recoverit on your computer.

Step 2: Connect your corrupt memory card to your computer using a card reader.

Step 3: Launch the application and select the “SD Card” option on the left side panel on the main screen.

Step 4: The app will automatically detect the connected memory card and display it. Click on the “Scan” button to begin the process.

Step 5: Wait for the app to fully scan the memory card and display all the recoverable files.

Step 6: You can preview the recoverable files you want to retrieve and click on the “Recover” button to save them to your preferred location. Make sure to save the recovered files to another location than the original.

Part 3: How to Fix SD Card Deleting Files By Itself Issue

Now that you know the reasons behind the SD card wiped itself issues and recover the deleted files using Recoverit. Let us move on to the fixing part, which includes some easy fixes and some little technical steps.

Here are the following solutions to fix SD card that keeps deleting files on Android:

# Fix 1: Remove and Re-insert the SD Card

A loose connection between the SD card and the slot might create many kinds of complications. It is also possible that the SD card was not correctly aligned or placed into the slot, preventing it from reading properly. If the SD card is not properly read, files may not be accessible. To resolve these issues, consider removing and re-inserting the SD card to ensure that it is properly inserted into the slot.

Here are steps to remove and re-insert SD card into your device:

Step 1: Turn off your device first, then remove the SD card from your phone safely.

Step 2: Check if any dust or particles are hindering the SD card slot and clean the area.

Step 3: Give it ten seconds and insert the SD card back into the card slot of your device again.

Step 4: Turn off your device and check if you can access the SD card without any error.

Step 5: If the issue is not resolved, then repeat the above steps a couple more times to check if the card works properly.

While this method can help with connection issues, it is important not to overuse it, since repeated removal and insertion can damage the card or the SD card slot.

# Fix 2: Using CHKDSK on CMD to Fix Bad Sectors

If you are figuring out How to stop SD card deleting files by itself on PC, then you can use the CHKDSK to solve files disappearing from SD card error. This Windows check disk utility can easily scan for any bad sectors on your SD card and repair any errors found.

Follow the below steps to solve the SD card unsupported file system issue using the CHKDSK feature:

Step 1: First, connect the SD card to your computer using the card reader.

Step 2: Next, search for “Command Prompt” from the “Start” menu on your Windows PC.

Step 3: From the search result, right-click on the “Command Prompt” and select the “Run as Administrator” option.

Step 4: On the “Command Prompt” window, enter the “chkdsk X: /f” command and press the “Enter” key. Make sure to replace the “X” letter in the command with the SD card drive letter from the File Explorer.

Step 5: Wait until the process is over and exit from the command prompt.

This method allows you to rectify any storage disk errors and file system corruption. Once these two are fixed, your SD card will stop deleting files itself.

# Fix 3: Re-format the SD Card

Another easy fix to resolve SD card deleting files by itself Android issue is by re-formatting it. It will set up a new file system that is compatible with your system while cleaning all data stored within.

Here are the following steps to fix SD card that keeps deleting files on Android errors by formatting the SD card:

Step 1: Connect your SD card to your computer via a card reader.

Step 2: Click on the “Start” menu and open the “File Explorer” to select the “This PC” option from the left.

Step 3: Right-click on the SD card drive and select the “Format” option from the drop-down menu.

Step 4: Next, on the format window, select the file system to the “FAT32 (default)” option for the best compatibility. Also, uncheck the “Quick format” option and click on the “Start” button.

Step 5: Wait for the formatting process to complete. It will change the file system and erase all the data inside while allowing for overwriting of the files.

# Fix 4: Using DISKPART to Clean the SD Card

To fix deleted files from SD card but still full error, you can use the DiskPart feature on Windows to clean the SD card. However, after using the clean all command with the Diskpart, it will erase all the partition and volume formatting from your SD card along with all the data inside.

Follow the below steps to fix SD card keeps deleting files by itself using CMD commands:

Step 1: First, click on the “Start” menu and enter “Command prompt” in the search box. Press the “Enter” key.

Step 2: Right-click on the “Command Prompt” option from the search result and select the “Run as Administrator” option.

Step 3: On the “Command Prompt” window, enter the “Diskpart” command and press the “Enter” key.

Step 4: Next, enter the “list disk” command to display all the storage drives on the system and press “Enter”.

Step 5: Later, enter the “select disk X” command and replace the “X” letter with the SD card drive letter. Press the “Enter” key.

Step 6: Lastly, enter the “clean all” command to fix any errors and clean the SD card.

Step 5: Wait for the cleaning process to complete and exit from the command prompt after it displays the “Diskpart succeeded in cleaning the disk” message.

# Fix 5: Deleting Nomedia File

You can fix the SD card deleting files by itself Android issue by removing the .nomdeia file from the device. So, the Nomedia file is used in Android to hide multimedia content from other apps accessing it. When it is placed inside a folder, it will not allow multimedia player apps on the device to scan and index the folder for media content. However, if you forget to place it in the SD card folder, then next time when the apps fail to access files, you might assume the SD card keeps deleting files by itself.

Follow the below steps to fix SD card that keeps deleting files on the Android issue by deleting the Nomedia file:

Step 1: Open the “File Explorer” app on your Android phone and go to the “Local” storage of the phone.

Step 2: Tap on the “three-dots” menu button and select the “Settings” option.

Step 3: On the next screen, enable the “Show hidden files” toggle option.

Step 4: Next, go back to the main screen and tap on the “SD card” storage option.

Step 5: Go to the folder where you are unable to access files or find files that are deleted.

Step 6: You will find the “.nomedia” file at the top of the folder. Select the file by long-pressing it and tap on the “Delete” option to remove it.

# Fix 6: Uninstall Faulty Apps

In certain instances, malicious applications installed on your Android phone might cause problems with the SD card. These problems can include corrupting or deleting files on the SD card after malicious apps were installed. Therefore, always ensure to install only trusted apps from the Play Store with good reviews. However, to fix the SD card deleting files by itself issue, you can try to uninstall any newly installed faulty app from your Android device.

Follow the below steps to uninstall faulty apps from your Android device:

Step 1: Open the “Settings” app on your Android device and tap on the “Apps & Notification” option from the list.

Step 2: Tap on the “App info” option and select all the recently installed apps that might be faulty one by one.

Step 3: Once you open the App info of the faulty app, tap on the “Uninstall” option to remove it.

Tips & Notes: How to Avoid SD Card Deleting Files Iteself Problem

Although now you know easy solutions to fix various SD card issues, including deleting files itself, it is best to avoid the issues instead. You must protect your SD card from physical damage, corrupt file systems, and bad sectors by taking good care of it.

Here are the following simple tips to apply to prevent your SD card from errors:

• While most modern SD cards support directly removing the option from the device, it is best to turn off your device before removing it.
• Make sure to eject or disconnect your SD card from the computer after applying the “Safe to Remove” function.
• Keep your SD card in a safe and secure place, away from dust and water.
• Avoid connecting your SD card to an unknown system or device that might be infected with a virus or malware.
• Do not swap your SD card from one OS device to a different OS device. It will create a file system error with compatibility issues.
• It is important to take regular backups of your SD card in safe storage to avoid data loss in the future.

Bonus Video Tutorial: 4 Methods to Fix Corrupted SD Card

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Conclusion

For the most part, SD cards are trouble-free storage options for multiple devices that support them. It is a versatile storage disk that is compatible with smartphones, cameras, and many other digital devices to work smoothly. However, in the event of errors, such as the SD card keeps deleting files by itself, you can apply easy fixes provided in the article. But before you proceed with any of the solutions, you must use a reliable data recovery tool, such as Recoverit, to recover all the lost data.