Why Camera Says Memory Card is Locked

"When I try to access pictures stored on the memory card of my camera, I got a message saying "Memory card is locked". What to do under such insatnces? How to fix this issue? Is it possible to recover files from my memory card?"

Some memory cards have a tiny little tab on the left side edge. When this tab is in the LOCK position, a sensor switch in the camera tells the camera that the card should not be written to, i.e. the card is locked. So to resolve camera saying memory card is locked issue, try these troubleshooting tips…

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  • Remove the SD card from the camera. Check the position of the locking tab and make sure it is not in the LOCK position. Then re-insert the card, and try again. If you are positively sure that the locking tab is not in the LOCK position, and the camera continues to tell you the card is locked, the camera's sensor switch might be stuck
  • Sometimes, the locking tab pops out of its notch and goes missing. If you see the notch where the locking tab should be, but the locking tab itself is absent, you can tape over the notch with a tiny piece of thin adhesive tape. Be careful, if this is not done cleanly or the tape is too thick, the SD card might get stuck in the slot and you'll have difficulty getting it to eject
  • Releasing and inserting the card a few times, may sometimes clear the problem
  • As an another alternative, you can give the SD card slot a blast of compressed air from a can. But be careful because the air from the can might cool down the card slot to the point of causing condensation, so wait a while before turning the camera on again

If still camera is refusing to unlock memory card and stopping you to access its data, then chances are there that the memory card is corrupt or damaged. Under such circumstances, to resolve camera saying memory card is locked issue and then recover data from that memory card, you’ll need a professional photo recovery software.

Recovering files from camera saying the memory card is locked

With th use of YupTools Deleted Photo Recovery Software, one can safely retrieve files from locked memory card on Windows computer with utmost ease. This tool works on read-only mode to restore pictures, audios, videos, RAW images and other different file types from locked or corrupted card. Additionally, this tool can get back deleted as well as lost media files. It has the ability to restore files from SD card, CF, SDHC, micro SD, SDXC, mini SD, MMC, SM, XQD and many other flash memory cards on Windows computer. It even ensures media file recovery from internal hard drive, USB drive, external hard disk, SSD, etc. storage components formatted with FAT and NTFS file systems. It works effortlessly on various Windows OS based PCs and laptops like Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2012.

Steps to recover data after Camera says memory card is locked issue

In order to recover pictures and other media files stored on memory card that has lock issues, follow these simple guidelines:

  • Connect your memory card to computer via a card reader
  • Download YupTools Deleted Photo Recovery Software to that computer
  • Install the downloaded program and launch it
  • In main window, two options get displayed, ‘Deleted Photo Recovery’ and ‘Lost Photo Recovery
  • Click on the ‘Lost Photo Recovery’ option and proceed next
  • Software shows a list of drives present on the system, select the drive representing locked memory card
  • Proceeding next, you can choose file types that you prefer to recover; else skip the step
  • Now, software scans locked card and comes up with the results
  • View recovered files in ‘Data view’ or ‘File Type view
  • At last, Preview and save all your necessary files to new destination location on system drive

There are various reasons due to which your memory card may get corrupt whihc then leads to the error - camera saying memory card is locked. In order to get rid of memory card corruption issue, you'll have to keep these tips in your mind.

  • Do not forget to back up meory card data in another storage device
  • Scan your memory card regularly with an updated anti-virus app
  • Do not eject micro SD card when read/write operation is going on the card

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