MX Player Not Detecting Videos On SD Card: Permissions And Storage Fixes

When MX Player suddenly stops showing videos that are clearly sitting on your SD card, it is rarely a “missing files” problem. Most of the time it is a permissions, storage-access, or indexing issue caused by Android’s newer storage rules, a moved SD card, or an app setting that quietly changed. This guide walks through the most reliable fixes, explains why they work, and helps you avoid data loss while you troubleshoot.

1. Confirm The Problem Is Detection, Not Playback.

Before changing settings, verify what is actually failing. “Not detecting” usually means MX Player’s library is empty or missing specific folders, while playback failures show errors only after you tap a file.

1.1 Check Whether Any Files Appear In File Manager Apps

Open a file manager (or the phone’s built-in “My Files” app) and navigate to your SD card. If you can see the video files there, the SD card is mounted and readable at the system level. If you cannot see the files in any file manager, your SD card may be unmounted, corrupted, or encrypted in a way the phone is not currently handling.

• If no apps can see the SD card, skip ahead to storage and SD health checks.
• If file managers can see the videos but MX Player cannot, focus on permissions, folder selection, and indexing.

1.2 Verify You Are Browsing The Correct View In MX Player

MX Player typically offers library-style views (Videos, Folders) and sometimes a “Local” view depending on version. The “Folders” view is often the fastest way to confirm whether MX Player can see the SD card directory tree at all. If “Folders” is empty or only shows internal storage, permissions or storage access is the likely culprit.

2. Fix Permission Issues That Block SD Card Scanning.

On modern Android versions, an app may need explicit access to media, or explicit access to a folder via the system file picker. Even if you granted permissions in the past, an OS update, app update, or a “deny” tap can revoke them.

2.1 Grant MX Player The Right Media Permissions

Android’s permission model has changed over time. Older versions often used “Storage” permission; newer versions split access into media categories (Photos and videos, Music and audio) and apply additional restrictions through scoped storage.

1. Go to Settings and open Apps.
2. Select MX Player.
3. Open Permissions.
4. Ensure video and audio related permissions are allowed (wording varies by Android version).
5. If you see an option for “Photos and videos,” allow it.

If your device offers “Allow only while using the app” versus “Allow all the time,” choose the option that actually allows MX Player to scan while you are using it.

2.2 On Android 10 And Above, Use Folder Access If Needed

Android 10 introduced scoped storage, which changes how apps access shared storage. Some apps must use the system picker to gain ongoing access to a directory, especially on SD cards. If MX Player provides a way to add or select folders, use that option and choose the SD card folder that contains your videos.

• Look for options like “Folders,” “Add folder,” “Scan,” “Library,” or “Select directory.”
• When the system file picker opens, select the SD card and then the video folder.
• Confirm any prompt that asks to grant access to that folder.

This process matters because, on many devices, the SD card path is not treated the same as internal storage, and the app cannot simply scan everything without user-granted access.

2.3 Remove Battery Restrictions That Interrupt Scans

If MX Player begins scanning but never completes, aggressive battery optimizations may be suspending it in the background.

• Go to Settings, then Apps, then MX Player.
• Find Battery or Power settings for the app.
• Set it to “Unrestricted” or “Not optimized” if your device provides that option.

This does not directly grant storage access, but it can prevent the scanning process from being killed mid-way on some phones.

3. Force A Rescan And Fix Hidden Library Filters.

Even with correct permissions, MX Player may not show videos if its library database is stale, if folders are excluded, or if Android’s media index is out of sync.

3.1 Turn Off Folder Exclusions And Verify “Hide” Settings

MX Player and many file-based media apps allow you to hide folders from the library. If you previously hid a folder (intentionally or accidentally), new videos placed there will not appear.

• Check MX Player settings for “Exclude folders,” “Hide folders,” or “Scan settings.”
• Remove your SD card movie folder from any exclusion list.
• If there is a toggle like “Show hidden files,” enable it temporarily for testing.

3.2 Clear MX Player Cache (Not Data) To Refresh Library Behavior

Clearing cache is a low-risk way to fix odd library behavior without erasing your settings and watch history.

1. Go to Settings, then Apps, then MX Player.
2. Open Storage.
3. Select Clear cache.
4. Reopen MX Player and check the Folders view.

