SD card format error

[God mode]

I had a 400gb SanDisk ultra in my Switch which worked fine. I put it in the Deck and chose format. It took ages but when it had finished it said 2.9GB free of 2.9GB. I tried the format again and it says Format Error - The micro SD card failed validation tests and cannot be formatted. Contact your micro SD card manufacturer for support.
The card was fine till I put it in the Deck. It now can't be read by Switch or PC.
DiskGenius sees Partition(0) Linux Data partition 366.8GB If I try to read the card it says:
Error of partition formatting.(00000000) Unknown error.
Delete the partition and it shows free 366.8GB but then before I can format it, it changes back to Partition(0) Linux Data partition 366.8GB. This must have been done by the Deck as Switch doesn't use Linux.
I only have 1 other card a 512gb but it cost me £80 so I don't want it to be bricked like this one. Is there a correct way to format an SD on the Deck?

[Anf]

Originally posted by PopinFRESH:

Originally posted by Anf:

WORKING SOLUTION:::

Get minitool partition wizard

Right click your sd card when it shows in the program

click format

in type select ext4

let it format

boot steam deck

put in sd card after it's booted up (just incase it doesn't get read during startup I prefer the system to detect it when I've put it in when the deck is already on)

Check in settings > storage that your card shows up

--

The previous solutions didn't work for me but this did. Good luck!

Just incase you have some issues with installing / running games from your microSD card, this will not have created the filesystem with casefolding support.

You should be able to re-format it from the command line

sudo mkfs -t ext4 -O casefold /dev/mmcblk0p1

Note, if you haven't already you will need to set a sudoers password for the deck user in order to run elevated commands like the above.

Hey thank you that's amazing advice! I will see how it goes later and refer to this if I have any issues and update

[MusashiWins!]

Originally posted by Anf:

WORKING SOLUTION:::

Get minitool partition wizard

Right click your sd card when it shows in the program

click format

in type select ext4

let it format

boot steam deck

put in sd card after it's booted up (just incase it doesn't get read during startup I prefer the system to detect it when I've put it in when the deck is already on)

Check in settings > storage that your card shows up

--

The previous solutions didn't work for me but this did. Good luck!

Same. This worked, and wasn't hard to do. Thanks for taking the time to post it!

[ivansed88]

Easy way how to do it on Windows that worked for me:
1. Install MiniTool Partition Wizard Free (current version is 12.6)
2. Use USB adapter for SD card and plug it in (if your computer doesn't have SD card reader built in)
3. Select the SD card. Not the partition (if any) but the disk itself. Be careful, do not select your system disks!
4. Right client on the SD card disk and select Wipe Disk (this is not the same as Wipe Partition, you need to select the disk itself in order to get the Wipe Disk option)
5. Select Fill Sectors with Zeros (Quick), the first option, and click OK
6. Click on the Apply button (bottom left corner)
7. This takes a couple of hours to complete but we don't need to wait that long. I waited until 30% of zeroing was done, I suspect 10% would work just as well, maybe even 5%. The reason is that it starts from the first sector to the last one and the partition info we want to wipe out is at the start.
8. After 5% or 10% is done click Cancel
9. SD card should have no partitions at this point and can't be mounted
10. Remove the SD card from the computer and put it in Steam Deck
11. Format the card using the Settings > System > Format SD Card > Format button
12. Wait for the testing and formatting to complete
13. SD card is now formated and shows up in Storage

[Shadowslip,..]

Originally posted by God mode:

I had a 400gb SanDisk ultra in my Switch which worked fine. I put it in the Deck and chose format. It took ages but when it had finished it said 2.9GB free of 2.9GB. I tried the format again and it says Format Error - The micro SD card failed validation tests and cannot be formatted. Contact your micro SD card manufacturer for support.
The card was fine till I put it in the Deck. It now can't be read by Switch or PC.
DiskGenius sees Partition(0) Linux Data partition 366.8GB If I try to read the card it says:
Error of partition formatting.(00000000) Unknown error.
Delete the partition and it shows free 366.8GB but then before I can format it, it changes back to Partition(0) Linux Data partition 366.8GB. This must have been done by the Deck as Switch doesn't use Linux.
I only have 1 other card a 512gb but it cost me £80 so I don't want it to be bricked like this one. Is there a correct way to format an SD on the Deck?

--------------------------------------------------------
This fixed it for me

For people that receive an error in gaming mode when trying to format a supported memory card this worked for me.

Here is how I fixed the issue.
I went into desktop mode.
I opened KDE partition manager.
I deleted the sd card partition table.
I created a new partition table on the sd card using MBT and ext4.
During the format in KDE I still received an error message but the memory card mounted.
I formatted the memory card in game mode and now everything seems to work fine.

[Greytega]

Hey Everyone, I got a couple of my 64GB Kingston SD Cards to work by using a mix of suggestions here.

Insert the card, in game mode go to settings Format SD Card = Format Error

What eventually worked for me was to go into desktop mode and formatting it in KDE.
- Desktop Mode
- KDE Partiition Manager
- Click the SD Card - Unmount
- New Partition Table
- EXT4
- Gets to 20% and fails
- Restart Deck
- Settings
- Developer mode ON
- Developer options, Force Format SD Card

I tried so many different variants of using windows to format with different software, trying NFTS, exFAT, FAT32, restarting the deck, trying to format several times etc. etc., No idea if any of that stuff helped finally fix it, took me like 2 hours but eventually it works.

