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How to fix the micro SD card not working on Steam Deck?

I just received my new micro SD card and put it into my Steam Deck. But to my surprise, there's nothing hapenning. Do I need to make it a specific format first or is it likely I've got a broken one?

Best Answered by

iBoysoft author Jenny Zeng

Jenny Zeng

Answered on Wednesday, November 22, 2023

A new micro SD card needs to be formatted to work on Steam Deck.

You can follow these steps to format your SD card in Desktop Mode:

  1. Install the micro SD card to the slot with the word side at the top.
  2. You should see a micro SD card icon at the top-right corner of your screen.
  3. Highlight it to enter Settings.
  4. Scroll down to the System tab.
  5. Click "Check For Updates" and install any updates available to your device.
  6. Click the Format button near "Format SD Card."
  7. Wait for the SD card to be formatted. 

Don't remove the SD card in the middle even if it takes a long time. Otherwise, you might do serious damage to your SD card.

If your micro SD card still won't work after being formatted, try the following sequence to fix it:

  1. Turn your Steam Deck off.
  2. Remove the SD card.
  3. Turn your Steam Deck on.
  4. Let it load the game mode as usual.
  5. Put the card back into your device.

Also read:

How to Format SD Card Without Losing Data?

[Free] How to Recover Formatted SD Card on Windows & Mac?

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