Full Solutions for Cannot Delete Pictures from SD Card [2024]

"Why cannot delete pictures from SD card in Windows 10? I tried to remove the old photos to get more storage. However, something wrong and I failed".

It’s not the only case people can’t delete photos from an SD card in Windows 11/10. People also asked frequently "can’t delete pictures from SD card in Android", "deleted files come back on SD card can’t delete or format it", "how to delete photos from SD card on canon camera", etc. Actually, before we get down to exploring the reasons for can’t delete photos on SD card, we should make clear whether we have used the right way to delete pictures from SD card.

Quick Navigation

Part 1. Why Can’t I Delete Photos from My SD Card?

Part 2. Simple Steps for How to Deleted Pictures from SD Card

Part 3. Format SD Card to Delete Photos Quickly

Part 4. Permanently Delete Photos on SD Card

Part 1. Why Can’t I Delete Photos from My SD Card?

There are many reasons cause the issue of "photos won't delete from SD card". If you have the issue, you can try the above-mentioned ways or take a look at the following reasons and solutions.

Reason #1. The SD card is read-only

Please check out whether your SD card adaptor is locked or not (displayed like the images below). Only with the SD card adaptor unlocked, you can make changes to the SD card, namely delete or move photos and files on the SD card.

Reason #2. The SD card write protection is enabled

The whole SD card or a specified folder or file can be write-protected, namely you can’t make any changes to it, including you can’t delete photos from the SD card. In this case, to solve the problem, you need to disable the write protection of the SD card.

1. Connect the SD card with your computer
2. Press the Windows and R buttons at the same time to run the search box. Type cmd in the search box and press Enter.
3. Type the commands as follows and press the Enter button.
• dispart
• List disk
• Select disk 1 (1 represents the SD card drive)
• Attributes disk clear read-only

After then, you can try to delete photos from the SD card, checking whether it works or not.

Reason #3. The SD Card is corrupted

If you cannot delete pictures on SD card, then sometimes it is because of the SD card corruption. In this case, you should run CHKDSK to fix the corruption before any deletion.

1. Press the Windows and R buttons at the same time.
2. Type in cmd in the search box and press Enter.
3. Type in chkdsk e:/f and press Enter. (e represents the SD card drive letter)
4. Type in exit and close the window

Part 2. Simple Steps for How to Deleted Pictures from SD Card

Whether your SD card is for Android phones or cameras, the right and efficient way to delete photos on it is doing to the deletion on a computer. By that, you can view the photos clearly and do the deletion in bulk, and prevent deleting needed photos accidentally. Here are the simple steps.

1. Connect the SD card with your computer, making sure it is detected as an external hard drive on your computer. If not, you should check out whether the SD card reader can work or not. Just make sure the SD card is in its normal status.
2. Double-click the SD card drive in File Explorer on your computer. After then select photos from the SD card and press the "Delete" button. After then, you can see all the deleted photos disappeared from the SD card. That’s it!

Part 3. Format SD Card to Delete Photos Quickly

If you can’t delete photos on SD card in part 2, then you can make formatting the SD card into consideration. You know, it could be the almighty solution for fixing issues on SD card as well as the quick way to delete files from SD card. Here are the steps for how to use Quick Format to delete photos on SD card.

1. Connect the SD card with your computer.
2. Right-click on the SD card and select "Format".
3. Confirm the format operation and let it done in a few seconds. After then, you can see everything removed from the SD card.

Part 4. Permanently Delete Photos on SD Card

In part 2 and part 3, people also see the photos deleted on the SD card can be recovered with data recovery software, like iBeesoft Data Recovery. Is there any secure way to delete photos on SD card permanently? Sure, there are specially developed software tools to delete private files on SD card. And iBeesoft File Shredder is one of them. It is able to permanently delete photos on SD card without recovery.

1. Download and install the data remover software on your computer. It’s fully compatible with almost all the Windows operating systems. It’s virus-free, feel free to use it.
2. Connect the SD card with your computer.
3. Launch the data remover software. After then, you can see "+" in the main window. Click it to select the SD card as the target drive from where to delete files. Next, you can locate the folder or file types you want to remove
4. Click "Shred" to let the software to completely erase SD card for you.