Avoid “Clear data” unless you are prepared to reconfigure the app. It can fix deeper database issues, but it is more disruptive.

3.3 Refresh Android’s Media Index By Re-Mounting The SD Card

Android maintains a media database (commonly scanned by a service often referred to as the media scanner). When an SD card is removed and reinserted, Android typically triggers a new scan.

1. Power off the phone (recommended for physical removal on many devices).
2. Remove and reinsert the SD card.
3. Boot the phone and wait a few minutes.
4. Open MX Player again.

If the SD card is external and you are using a USB card reader, disconnect and reconnect it, then re-open MX Player.

4. Resolve SD Card Mounting, File System, And Path Issues.

If MX Player cannot see the SD card at all, the problem is often not the app. It can be the SD card’s mount state, file system, encryption, or a path change after an update.

4.1 Confirm The SD Card Is Mounted And Recognized

Go to Settings and search for Storage. Your SD card should appear with capacity details. If it shows “Ejected,” “Unmounted,” or prompts you to set up the card, MX Player will not be able to read it until the OS mounts it correctly.

• If the system asks to “Set up” the SD card, proceed carefully and do not format unless you have a backup.
• If it shows errors, try the card in another device or a PC to confirm whether the card is failing.

4.2 Check Whether The SD Card Was Set Up As Portable Or Internal Storage

Some Android devices support adopting an SD card as internal storage (also called adoptable storage). When adopted, the card is often encrypted and tightly integrated with the device. This can affect how apps access files, especially if the card is moved between devices.

• If your SD card is adopted and you moved it to a new phone, your files may not be readable there.
• If you recently changed the storage setup, recheck MX Player’s folder access and rescan.

4.3 Fix Folder Naming And Unsupported Characters

It is uncommon, but some apps struggle with unusual characters in folder names, extremely long paths, or mixed encodings. If your SD card folder path is deeply nested, try moving a test video to a simpler location like:

• SD Card root (top-level) in a folder named Movies
• A single short folder name without special symbols

Then see if MX Player detects that test file. If it does, you likely have a path or folder filtering issue rather than a global SD problem.

5. Eliminate File Visibility Traps Like .nomedia And Cloud Placeholders.

Even when permissions are correct, Android media apps can ignore entire directories if specific marker files exist, or if the files are not truly local.

5.1 Look For A .nomedia File In The Video Folder

On Android, a file named .nomedia inside a folder tells the media scanner to skip indexing media in that folder. Many apps create it intentionally to hide images or videos from galleries.

• Use a file manager that can show hidden files.
• Check your SD card video folder for a .nomedia file.
• If you want the folder indexed, delete the .nomedia file and rescan.

Be careful: removing .nomedia can cause other apps (like galleries) to start showing items you previously kept hidden.

5.2 Confirm The Videos Are Not “Online Only” Or Placeholder Files

If your videos came from a sync tool or a desktop transfer workflow, make sure the files are fully present on the SD card and not placeholders. Some sync systems can create entries that look like files but are not usable locally. A quick test is to copy one file from SD card to internal storage and try playing it.

6. Use Reliable Storage Fixes If The SD Card Is Unstable.

If your SD card intermittently disappears, shows 0 bytes, or triggers frequent “Preparing SD card” notifications, the issue may be card health, reader contacts, or file system corruption. These problems often present as “MX Player not detecting videos,” but the root cause is the storage layer.

6.1 Back Up First, Then Run A Disk Check On A Computer

If you suspect corruption, back up what you can before attempting repairs. On a Windows PC, you can use built-in tools to check and repair the drive. On macOS, Disk Utility can verify and repair file systems it supports. If the card is failing physically, repairs may worsen data loss, so prioritize copying important files first.

6.2 Reformat Only After You Have A Verified Backup

Reformatting an SD card can resolve persistent file system errors, but it will erase data. If you choose to reformat:

• Use the phone’s storage settings if you will primarily use the card in that phone.
• Consider using the SD Association’s official formatter on a computer for standards-compliant formatting.
• After formatting, copy a few videos back and test MX Player detection before restoring everything.

