Sorry this media file doesn’t exist on your SD card or internal storage error occurs due to glitches in the WhatsApp app, corruption in the file, or when the file was not downloaded properly. However, restarting the phone, scanning the SD card using CMD, and reinstalling the WhatsApp app are some of the effective fixes that can help you to resolve this error.
Well, it is really frustrating when you can’t access an important WhatsApp media file that is sent by your friend, colleague, or relative and end up with an error.
Thus, if you are unable to open your WhatsApp media file and facing a “sorry this media file doesn’t exist on your internal storage” error, read this article till the end.
Here, you will find the 7 best ways to get rid of this error in no time with less effort.
But before moving ahead towards the fixes, let’s know something about this error in detail…
What Does Media File Doesn’t Exist On Your Internal Storage Mean?
Sorry, this media file doesn’t exist on your SD card or internal storage means that either those files are deleted or corrupted.
Sometimes what just happens, when the users try to open their media files such as – pictures or videos on Whatsapp, sorry this media file doesn’t exist WhatsApp error message flashes out on their screen.
On the other hand, whenever you’re getting this error, it means that the particular file you want to view doesn’t exist anymore.
How to Fix Sorry This Media File Doesn’t Exist On Your SD Card?
In this section, I’ll explain the seven best ways to troubleshoot this issue using Android Repair software and manual ways too.
Click out the below solutions right now:
- Restart Your Android Device
- Copy Your Missing Data to its Original WhatsApp Folder
- Scan Your SD Card
- Unmount & Again Mount Your SD Card
- Remove The Write Protection from Your SD Card
- Uninstall & Re-install Your WhatsApp
- Fix File Doesn’t Exist Or Has Been Corrupted Using Android Repair Tool
Restart Your Android Device
Firstly, you should try to fix sorry, this media file doesn’t exist on your internal storage error by simply restarting your Android phone by turning it off.
Start following these easy steps to fix this bug:
- Switch off your Android phone and again turn it on.
- Here, you need to wait until your phone reads all your existing files present on your memory card.
- Now, you can access your media files as you want.
If you have already performed this method, but the error still persists then just check out the next method.
Copy Your Missing Data to its Original WhatsApp Folder
Whenever you receive any media files such as pictures, videos, or audio in your WhatsApp, it gets automatically saved to the Gallery app under the WhatsApp folder by default.
Several times people move their media files to memory cards or any other locations to free up the phone’s space, they’ll not get those data in WhatsApp.
So, in order to troubleshoot sorry this media file doesn’t exist on your SD card or internal storage error, you’ve to copy your disappeared media files to their original WhatsApp folder (preciously existing folder) and try once again to open them.
Check whether the problem has been fixed or not, if it still persists then try out the next way.
Scan Your SD Card To Fix “WhatsApp Sorry This Media File Doesn’t Exist On Your Internal Storage
Since the issue is related to the SD card mainly so consider scanning the SD card by running CMD command. This command will thoroughly scan your memory card and fix WhatsApp sorry this media file doesn’t exist on your internal storage Android 11 successfully.
- Connect the micro SD card to Windows PC using a card reader.
- After that, a Run window will open, there you need to type ‘cmd’ >> click on OK button.
- Now, you can see the Command Prompt window on your screen >> enter the ‘attrib -h -r -s/s/d f:\*.*’ command without including the single quotes.
- After completing these steps, remove the SD card from your System and again insert it on your Android device.
If you don’t want to try other complicated solutions then switch to the most reliable Android Repair Tool.
Unmount & Again Mount Your SD Card To Repair WhatsApp Media File Doesn’t Exist
After trying the above two methods, if you are still unable to troubleshoot the error then you should use this solution to get rid of this error.
For this purpose, you need to follow out the below-given instructions
- On your Android phone, open Settings
- Then, go to Storage.
- After that, click on Unmount SD card
- Now, just wait for sometime.
- Next, tap on the Mount SD card.
- Lastly, go to the File Manager & check your media files.
if this solution won’t help you to resolve “sorry this media file dient exist on your internat storage”, then try the next one.
Remove The Write Protection from Your SD Card
You might get sorry, this media file appears to be missing error in Whatsapp error if your SD card is write-protected or whenever you try to access your pictures & videos.
