[2023] Nintendo Switch Not Reading SD Card? 5 Fixes Here!

A question from Quora:

I recently bought a micro SDXC card for my Switch, but it doesn’t recognize it. Am I doing something wrong?

Do you suffer from this problem, too? This annoying problem can randomly happen when you want to play a game after tiring work. You may receive an error message that says, “The game card could not be read.” or similar, “There is nothing inserted in the game card slot.” 

Fortunately, we had a great team of collaborators with expertise in solving Nintendo Switch not reading your SD card. This article will discuss what to do when the Nintendo Switch cannot read your SD card. And if you want to figure out how to play your interesting game as soon as possible, go ahead with this guide.

Reasons Nintendo Switch Not Reading SD Card

Multiple reasons can lead to the Nintendo Switch not being able to detect or read the SD card. Here are some common reasons.

Causes	Description
Improper connection	The SD card is not properly installed in the card slot.
Corrupted SD Card	The file system of the SD card is corrupted.
Incompatible SD Card	You are using a card that is not compatible with the Nintendo Switch, for example, you use a card with an NTES file system or a Nano memory card because Switch supports Micro SD cards only, and file systems and card sizes are limited as well.
Corrupted cache	If the Switch cache file is corrupted, the device is unable to read the card.
Physical damaged SD card	The SD card is physically damaged due to improper bending, watering, firing, or any other factors that can result in SD card damage.
Glitches and bugs	Occasionally, electronic products can have minor glitches and bugs that make the device run erratically.
Hardware Issue	A broken Switch is also a reason that Switch can not read the SD card.

Fixes on Nintendo Switch Not Reading SD Card

Apart from some simple troubleshooting, such as reinserting the SD card, and restarting the Switch to exclude sources of the causes, here are some other solutions to fix the switch not reading SD card error.

Solutions	Step by Step
Update Your Switch	Go to the system settings on the home screen > Tap the system update in the context menu… Full Steps
Reset the Cache of the Nintendo Switch	Turn on your Switch, go to the home menu, and choose System Settings > Scroll down the screen, and on the left side, choose System… Full Steps
Check the SD card compatibility	Check if the SD card is compatible with the device by viewing the signs on the body.
Format the SD card on the Nintendo Switch	Go to the system settings > Choose the Formatting options…Full Steps
Reformat the SD card on the PC	Take out your SD card from your Nintendo Switch and use a card reader to connect the card to your computer > Press the Win+R keys to open the dialog box…Full Steps

Solution 1: Update Your Switch

Technically, the Nintendo Switch will automatically download the newest system software, but sometimes things are not exactly going the way they should. There are many situations in which the Switch runs an out-of-date system due to some reasons and causes the device not to read your SD card error. In this case, you can manually check for the latest system update.

• Step 1. Go to the system settings on the home screen.

• Step 2. Choose the system update in the context menu.

• Step 3. The device will check if there are any new updates and start to download and update itself.

• Step 4. Once the system completes the update, check if your Switch can read or detect your SD card.

Solution 2: Reset the Cache of the Nintendo Switch

Due to the limited storage capacity of Nintendo Switch, some game data is stored as caches on the console. Once the accumulated caches are corrupted, the device may have trouble running the games, including reading the data of the SD card that stores your saved game histories, passwords, cookies, etc. So, reset the cache of the Nintendo Switch, delete this data, and have a chance to make the device back to normal. 

Note: This will delete saved IDs, passwords, cookies, history, and other cached website data. It will not affect the user’s downloaded games or game save data. (Nintendo Support)

• Step 1. Turn on your Switch, go to the home menu, and choose System Settings.

• Step 2. Scroll down the screen, and on the left side, choose System.

• Step 3. Scroll down to the bottom and choose Formatting Options.

• Step 4. Choose the Reset Cache option.

• Step 5. Then select Reset to confirm the warning message that says once deleted, the data can’t be recovered. Continue?

Video Tutorial: How to Clear Cache in Nintendo Switch? 

