Secure Digital cards enable you to take business projects, documents and other data with you anywhere you go. Manufacturers make SD cards available in a variety of capacities. For example, SD cards can hold up to 2GB of data, while SDXC cards may have up to 2TB of storage capacity. If you have an external or integrated card reader, you can connect an SD card to your computer and transfer data to it.
Insert the SD card into your computer's card reader with the metal contacts pointing away from you. If you don't have a card reader, insert the SD card in another device, such as a cell phone or digital camera, that supports USB mass storage. Connect the device to your computer with a USB cable.
Click the Windows Start button, then click "Computer." Double-click the name of the SD card under "Devices with Removable Storage." If you connected the SD card to the computer with a camera or phone, the device's name may appear here instead.
Right-click anywhere in the SD card window and select "New Folder" if you want to keep the contents of the card organized. Give the folder a name, such as Music or Documents. If you previously transferred digital photos to the SD card, you may already have a folder named DCIM on it.
Locate the data you want to transfer on your hard drive. If you don't know the data location, click the Start button and type all or part of the file name in the search box. Windows will scan your hard drive for the data.
Drag the data to the main SD card folder or an applicable sub-folder. Repeat this process for all the data you want to copy.
Click on the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the notification area of the system tray. Click "Eject" next to the name of the SD card. Remove the SD card from the computer.
- Card reader
- USB cable (optional)
- If you connect the SD card to the computer using a cell phone, you may need to put your phone in "Disk Drive" mode. This allows the computer to view the SD card as a removable disk.