Here, check out the below-given steps to remove the write protection to solve this issue.
- Just connect your memory card to a PC.
- Now, click on the Start
- Then, search command/cmd.
- After that, right-click on the Command Prompt search result & choose Run as administrator.
- Here, you need to type diskpart & click Enter.
- Again, type attrib -h -r -s /s /d drive letter:\*.*( for example, attrib -h -r -s /s /d k:\*.* ) and hit Enter.
- Lastly, type exit & click Enter.
Uninstall & Re-install Your WhatsApp to Fix Whatsapp Media File Doesn’t Exist
Let me tell you very clearly that Whatsapp used to back up all your messages as well as media files regularly.
Consequently, if you have lost your previously backup media files then you need to re-install your Whatsapp application by uninstalling it in order to restore the media files on WhatsApp.
Here are the required steps which you need to follow:
- Uninstall your Whatsapp app from your Android phone
- Again, re-install it from Google Play Store.
- Here, you need to verify the phone number on which you’re using your WhatsApp
- After doing this, Whatsapp will allow you to restore your personal data
- Now, hit restore option in order to restore your Whatsapp media files.
Please Note – This method will work for you only if you’ve previously backed up your missing files of Whatsapp. In absence of backup, this solution will not work at all.
Now, if still unable to access your media files, it simply means that your files are corrupt. In such a typical situation, you should take the help of any powerful third-party app just as – Android Repair Tool.
Fix File Doesn’t Exist Or Has Been Corrupted Using Android Repair Tool
When we are talking about the safe and secure way to fix any kind of error, the Android Repair Tool has been always proven the best option.
You can use this amazing software to fix a file doesn’t exist or has been corrupted error.
This tool is not only capable of fixing this error but it has the ability to deal with different kinds of errors and bugs such as – Play Store not working, a black screen of death, Android system UI not working, No SIM card error, stuck in a boot loop & many more.
Don’t waste your precious time, just download & install this tool as quickly as you can. This program will scan your whole device and make the device error-free.
You know what; the best feature about this tool is that it is compatible with several devices. I am suggesting this software as it’s very easy to use and doesn’t require any technical skills.
Follow its step-by-step guide to solve how to fix sorry this media file does not exist on your internal storage easily.
Important Tips To Avoid ‘Sorry, This Media File Doesn’t Exist On Your SD Card’ Error
Read out the below given useful and helpful tips to avoid such sorts of error messages:
- You must ensure that your memory card works properly and is not corrupt
- To save your media files on WhatsApp you need to ensure that there’s the sufficient internal storage on your card.
- Check the SD card isn’t set to a read-only mode that allows you to save your WhatsApp files.
FAQ [Frequently Asked Questions]
Why Whatsapp Cannot Download Media?
Sometimes, WhatsApp fails to download your media files if the network connection is weak or not stable. So, you must ensure that there should be a stable network connection as well as enough bandwidth in order to download your respective files. But, if you find that the problem is not related to the network then you should check the network settings & disable the bandwidth restrictions.
How Do I Copy The Missing Media Files To The Original Whatsapp Folder?
As I’ve discussed above, whenever you receive any media files on WhatsApp, they get automatically saved into your Gallery app under Whatsapp folder by default. Check out the given steps now:
- At first, turn off your Android phone.
- Then, just turn it on
- Wait until your phone read all your existing files on SD card.
- Now, you can access your media files again.
Time to Conclude
Regardless of the reason behind the occurrence of this error, the important thing is how to fix sorry this media file doesn’t exist on your SD card.
I’ve gathered the 7 most useful fixes to solve sorry this media file doesn’t exist on your internal storage WhatsApp issue.
Apart from these manuals, you can also use the alternate best way that is – the Android Repair tool to resolve this problem. This software is mainly designed to deal with different kinds of errors.
So, simply try to fix sorry this media file appears to be missing error in WhatsApp by using this helpful tool.
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Jennifer Fiona is a founder of recover-androiddata.com. She loves to write articles related to Android data recovery solutions, tips, tricks, and fixes for issues/errors. Apart from that, she loves to watch movies and play online games.