PowerShot ELPH 360 HS says memory card locked

[laurencoffey]

I recently bought a new memory card after getting the “Memory Card Locked” message when starting up my PowerShot. Unfortunately, it says the same thing with both cards. I’ve watched several tutorials and tried everything I could find. reformatting the SD card, toggling the gray lock switch on the side, and even cleaning out the slot where the card slides in but nothing has worked.

When I was using the Utilities repair tab on my MacBook with the SD card inserted, I actually got it to unlock for about five minutes before it locked again and stopped working.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Waddizzle]

Sorry to hear about your experience.

Tell us what brand, model, and storage capacity you’re using.  Is it a full size card?

[richardmo · Accepted solution]

Hi there,

If you’ve already tried different SD cards and the “Memory Card Locked” message still appears, the issue is likely not the card itself — it’s usually the tiny write-protect sensor inside the camera’s card slot.

Here are a few things you can try:

Inspect the SD card slot carefully.
Look inside the slot for a small switch or pin on the left wall (that detects whether the card is locked). Sometimes it bends or gets stuck. You can try gently blowing air or using a soft brush to remove any dust around it.
Test with a different SD card brand or size.
Some PowerShot models are picky with certain SDHC/SDXC cards. Try an older or smaller capacity card (like 8GB or 16GB) just to see if it reads properly.
Check the SD card lock tab.
Even if it looks unlocked, sometimes the plastic slider is loose and moves when inserted. Try placing a small piece of clear tape over the lock tab to hold it in the “unlocked” position.
If it still shows “Memory Card Locked,” it usually means the lock detection switch in the camera body is malfunctioning. Unfortunately, that’s an internal mechanical fault, and the best solution would be to send the camera for Canon service repair — they can replace or adjust the sensor.

[laurencoffey]

The clear tape worked! Thanks so much 🙂