How do you insert an SD Card in an action camera?

SD cards are an important part of an action camera, without them, we can’t record any videos or take any pictures.

How to insert an SD Card: To insert your SD card you’re gonna need to find the little camera door, on most action cameras like GoPro it is in the bottom where you can slide it open, or use your fingernails to get the compartment open. Normally the battery will be in there as well.

On some action cameras, the SD card compartment might be on the side, you should find it pretty easily and accessible, if you can’t find it you can search your action camera on Google and go to the website of your camera where it will tell you where it’s located.

Next to the battery, you can see a slot, that is where you put your SD card. Next insert the SD card in the empty slot, make sure you are not putting it in empty space between the battery and the SD card slot. A helpful tip is to remove the battery before so it’s a little easier to insert the card and remove it as well.

Insert the SD card from its tiny side, you will notice that one end is a little bit smaller than the other, push it and it should click that means that you have placed it well, if you push the SD card again it will click again and push it out so to remove it. Later just place the battery and close the compartment back up and you’re all set.

Remember not to use to much force and if it isn’t clicking you might have a problem with your action camera or you’re just not doing it right.

Problems inserting SD card

  • You may not be inserting the SD card in far enough for it to properly lock into place.  Use a fingernail or the side of a coin to push the card in past flush until you hear a clicking sound.  Here is a quick instructional on correct insertion and removal of the card
  • If the message “SD ERR” or “NO SD” appears on the camera’s LCD screen, it is because the camera cannot communicate correctly with the SD card. To solve this problem, do the following:

If the message that appears is “SD ERR” or “SD ERROR”

Make sure the SD card is fully inserted in the camera.
Access the settings menu and select the trash can icon to format your SD card. You can also format the card with your Mac / Windows computer. This will erase all data on the SD card, including possible problems that may have caused the error. Exit the setup menu and the camera will return to normal viewing.
If after performing the above steps to solve the problem you see this error after recording with a high resolution or high frame rate mode, your SD card may not accept the camera output. For additional validation, try a secondary card from our Recommended List for better performance.
If the message that appears is “NO SD”

Before, make sure the SD card is fully inserted in the camera. Turn on the camera and check if the “NO SD” message still appears.
If the camera still shows “NO SD”, you will have to format the card with the computer before using it on the camera. Insert the card into the computer using a microSD card reader/adapter.
Follow the instructions to format your operating system: Windows | Mac
When the formatting of the card on the computer is finished, remove the card safely, insert it back into the action camera and turn on the camera. If the message “SD ERR” appears, follow the instructions above to make this message disappear. If, on the other hand, the screen looks normal, the problem has been fixed.
If the above troubleshooting does not make these messages disappear, there may be a problem with the SD card or a camera problem to recognize the SD cards. If you have another SD card available.

Keep in mind: First, make backup copies of all your photos and videos before continuing to avoid losing the material.

If you have more problems with your SD card you should check out our recommendations below to get a new SD card since yours might not work.

What are SD cards

The acronym SD means Secure Digital Standard, developed as an evolution of the old MMC cards and today covers most devices on the market.

Thanks to them we can free space from the precious internal memory of our devices, storing all kinds of files: photographs, music, videos, documents, electronic books …

SD memory cards are supported with a good price/space ratio, as well as being quite reliable, durable and comfortable to use.

What are the best SD cards

Have you ever got some camera problems like the freezing issue, poor video playback performance or data loss? Maybe you are not choosing the right micoSD card!

It’s worth noting that some SD Cards will not support high-bitrate video recording such as GoPro Hero 8 bitrate.  So I have picked a few great options to get started with SD cards, having enough space and handling the footage well without any problems.

SanDisk 64GB Extreme microSD

This is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a fast and plenty of space SD card if you wanted even more space you can get the 128GB card

Up to 98MB/s transfer read speed 

Check out SanDisk SD Card on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2rOuEUV

Samsung 128GB MicroSD

Samsung’s MicroSD is another great card that will work great with your action camera

Up to 100MB/s read and 60MB/s write speeds; UHS Speed Class U3 and Speed Class 10 (performance may vary based on host device, interface, usage conditions, and other factors) Ideal for 4K UHD video recording, high res photos and more.

Check out Samsung SD Card on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PJrXfr

Kingston Canvas Go! 64GB MicroSD

The Kingston MicroSD card is ideal for DSLRs, drones, and other SD card compatible action camerasClass 10 UHS-I U3 speeds up to 90MB/s read, 45MB/s write, Multiple capacities up to 512GB. It’s made for movement- capture your latest hike, underwater adventure, or that sweeping landscape using this UHS-I U3 card

Get your memories faster – Transfer and edit your memories quicker thanks to the incredible 9x read speeds over traditional Class 10 SD cards

Check out Kingston SD Card on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2POVkx3

I hope this post was helpful to you and that you have found what you were looking for. Good luck getting amazing footage with your action camera!  If you are still looking for an action camera be sure to check out our best 10 GoPro alternatives blog check here!