Hi everyone

Very happy to attend the Dji family.
I just got my mini 2 before Chrisrmas and fly several times.
It records videos and photos very well until today. I always read the videos and photos from the micro SD card via the SD port of my MacBook Air and then saved them in a HDD. It works well.
I flied two times today but I can't find the videos from my SD card (the same way: read from my MB air) after I came back home. I then connected the mini 2 via the controller and check the video on my iPhone Dji Fly app.
There is no any files of my today's flight under "DJI Mini 2" folder but I Do find the videos in "App Album - Videos" folder.
I don't chenge any settings but the storage seems totally changed.

I then took a couple of photos and videos for a test....
I found something interesting.  The "DJI Mini 2" folder still have nothing (both Photos and Videos). But I can find the videos in "App Album - Videos"(cache). A wired things is that there is no photo in "App Album - Photos" folder.
So, the status now is that my Mini 2 can record videos in "App Album - Videos" but NOT photos. Also it can't save video and photo into the SD card.

Anything I should try now? Or anyway to reset it or recover it?

If you've copied everything off the SD card that you need, you could try formatting the SD card through the Fly app.

That way you would know that the airvraftvrecognises the SD card and the app knows about the SD card.

Then try recording video and taking photos again.

-N.O.T.

I’m confused. If it isn’t storing on the card then all you have is the cached content in the app that is low resolution. Is that right? Is it giving you any SD card errors?

Is your memory card full, or nearly full?  Worth a look...

No Original Thought Posted at 1-8 14:53
If you've copied everything off the SD card that you need, you could try formatting the SD card through the Fly app.

That way you would know that the airvraftvrecognises the SD card and the app knows about the SD card.

Thank you for your comments, NOT.
I just format the SD card but I found the status of the SD card is still the same.
I mean it shows "214.4GB/238.2 GB available", the storage space does not cleaned. I read the SD card from my MB Air and all files are still there. It means my controller can't format it now.
This may be the problem on my Mini 2 card reader/writer I guess.

ZOOF Posted at 1-8 14:56
I’m confused. If it isn’t storing on the card then all you have is the cached content in the app that is low resolution. Is that right? Is it giving you any SD card errors?

ZOOP, you understanding is correct. I only get the cache video in my app album, nothing else. I don't get any card error.

Burstmode Posted at 1-8 15:08
Is your memory card full, or nearly full?  Worth a look...

Thanks Burstmode,
It is a good guess. I just check the SD card. It is still 214.4/238.2 GB available. So it is not the problem.

I seems find the problem. I read the SD card from my MBA and it shows that it can be read only. It means my SD car can only be read but not be written?
I also try to drag a file from my laptop to the SD card. I was not allowed to do it.
But how this happen?
Any suggestion to turn the SD card from "readable only" to writable?

Andy2017 Posted at 1-8 15:24
I seems find the problem. I read the SD card from my MBA and it shows that it can be read only. It means my SD car can only be read but not be written?
I also try to drag a file from my laptop to the SD card. I was not allowed to do it.
But how this happen?

Good find. That'll be why the format from the Fly app failed as well.

I'm not sure how you do this on a Mac, but Google found lots of suggestions when I searched "How to change SD card from read-only Mac".

-N.O.T.

It's hard to know for sure without looking at your card -- and what else you might be using -- but check this: Your card's "write-protect" tab may be physically set wrong.

In my drone (a Mini2), it takes a MICRO SD card - the little cards roughly the size of a fingernail (depends on the size of your hands, but...).  My desktop Mac computer has a "card reader" slot, but it is designed for FULL SIZE cards.  To read the little Micro card, I need to pop it (the Micro card) into a larger, plastic card "adapter" which is the size of the full size card.  Full size cards -- and the adapters I have -- all have a tiny little "write-protect" tab on the side of the card/adapter.  It's really small, so easy to miss.  If the tab is in the "write protected" position, as the name implies, no data can be written to it (by anything).  You change the write/write-protected mode switch by simply sliding the tiny plastic tab up/down a tiny bit.  Take a look.

BTW, this switch is a feature, not a bug -- it's there to give you the option of preserving data on the card and keep you from inadvertently deleting or overwriting stuff.  But you need to be aware of it (if you're not, you are the bug...).  Sometimes the tiny little slider tab is hard to move (need to get a fingernail under it), sometimes it slides easily (maybe too easily).  Hope that helps.

Andy2017 Posted at 1-8 15:15
Thank you for your comments, NOT.
I just format the SD card but I found the status of the SD card is still the same.
I mean it shows "214.4GB/238.2 GB available", the storage space does not cleaned. I read the SD card from my MB Air and all files are still there. It means my controller can't format it now.