Solution 3: Check the SD card compatibility

It is important to know that SD card compatibility is a significant factor that makes the Switch run properly. You will only see an error message if you buy an incompatible card when you are ready to play the game. According to Nintendo support, there are restrictions to the device-supported SD cards. 

First, Notably, Nintendo Switch only supports micro-SD cards. The recommended formats and sizes are:

Types of supported cards	Size	Recommended speed	File system
Micro SD	up to 2 GB	UHS-I (Ultra High-Speed Phase I) is compatible, a speed of 60 – 95 MB/sec is preferred for a better experience.	FAT32 or exFAT only.
Micro SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity)	4 GB – 32 GB
Micro SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity)	64 GB – 2 TB

So, you may ask how I know what kind of card I have. I bought it randomly. See the picture below. Some signs let you know what card you have bought. 

Tips for choosing an SD card:

microSD: It is suitable only for basic storage needs. If you have a limited budget or don’t plan to store many games, a standard microSD card may be enough.

microSDHC: The relative storage space makes it suitable for moderate gaming and users who occasionally download games and updates.

microSDXC: These cards are well-suited for those who plan to have a large number of games and multimedia content.

Solution 4: Format the SD card on the Nintendo Switch

After trying these above solutions you still can not make the device read your SD card, the corrupted file system may be the reason that leads to your Switch not reading your SD card. Then you may need to format your SD card before you can use it. But before doing this you must understand this solution will delete all the data on the card.

• Step 1. Go to the system settings.

• Step 2. Choose the Formatting options.

• Step 3. Choose the Format microSD Card option.

• Step 4. Choose Continue.

• Step 5. Choose “Format” to conform to the Caution message.

Solution 5: Reformat the SD card on the PC

You should use the exFAT or FAT32 file format of the SD card on the Nintendo Switch. However, if you use the exFAT file system, you should upgrade your Switch and download the related driver. So, the best way is to use FAT32. If you’re not right in the file format, or the card file system is corrupted, you can format the card into FAT32 on your PC. 

• Step 1. Take out your SD card from your Nintendo Switch and use a card reader to connect the card to your computer.

• Step 2. Press the Win+R keys to open the dialog box.

• Step 3. Input diskmgmt.msc to open Device Management.

• Step 4. Right-click your SD card volume > select Format.

• Step 5. In the File System section, select FAT32, and click OK.

• Step 6. Reinsert the card into your Switch console to see if the problem is fixed.

Send Your Switch for Repair

If you still face problems with Switch not reading your SD card after trying all these solutions. Something may likely be wrong with the hardware issue with the Nintendo Switch console. You may face issues such as the game card reader being faulty, the reader pins being damaged, or any other issues. These potential issues may require the opening of the device. Thus, you need to find a professional. You can seek help in a local Nintendo Switch shop or a mail-in repair service. Just contact Nintendo Support.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to insert/remove microSD cards on the switch?

On Nintendo Switch,

1. Power off the Nintendo Switch.

2. Swe the stand to show the slot.

3. Take out the SD card.

Can I use multiple microSD cards on the device?

Nintendo Switch recommends using a single SD card that is compliant with UHS-I (Ultra High-Speed Phase I), with a speed of 60 to 95 MB/s is preferred, and better not to use multiple cards on the device in case there will be conflicts.

What happens if I take out the SD card while the Switch is on?

You will be asked to restart the system if you take out the SD card while the Nintendo Switch is turned on.

Can I move data from the system to a microSD card?

Yes. Data like screenshots, captured gameplay videos, game caches, etc. can be stored on SD cards. But when you insert the SD card into the console, the card will become the default save location for you to download games. If you want to move the old data from the system memory to the SD card:

1. Go to the system settings. 

2. Choose Move Data Between System/microSD Card.

3. Select Move to a micro SD card to transfer the data from the system memory to the micro SD card.

Wrap up

The Nintendo Switch not reading the SD card error is frustrating when you want to play a game. In this article, we have discussed the reasons that may cause this error: compatibility issues, connection issues, hardware issues, card issues, etc. We have given you solutions to fix this error. Hope they will be helpful. If you sadly discover your game data has been lost after these problems you can also check to recover your SD card data back.