After inserting the SD card into your Lenovo laptop card reader, if it does not show up in the File Explorer, it doesn’t always mean the card reader is faulty.
There are often simple solutions to get the card reader on your Lenovo laptop working again!
FIRST: Confirm SD Card if OK
Confirm whether the SD card is faulty or not. To do that, try inserting it into a different computer and see if it works there.
If the SD card is not recognized on the other computer either, the issue lies with the SD card itself, rather than the SD card reader on your Lenovo laptop.
If the card works on another computer without any issues, enable the card reader in Windows settings and BIOS, change the drive letter, and updating the card reader drivers.
Check BIOS
Is the card reader enabled in your Lenovo laptop BIOS? Not sure? Here’s how to confirm it:
- First, restart your laptop.
- On the Lenovo logo screen, press F1 key on the keyboard to enter BIOS.
- Go to Security tab, and select I/O Port Access option. See the screenshot below:
- Select the Memory Card Slot option and make sure it is enabled.
- If it is disabled, select it and press Enter on keyboard and then select Enable option.
Enable Card Reader in Windows
If you have recently installed a Windows update on your Lenovo laptop or installed any application such as Antivirus, chances are it may have disabled the card reader.
To confirm that, open Device Manager.
Not sure how to open Device Manager? Press Windows + R keys on the keyboard to open Run Dialog box. Type devmgmt.msc and press Enter. This will open device manager.
Expand SD Card or Smart card readers and right-click on card reader there. Make sure it is enabled there. See the screenshot below:
If you see the Enable option in the context menu, it means it was disabled.
Change Drive Letter
If you have multiple hard drives on your Lenovo laptop, chances are that drive letter conflict might be preventing the SD card reading from not working or showing up in File Explorer.
Here’s how to change the drive letter for the SD card:
- Open Disk Management from the Windows start menu.
- Right-click on the SD card there and click on Change Drive Letter and Paths option.
- Click on Change… option.
- Next, assign the SD card reader a new drive letter and then click on OK. Make sure this drive letter is not used by any other drive or media. See the screenshot below:
Update SD Card Reader Driver
Here’s how to update your card reader drivers in Windows:
- Open Device Manager.
You can either open it by typing devmgmt.msc command in Windows Run or from Control Panel.
- Expand SD Card or Smart card readers and right-click on card reader there.
- Select Update driver option.
- Select Search automatically for the driver option.
- Once the drivers are updated, restart your laptop.
When your Lenovo laptop is not reading SD card, first clean your card reader and make sure it is enabled in laptop’s BIOS and in the Device Manager.
If that does not work, try changing the drive letter and updating your Lenovo laptop SD card reader driver.
If you have any questions about this guide, feel free to ask me!
