Media card reader problems

Many computers contain readers for SD, MMC, SM, MS, CF, and other storage media cards. These should be automatically detected and mounted. Here are some troubleshooting steps if they are not:

  1. Make sure that the card is put in correctly. Many cards look as though they are upside down when correctly inserted. Also make sure that the card is firmly seated in the slot; some cards, especially CF, require a small amount of force to insert correctly. (Be careful not to push too hard! If you come up against something solid, do not force it.)

  2. Open Files from the Activities overview. Does the inserted card appear in the left sidebar? Sometimes the card appears in this list but is not mounted; click it once to mount. (If the sidebar is not visible, press F9 or click Files in the top bar and select the Sidebar.)

  3. If your card does not show up in the sidebar, press Ctrl+L, then type computer:/// and press Enter. If your card reader is correctly configured, the reader should come up as a drive when no card is present, and the card itself when the card has been mounted.

  4. If you see the card reader but not the card, the problem may be with the card itself. Try a different card or check the card on a different reader if possible.

If no cards or drives are shown when browsing the Computer location, it is possible that your card reader does not work with Linux due to driver issues. If your card reader is internal (inside the computer instead of sitting outside) this is more likely. The best solution is to directly connect your device (camera, cell phone, etc.) to a USB port on the computer. USB external card readers are also available, and are far better supported by Linux.