Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5 Marshmallow vs Lollipop vs Kitkat

Edited by Leomar Umpad, fix420, Maria Quinney, fuzzballpanda and 23 others

3 Methods:
Marshmallow
Lollipop
Kitkat

Adding a memory card to your Samsung Galaxy S5 is an excellent way to extend the storage capacity of the device. With SD memory cards being as cheap as they are these days, it makes sense to toss one in your S5 so you can store more files. Knowing how to format your memory card quickly is handy in the event you pick a new one up or have to erase the data on a current one. Below we illustrate how to format the memory card on a Samsung Galaxy S5 running Marshmallow, Lollipop or Kitkat.

Method 1: Marshmallow

Please ensure you have a memory card installed on your device before attempting to format it.

  1. 1
    On the home screen, tap the "Apps" icon.
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 01m.png
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  2. 2
    From the Apps screen, tap "Settings".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 02m.png
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  3. 3
    Inside Settings, scroll down and tap, "Storage".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 03m.png
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  4. 4
    On the Storage screen, tap the little triangle in the "Portable storage" section.
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 04m.png
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  5. 5
    Tap on the SD card to mount it
    .
    A pop-up message will appear notifying you that the SD card must be mounted, tap "MOUNT".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 05m.png
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  6. 6
    Once on the SD card screen, tap "Format".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 06m.png
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  7. 7
    On the next screen, tap "FORMAT" once more to begin formatting
    .
    Once it's completed, tap "DONE".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 07m.png
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Method 2: Lollipop

Please make sure you have a memory card installed before you try to mount and format it.

  1. 1
    From the home screen, tap "Apps".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 01L.png
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  2. 2
    While on the Apps screen, tap "Settings".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 02L.png
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  3. 3
    Inside Settings, tap "MORE", then tap "Storage".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 03L.png
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  4. 4
    While on Storage, scroll down and tap, "Format SD card".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 04L.png
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  5. 5
    Near the bottom of the Storage screen, tap "FORMAT SD card", followed by "ERASE EVERYTHING".
    Format and Mount a S4's SD Memory Card 05L.png
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Method 3: Kitkat

Hi, you are watching VisiHow. Earlier we showed you how to insert and remove your memory card from the Samsung Galaxy S5 or S5 mini in the case of this phone, but they are the same thing. Now what we are going to do is show you how to format your memory card. Formatting your memory card basically, wipes out all the existing information on it. It is always a good idea to format your memory card so that it suits your phone well.

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Steps

  1. 1
    So to do that we are going to 'apps', then go to 'settings', or, we can swipe down while on the home screen and tap on 'settings' from the notification drop-down menu
    .
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas42 1.jpg
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  • 2
    What we're going to do is scroll way down until we get to the memory card option
    .
    Memory card storage is going to be under 'system'.
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas64 1.jpg
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  • 3
    We are going to tap on 'storage' one time that's going to open up a list on our phone and tell us what it's being used for
    .
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas69 7.jpg
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  • 4
    And here is our SD card, now you're not going to unmount the card that is discussed again in our other video, but what we are going to do is click on 'format SD card'
    .
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas78 7.jpg
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  • 5
    Now it's going to say "data cannot be recovered after SD card is cleared." Would you like to continue with formatting the SD card
    ?
    Yes, we would like to continue formatting the SD card press little button 'format SD card'.
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas87 7.jpg
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  • 6
    Again, it will remind us that formatting the SD card will delete all the data
    .
    Data cannot be recovered. Would you like to continue? Now data can be recovered depending on the programs and applications that you have installed on your computer, however, that is a bit of a tedious process and not something you'll easily be able to do from your phone. There are also phone applications that can help you do that, but again, that's not a process you want to do from your phone. However, in this case, it is a new memory card and I always recommend formatting a new memory card in your phone. So Let's go ahead and format that.
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas99 7.jpg
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  • 7
    'Delete all' we are going to press that button
    .
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas102 7.jpg
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  • 8
    Now it is unmounting the SD card, erasing it and once it is erased it will be remounted, OK, preparing SD card
    .
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas138 7.jpg
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  • 9
    You can see in the top left
    .
    There is a list of things going on. If you want to check on that, you can swipe down to view your notifications, OK it is updating applications for me.
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas141 8.jpg
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  • 10
    So, our SD card is ready for use now and that is all it took
    .
    Now we can press the back arrow here to go back to our storage, we can press the back button which accomplishes the same thing, or we can press the home button which will take us all the way home.
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas162 8.jpg
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  • 11
    If you are concerned that this may still be open you can tap the function button here, and we can close the play store, close the 'settings'
    .
    Now everything is closed on our phone.
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas180 8.jpg
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  • 12
    So, that's it, folks
    .
    That's how you format your SD card in your phone. The Galaxy S5 Mini and S5 are both capable of holding up to a 128GB SD card, so that is a bit of extra data. Thank you for choosing VisiHow. If you need more help with this or any other tasks with your phones, Android, Galaxy, or whatever. Just let us know and we'll make sure To get a video up for you. Thanks and have a great day.
    PREPEND-Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5.mp4~canvas189 8.jpg
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    • Video: Format the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5

    Samsung's most powerful for 2014 has arrived! Samsung Galaxy S5 is packed with one of the most powerful processors, camera, and health features. We have all the tutorials, instructions and tips on how to get the most out of your phone on this Category:All About Samsung Galaxy S5

    Samsung Galaxy S5 supports memory cards formatted on FAT and exFAT file systems. When you Insert and Remove the Memory Card on Samsung Galaxy S5 that is unsupported, your device may not be able to recognize it unless it will be reformatted into a supported format. Your device has the ability to format a supported memory card. When properly formatted, the memory card can be used to save files, applications and other data which you can easily access from your phone.