Why are you using a 256gb card in a mini 2? Not sayin anything wrong with that. Your choice. I tend to download to pc at end of each day's flying. Should something untoward the most I will lose is 64gb card with relative flight videos/photos. I know I still have the relevant data on the mobile device, albeit at a lower resolution.

Burstmode Posted at 1-9 02:11
It's hard to know for sure without looking at your card -- and what else you might be using -- but check this: Your card's "write-protect" tab may be physically set wrong.

In my drone (a Mini2), it takes a MICRO SD card - the little cards roughly the size of a fingernail (depends on the size of your hands, but...).  My desktop Mac computer has a "card reader" slot, but it is designed for FULL SIZE cards.  To read the little Micro card, I need to pop it (the Micro card) into a larger, plastic card "adapter" which is the size of the full size card.  Full size cards -- and the adapters I have -- all have a tiny little "write-protect" tab on the side of the card/adapter.  It's really small, so easy to miss.  If the tab is in the "write protected" position, as the name implies, no data can be written to it (by anything).  You change the write/write-protected mode switch by simply sliding the tiny plastic tab up/down a tiny bit.  Take a look.

When you switch the write protect switch on the MicroSD to SD adapter, the write protect status does not persist in the MicroSD card when you remove it.

That switch would only affect the card when inserted into the SD card reader and wouldn't explain the Minin2 not being able to write to the card.

It's a worthwhile check / test, though, as if the switch on the adapter IS in the write protect position and changing that makes the card readble in the computer, then if the problem persists in the drone then it implies that the readhonly status is not set on the card and that the problem may lie elsewhere.

If your on Mac deleting files on the card dont actually delete until you empty the bin with the card attached.

Burstmode Posted at 1-9 02:11
It's hard to know for sure without looking at your card -- and what else you might be using -- but check this: Your card's "write-protect" tab may be physically set wrong.

In my drone (a Mini2), it takes a MICRO SD card - the little cards roughly the size of a fingernail (depends on the size of your hands, but...).  My desktop Mac computer has a "card reader" slot, but it is designed for FULL SIZE cards.  To read the little Micro card, I need to pop it (the Micro card) into a larger, plastic card "adapter" which is the size of the full size card.  Full size cards -- and the adapters I have -- all have a tiny little "write-protect" tab on the side of the card/adapter.  It's really small, so easy to miss.  If the tab is in the "write protected" position, as the name implies, no data can be written to it (by anything).  You change the write/write-protected mode switch by simply sliding the tiny plastic tab up/down a tiny bit.  Take a look.

I use a microSD as well since my drone is a Mini2, too. Due to the unwritable from the drone, that is not related to the physical locked from the adapter.
I googled the "write protection" or the "unlock" discussion of a SD card and I am sure it is not due to the adapter lock.

I also tried to format the card via the "Disk Utility" from my MBA. Both "Erase" or "Restore" are all failed. So I guess the SD card was damaged. But I still don't know how this happen. It stays in the card tray in the drone. I just took it out, input in a adaptor, transfer the files to my laptop and then put it back to the tray on the drone.

yogi053 Posted at 1-9 02:45
Why are you using a 256gb card in a mini 2? Not sayin anything wrong with that. Your choice. I tend to download to pc at end of each day's flying. Should something untoward the most I will lose is 64gb card with relative flight videos/photos. I know I still have the relevant data on the mobile device, albeit at a lower resolution.

Yogi,

You gave a great comments that I should not use such a large SD card. One reason is that I just have that SD card in my hand when I got the drone. Another reason is that I don't have experience for how big card I should use for a drone, so a big one can't be a wrong. (At least better than a small one)
But now I know that I flight around 15 times and just use 25GB. So I will change to a 32GB card and transfer videos and photos everyday after I fly as I used to do.

One more question, are the SanDisk Extreme Pro, Extreme and Ultra affect the recording of video?
The 256GB card I used is Ultra. It spent a little time after I finished a video or a photo. So I need wait a couple of seconds if I want to change the recording mode (from video to photo or from photo to video). Would Extreme, extreme pro or even Samsung Evo work better (shorter waiting time)?

Andy2017 Posted at 1-9 07:12
Yogi,

You gave a great comments that I should not use such a large SD card. One reason is that I just have that SD card in my hand when I got the drone. Another reason is that I don't have experience for how big card I should use for a drone, so a big one can't be a wrong. (At least better than small one)

I have read many comments on here and on other forums where users have complained of their videos not being very smooth when viewed. In many many cases the opinions have been to use the fastest ones possible and I use a mixture of 32, 64 and in rare cases a 128gb card. These are U3 extreme cards. Some Sandisk, some Samsung all work perfectly for me at 1080 ,2.7k and 4k. I am informed that there are counterfeit cards out there so be careful where you buy. I tend to buy from Amazon or Currys and have yet to receive a fake one. Happy flying,stay safe!