It’s so unpleasant when you have this kind of situation when you are ready to capture the amazing scenery. A lot of Mavic air pilots were asking about this DJI Mavic air not recognizing sd card problem throughout the DJI forums and the internet. So As always I started researching the issue and solution on the internet and discussed it with experienced pilots who also had this kind of situation.
When I researched this issue, I found that in most cases users face this issue not because of the Mavic Air, but because of the SD card itself. Also, there are some cases where drones also can cause problems. So we have to pay attention to both of them.
Why does DJI Mavic air not recognize sd card?
In most cases, DJI Mavic air won’t recognize the sd card because of using incompatible SD cards and other sd card issues. Also, some DJI Mavic air users also report that they face this issue because of firmware glitches or inconsistent firmware.
Reason 1: Firmware glitches or inconsistent firmware
First, let’s talk about reasons that occur from the drone side. Usually, there are not that many things that cause the issue from the drone. The main reason is the firmware glitches or inconsistent firmware. But the surprise is most users were able to fix the issue just by fixing firmware glitches by updating or reverting the firmware version.
Reason 2: Incompatible SD card.
For DJI Mavic Air you need to use an micro SD card with a class 10 or UHS-1 rating. Other SD cards and third party micro SD cards won’t function or be recognized by the Mavic Air.
Reason 3: Physically damaged SD card
Ejecting the sd card and keeping them in place carelessly could bring about physical damage to your memory card. In these situations, you would be able to recover some file partitions from your card but not sure about using the sd card back.
Reason 4: Grease on contacts
When I’m talking about sd card issues, I’m not only concerned about the software of the sdcard. Physical barriers to contact of the sd card also can lead to this problem. If you’re ejecting them from a drone and placing them to the computer regularly, finger grease and dust, and dirt will come into contact with the gold or metallic contact pads on the microSD card.
Over time this grease can build up and cause intermittent contact issues with the metallic pads on the card reader or in the drone.
How to fix DJI Mavic air not recognizing sd card issue.
Step 1: Make sure you are using a compatible SD card.
Make sure to use an SD card with a class 10 or UHS-1 rating. Also below is the list of recommended SD cards for DJI Mavic Air.
- Sandisk Extreme 16GB
- Kingston 16GB SDHC-I SDCAC/16GB
- Sandisk Extreme V30 32GB
- Sandisk Extreme V30 A1 32GB/64GB/128GB
- Sandisk Extreme V30 Pro A1 32GB/64GB
- Sandisk Extreme Plus V30 A1 128GB
Step 2: Inspect the SD card.
- Use a microfibre towel and remove a small amount of grease that builds up on metallic contact.
- If you are noticing a significant amount of corrosion, grease, grime, or other buildups I recommend that you back up your data as quickly as possible and simply purchase or try with another microSD card.
Step 3: Update the Mavic Air firmware to the latest.
Inconsistent firmware could cause different kinds of issues like this. So always make sure to keep it updated. That simple step will keep your Mavic air free from those annoying problems.
- Download and install the DJI Assistant 2 application to the PC.
- Open DJI Assistant 2 application.
- Then connect the DJI Mavic Air aircraft to the PC using the USB cable and power it on.
- Then click on the DJI Mavic Air box that popped on the screen.
- Enter your DJI account connected to the DJI Mavic Air information and log in to the account.
- Then in the “Firmware Update” panel
- Click on the “Upgrade” or “Refresh” button in front of the latest firmware. Or if you decide to downgrade to a recent firmware click on the “Downgrade” button in front of the recent firmware
- Then click “Start Update”.
- Wait until the firmware is completely downloaded and installed.
- Once the aircraft is updated, unplug from the PC and restart the aircraft.
- Follow the same steps connecting the RC and update its firmware too.
Step 4: Format the sd card
This step would help you if you are having a problem because of an sd card issue. Formatting the sd card creates an empty file system and permanently deletes all data on it then it can be reused for new purposes or use a different file system. If you had an invalid file system, formatting the sd card would create the proper file system again in the sd card.
- Use the SD card adaptor and connect the SD card to your computer.
- Open the File Explorer and Click on “This PC” from the left-side panel.
- You should be able to see your SD card listed as a device. Right-click on it, then choose “Format.”
- A new window should become visible on the screen. Here, you can choose your desired file system
- Click on the “Start” button to start the formatting process.
- Then wait until the process is done.
Step 5: Repair corrupt SD card using Command Prompt
There is some software that can repair a corrupt SD card. You can also repair corrupt SD cards by using the command prompt on your PC.
- To do this, connect your corrupted SD card to your computer (using SD card adapter) and get the sd card drive letter by simply going to “This PC”.
- Click the Windows icon and type “cmd.” Then, right-click on the command prompt and accept to run it as administrator. Then type “chkdsk” in the window and end it with the drive letter of your SD card. For example, if your card’s drive letter is ‘f’, you’ll type “chkdsk F.” in the window.
- Wait until the process ends which may take some time. The chkdsk (Check Disk) command will scan your memory card for issues and then fix those issues. After the process ends, your SD card should be fixed and ready to go.