    When you try to format microSD card on your Galaxy S5 if it asking password to format, enter your alternative password which you created to log in to your phone. this will take care of this issue.

    Format the memory card on Samsung Galaxy S5

    Formatting a memory card will delete all the files stored on it and sets it to a storage type supported by your phone. If you have some data on the memory you can Transfer files from the Galaxy Note 3 to the computer and vice versa. This way, even if the data will be deleted after reset, you still have a copy stored on your computer which you can easily retrieve anytime. If you want to use your Samsung Galaxy S5 to format your memory card, then follow these procedures: register a fingerprint, do these procedures:

    1. 1
      Tap on the Back key for a few times or press the Home button once to get to your Home screen
      .
      Walakobay walakobay how to Unlock Samsung Galaxy S5's Screen Using the Fingerprint Scanner pic2.png
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    2. 2
      Once you are on Galaxy S5's Home screen, do a swiping gesture from the top-most part of the screen to the lower part of it to open the notification bar
      .
      Walakobay walakobay how to Unlock Samsung Galaxy S5's Screen Using the Fingerprint Scanner pic3.png
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    3. 3
      Once the notification bar has been opened, check for the Settings icon located on the upper-right part of your phone's screen
      .
      Tap on the Settings icon to open your phone's settings.
      Walakobay walakobay how to Unlock Samsung Galaxy S5's Screen Using the Fingerprint Scanner pic4.png
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    4. 4
      From Settings, go to Storage to see storage options.
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    5. 5
      From Storage, choose Format SD card and touch Format SD card.
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    6. 6
      Touch on Erase Everything to start the SD card format.
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    7. 7
      Wait for the process to complete, you have just successfully learned how to format an SD card using your Samsung Galaxy S5.
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    Tips and tricks

    • Samsung Galaxy S5 supports memory cards with the storage capacity of 128 GB. Memory cards with storage size over the supported one may not be properly detected even if the said card is formatted on FAT and exFAT.
    • Formatting a memory card will delete all the files on the memory card. See to it that you back up the files on your memory card before reformatting the SD card.

    Questions and Answers

    Samsung S5 will not see the SD card?

    When I place the card in my Laptop it shows I loaded many apps to it. However, one file on the first page which includes a file called "dot Android_Secure" and a second file called "Android" it also shows a third file "lost.dir" and the file is empty. Could this be the problem? I have carefully read and followed your instructions on formatting using only the S5. When I see all the files on the SD card in my Laptop and none in the S5 I am confused, I do not want to lose the files. Please, can you help? As a side note, my wife and I have come off the Blackberry system and the Android system is all new to us. We have 2 S5's and 2 Tablets from Verizon each with the same problem. Thank you for any help you may be able to provide.

    Those files are Android System Files, please do not erase or alter in any way, you will cause a serious damage and the system might fail to load and boot. Those folders and files are like hidden system files to your PC or Laptop. That "lost.dir" is also an Android system related folder.

    S5 with a 32GB card

    Good morning...I'm reading the forums and I'm still a little unsure. I have the S5 with a 32GB SD card installed but I'm not even sure how to tell if there is anything stored on this card from my phone without removing the card and viewing on my laptop. I'm wondering why the SD card wouldn't automatically auto fill with content? I see the instructions on how to format and I did that when I first installed the SD card. The system says that I'm full but: Settings > SD card says that I have 29.05 GB available. p.s...Why would this even affect my incoming emails? I thought that this is stored on Yahoo's servers? Thanks for your help!"

    Your system or device storage is different than the SD card. If your phone's storage is full (the internal storage on the device) you may have issues getting updates. Your emails still take up a bit of space on your device; this is another reason always to leave some available storage on your phone. Using an SD card will help keep enough space always available on your phone for basic things like downloading updates or using certain apps (email, SMS, etc.)

    How can I get my pictures of my SD if not being readable?

    Need to get my SD pictures please help

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    How do I restore the hidden internal SD memory space of 14GB?

    The internal SD memory is 16GB, the apps is using less than 1.5GB and shows free memory 14.5GB, but to use this free space says memory full and is not seen to have 16 GB when checked

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    In House 16GB full due to download. Why cannot the eBooks transfer automatically to added memory card?

    Well, Have Samsung S5 16GB. Had been downloading eBooks, So 16GB is already full. I had put memory card 64GB also, But I discovered that I can't download anymore, no more space. So how come it will not transfer automatically to my added memory card. What is the process to make it automatic transfer. Do I have to download Zapya App to make it automatic? If so, which ones as there are Zapya v1.63, v2,3. for Android. Hoping you can help me in my problem so that I can enjoy my S5 and continue downloading more eBooks to my phone till I reach 80GB. Awaiting your reply. Thank you.

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    Doesn't recognize 128GB micro disk - says blank disc after formatting on computer?

    I am trying to install a 128GB micro Wolkano card and it says its blank. I formatted the disc in my 4 year old computer and after, I move a jpg pic to the disc and opened it on my computer. after installing it again, I received the same blank disk message. The article didn't cover the blank disk scenario after formatting. I have tried: Formatted disk on my 4 year old Toshiba laptop and moved a jpg file to it. I think it was caused by: Maybe the wrong formatting; maybe a bad new disk. maybe a bad connector on the phone. this is the first card I have inserted into the S5

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    If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

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