[Juice]

Simplifying the steps given which worked for me:

- Insert the SD Card
- Restart the steam deck
- Format the card

Didn't need to format with a switch or anything.

[Marlock]

I'd love to be able to say Valve messed up, but I have to be honest and point out that this particular issue (formatting error for sd cards and usb sticks) also recurringly happens in linux PCs if you are unlucky (as mentioned in a previous post)

hopefully the fact that it hits a lot of Steam Deck users (maybe everyone that uses the feature?) will throw the underlying issue into focus by the proper linux devs

kudos to everyone sharing successful steps to work around the issue, hopefully everyone else can find one that works for them as well

[Arcive]

Format the sd-card to exFAT on a separate computer. Put the sd in the deck and restart. Then format.

[lostgoat]

We've tracked down a problem that could make a card format correctly, but it would fail to mount afterwards. This was incorrectly being reported as a "Format Error" by the steam UI.

To workaround the problem:
* Reboot the SteamDeck
* Format the sdcard, this will produce an error
* Dismiss the error
* Reboot the SteamDeck one more time, this will trigger a remount of the card
* The card should now appear in Settings->Storage

The next update to SteamOS will have a proper fix for this issue.

If this workaround doesn't work for you, please let me know.

[owen.mtl]

Originally posted by Greytega:

Hey Everyone, I got a couple of my 64GB Kingston SD Cards to work by using a mix of suggestions here.

Insert the card, in game mode go to settings Format SD Card = Format Error

What eventually worked for me was to go into desktop mode and formatting it in KDE.
- Desktop Mode
- KDE Partiition Manager
- Click the SD Card - Unmount
- New Partition Table
- EXT4
- Gets to 20% and fails
- Restart Deck
- Settings
- Developer mode ON
- Developer options, Force Format SD Card

I tried so many different variants of using windows to format with different software, trying NFTS, exFAT, FAT32, restarting the deck, trying to format several times etc. etc., No idea if any of that stuff helped finally fix it, took me like 2 hours but eventually it works.

^^^ This worked for me too!!

[Mr Zurkon]

Originally posted by lostgoat:

We've tracked down a problem that could make a card format correctly, but it would fail to mount afterwards. This was incorrectly being reported as a "Format Error" by the steam UI.

To workaround the problem:
* Reboot the SteamDeck
* Format the sdcard, this will produce an error
* Dismiss the error
* Reboot the SteamDeck one more time, this will trigger a remount of the card
* The card should now appear in Settings->Storage

The next update to SteamOS will have a proper fix for this issue.

If this workaround doesn't work for you, please let me know.

Doesn't work :-(
Edit: card works in the Nintendo switch is official card so it must be the deck

[Mr Zurkon]

Originally posted by owen.mtl:

Originally posted by Greytega:

Hey Everyone, I got a couple of my 64GB Kingston SD Cards to work by using a mix of suggestions here.

Insert the card, in game mode go to settings Format SD Card = Format Error

What eventually worked for me was to go into desktop mode and formatting it in KDE.
- Desktop Mode
- KDE Partiition Manager
- Click the SD Card - Unmount
- New Partition Table
- EXT4
- Gets to 20% and fails
- Restart Deck
- Settings
- Developer mode ON
- Developer options, Force Format SD Card

I tried so many different variants of using windows to format with different software, trying NFTS, exFAT, FAT32, restarting the deck, trying to format several times etc. etc., No idea if any of that stuff helped finally fix it, took me like 2 hours but eventually it works.

^^^ This worked for me too!!

I only had the options gpt and something else no ext4. Now it's altogether greyed out
Edit: got the options back again but yeah it's just GPT and MS-Dos
(256gb card)

2nd edit: got it working by using a Windows computer, software DiskGenius formatted to ext4

[Marlock]

GPT vs. MS-DOS (aka MBR) is another choice that happens before choosing the partition format, if you try to format the entire drive

choose GPT then you should also be offered a choice between EXT4, NTFS, exFAT, etc

[AH-1 Cobra]

I formatted 3 different SD cards, and didn't have this issue, and 2 of them were cheap/off/no-name brands. 100% couldn't replicate this issue people are having. Every format was successful, even on SD cards that had existing data on them that were different formats.

"Don't buy cheap SD cards" - the cheap SD cards format and work just fine for me. They likely come out of the same factory in China with a different brand name stamped on them.

[lovermstitanic]

Originally posted by LastSharpTiger:

So I had almost given up on my 1TB card (1TB Lexar Play), but this thread gave me hope. (Had previously been using the various Linux command line tricks to do full formats and failing to get it consistently working.)

This is what seems to have worked:
1. Cleaned the sd card with Diskpart in Windows Powershell.
2. Installed the official SD Card Formatter program.
3. Formatted to ExFAT in that program.
4. Booted up the Deck and inserted the card and had it recognized, albeit just as a 2.9GB piece of storage.
5. Rebooted the Deck and attempted to format immediately.
6. Upon getting an error message, rebooted again and immediately attempted to format.

That apparently has worked, the card is listed as having 912.6GB storage.

Because I don’t trust anything at this point, am installing Final Fantasy XV and Red Dead Redemption 2 on it. If they run properly, I will allow myself to believe that all is finally well.

Edit, added two hours later: yes, FFXV runs off the microSD, she’s fixed.

Thank you to the wise people who posted tips above.

can you explain how you formatted to ExFat on the SD card formatter? I believe i am having the same issue as when i enter my card it says 2.9GB out of 2.9GB