SD Card Readers

Camera and drone cards into a laptop

Cameras, drones, action cameras and dashcams record to SD or microSD cards, and most thin laptops no longer have a slot for them. A card reader plugs into a USB port and shows the card as a drive, so you can copy photos and video across. The readers here are small, with a USB-C plug, a USB-A plug, or both on one reader.

The kinds here

• Dual-slot readers for SD and microSD, several able to read both cards at once.
• microSD-only readers, some barely bigger than the card, for a drone or a phone card.
• Readers with both plugs, USB-C and USB-A, so one reader fits any laptop.
• Readers with extra USB sockets beside the card slots.
• An all-in-one reader on USB 2.0 that also takes older CompactFlash and Memory Stick cards.

Listings call microSD "TF". It is the same card: the SD Association adopted the TransFlash card as microSD in 2005, and the old initials stuck.

How to choose

First, the cards you have: full-size SD from a camera, microSD from a drone or phone, or both. Then the plug for your laptop. Then the speed. Most readers here are USB 3.0, now labelled USB 5Gbps, which is far quicker than USB 2.0's 480 megabits a second for big video files. A reader cannot go faster than the card itself or the port it is in, so a slow card copies slowly through any reader. For a USB-C laptop that also needs a screen and a network socket, many USB-C hubs have SD and microSD slots built in.

Questions people ask about SD card readers

Can I copy from two cards at once?

On the dual-slot readers listed for it, yes: a camera's SD card and a drone's microSD can be open together, and you drag files from both.

Will it read my 1TB card?

Some listings give the largest card they read, up to 1TB on one. Check the listing for large cards.

My laptop does not show the card. What now?

Push the card fully in, try another port, then check the card in the camera. A card formatted in a camera usually opens on Windows and Mac without trouble.

Where do I keep the copies?

Cards fail and get lost, so copy work off them. An M.2 SSD enclosure with a spare drive makes a fast backup that fits in a pocket.

Delivery is included in every price and tracked to your door. Each product page says when it usually arrives.

More to look at

• USB-C hubs
• M.2 SSD enclosures
• USB-C to USB-A adapters
• For creators
• Tech pouches
• Guide: How to choose a USB-C hub or docking station
• Guide: Faster storage: SSD enclosures explained