Formatting a microSD/SD Memory Card

1. Place the SD card into the SD card reader on your computer, or use a separate reader.

2. Press the Windows key + E.

3. If using Windows 10 or 11, select This PC.

4. Locate the drive representing the SD card.

With Card Inserted:

Without Card Inserted:

5. Right-click on the SD card drive. The drive letter pictured is an example; the memory card may be assigned a different drive letter. 

6. Select Format.

7. Verify File System is FAT or FAT32.

Format the microSD/SD card to the FAT or FAT32 format. A 2 GB or less card can be formatted in FAT or FAT32. Cards larger than 2 GB should be formatted in FAT32.

If an option is not given to format the card in FAT32, it is recommended to switch to another SD card no larger than 32 GB. Cards larger than 32 GB (for video recording) are typically formatted in exFAT. 

8. Change Allocation unit size to Default allocation size.

9. Ensure Quick Format is checked.

10. Select Start.

If at any point during the format process an error is received or formatting the SD card fails to resolve the issue, try a different SD card. These steps will format the microSD/SD card to be readable by the Garmin device.  

1. Place the SD card into the SD card reader on your computer, or use a separate reader.

2. Open Spotlight by selecting the  search icon in the upper right corner of the screen, or by ⌘ CMD + SPACE on the keyboard.

3. Type Disk Utility (in the Spotlight search box).

4. Press Enter or Return on the keyboard.

5. In Disk Utility, select the parent icon for the SD card in the sidebar on the left.

The parent icon is the one that is not indented. This is not necessary on macOS 10.12 and newer.

6. Select the Erase option on the right.

7. In the Format drop-down menu, select MS-DOS (FAT).

8. Select Erase.

The SD card will now be formatted and readable by the Garmin device.

If at any point during the format process an error is received or formatting the SD card fails to resolve the issue, try another SD card.