6.3 Replace The Card If Errors Keep Returning

Flash storage wears out. If you repeatedly see corruption, slow reads, or missing files across multiple devices, replacing the SD card is often the only long-term fix. This is especially true for cards used for continuous recording, frequent deletions, or heavy rewriting.

7. Version-Specific Tips For Android 11, 12, 13, And 14.

Android storage behavior depends heavily on OS version. The same MX Player build can behave differently across devices due to vendor changes and the evolution of Android’s media access APIs.

7.1 Android 11 And Scoped Storage Reality

Android 11 further reinforced scoped storage behavior. Many apps can no longer freely scan arbitrary directories without using approved APIs. If MX Player offers a modern folder picker flow, use it instead of relying solely on automatic scanning.

7.2 Android 13 And “Photos And Videos” Permission

Android 13 introduced granular media permissions that separate photos and videos from music and audio. If MX Player only has audio access, it may not list videos. Re-check permissions after any OS update.

7.3 Android 14 And App Compatibility After Updates

After major OS updates, it is common for apps to need an update to align with the latest platform behaviors. If you have tried the permission and folder access steps and nothing changes, update MX Player to the latest version available for your device, then restart the phone and re-grant permissions.

8. A Practical Step-By-Step Checklist To Fix It Fast.

If you want the shortest path to a fix, follow this order. It starts with the safest changes and escalates toward storage repair.

8.1 Quick Fix Order

1. Confirm videos are visible in a file manager on the SD card.
2. Grant MX Player permissions for photos and videos (and audio if needed).
3. In MX Player, use folder view and add or select the SD card folder via system picker.
4. Remove folder exclusions and check for a .nomedia file.
5. Clear MX Player cache, reopen, and rescan.
6. Reboot phone and reinsert SD card to trigger remount and indexing.
7. Test by copying one video to internal storage and verifying playback.
8. If SD card is unstable, back up, then repair or reformat, or replace the card.

8.2 What To Do If Only Some Videos Are Missing

If MX Player detects the SD card and shows some videos but not others, focus on these possibilities:

• Those files are in a folder containing .nomedia.
• The missing files have unusual extensions or are partially downloaded.
• The files are DRM-protected or use a codec/container that does not index cleanly.
• The SD card has bad sectors where those files are stored, causing read failures.

9. FAQs About MX Player And SD Card Video Detection.

9.1 Why Did MX Player Stop Detecting SD Card Videos After An Update?

Two common reasons are (1) Android storage rules changed or were enforced more strictly, requiring you to re-grant permissions or reselect folders, and (2) MX Player’s app data or scan database did not migrate cleanly. Updating the app, re-granting permissions, and using folder access through the system picker resolves many post-update cases.

9.2 Does MX Player Need “All Files Access” To See SD Card Videos?

In many cases, no. Android increasingly encourages apps to use media-specific permissions and approved APIs rather than broad file access. If MX Player provides a folder picker method to grant access to the SD card directory, that approach is often the correct fix without relying on overly broad permissions.

9.3 Will Reformatting The SD Card Fix Detection Problems?

It can, but only if the underlying issue is file system corruption, incompatibility, or repeated mount failures. Reformatting will not fix a simple permission or folder exclusion issue, and it will erase data, so it should be a last resort after you have tried app permissions and rescanning.

9.4 Why Can My Gallery App See Videos But MX Player Cannot?

Different apps use different access methods. Some rely heavily on Android’s media database, while others scan folders directly. If MX Player cannot see the SD card, it may not have permission to read that location, or it may need you to grant folder access through the system picker even though another app already has access.

9.5 How Do I Prevent This From Happening Again?

• Keep MX Player updated so it stays compatible with Android storage changes.
• Avoid frequently moving an adopted (encrypted) SD card between devices.
• Use stable folder structures and avoid placing videos under app-private directories.
• Back up important videos before major OS updates.

If you work through the steps above and MX Player still cannot detect videos, the most revealing diagnostic is this: can any app reliably browse and copy those video files off the SD card? If the answer is no, focus on SD card health. If the answer is yes, the issue is almost always permissions, folder access via the system picker, or hidden folder exclusions.

Citations

• Request app permissions. (Android Developers)
• Scoped storage overview. (Android Developers)
• Photo picker and media access changes in Android 13. (Android Developers)
• SD Memory Card Formatter (official formatting tool). (SD Association)