Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

SD Card Reader SUPER Slow in 2021 M1Pro MBP 16"

So I know Apple didn't splurge for a top-o-the-line SD card reader in the new 16" 2021 MacBook Pro, but this is ridiculous. The SD Card reader is insanely slow. How slow? Pop in an SD Card with only 30 16GB RAW files on it, and it takes 30+ minutes to import the files to Lightroom Classic. Used the SD card reader in my 5 year-old OWC Thunderbolt port, and the same card will import in 30 seconds.


Anyone have a clue what could be causing the SD Card reader to do this?

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 12.0

Posted on Nov 3, 2021 8:43 PM

Reply
Question marked as Best answer

So I found the solution: Basically, the card reader doesn't support anything slower than UHS-I ... so if you have older slower cards in older slower cameras, your shiny new MBP won't like those cards, and you'll need to replace them with newer SD Cards.

Posted on Nov 4, 2021 1:40 PM

84 replies

Dec 16, 2021 4:07 PM in response to Gregory Simpson1

Same here! I’ve had my 16inch max for two weeks and I’ve never experienced such slow import/export on Lightroom. I have another call with Apple tomorrow but for the meantime I’m back on my 7 year old iMac! Can you believe after spending £3600 on it!!

mom currently trying to export my Lightroom catalog so I have it for my old computer and it’s now over 1 hour and still not exported 🙈

Dec 17, 2021 2:57 PM in response to Command_F

[Update] I updated to macOS 12.1 today (from 12.0.1). A big improvement!


I repeated the load of 101 Canon CR3 files (about 20MB each) and the transfer was much faster. The 10-15s wait before anything started was gone and the transfer was much faster. It's still slower than my external card reader but it's now perfectly usable.


Well done Apple.

Dec 23, 2021 1:27 PM in response to Gregory Simpson1

I finally received my MBP M1Max, and I just experienced this issue, which I hadn't heard about previously, though now I see how many people are affected. Horribly slow and crashed when reading from my SanDisk Extreme Pro 95mb/s card. Confirmed that using my older Avotch USB-C dongle worked as it had on my 2017 that I just replaced. While the card reader was not nearly the main reason I upgraded, I was really looking forward to having that slot back. Apple needs to fix/replace depending whether it's hardware or software. With the problem as widespread as it is, it's hard to understand how they didn't catch it prerelease.

Dec 24, 2021 11:04 AM in response to Gregory Simpson1

It would seem that all posts are omitting the software used to import the images. My experience is similar to everyone else's when I attempt to import images into Adobe Lightroom Classic (Version 11.1 Universal Application) Sometimes I get the window, sometimes I crash. Never get to import.


I attempted the import with Apples Photos app. same stack of images. They imported so fast that I didn't even realize it was done. (8 raw images taken with my dslr)


Just wanted to see if anyone's else slow issues are across the board in every app or just specific apps. Perhaps we need to be in Adobe's forums...

Dec 25, 2021 9:59 AM in response to Gregory Simpson1

This is completely unacceptable! I bought this to replace a 2015 iMac; its internal SD Card runs circles around this thing. So disappointed - I feel like many corners were cut to deliver the 2021 M1Pro MBP 16" in some dumb update cycle regime. Apple please develop a fix or issue us refunds for these models. It is absolutely ridiculous to market this to creative pros and have such a slow interface on an internal. Not happy at all.

Dec 26, 2021 5:19 AM in response to vnyne100

Just the Finder in my case, no third-party software involved. However, my problem cards are now working fine after the macOS 12.1 update (which is perhaps consistent with Apple's Photos working properly for you).


I would be surprised if this was a problem with Adobe, or other, software. If that software is working OK with an external reader then the only thing that's changed is the card reader and its "device driver" – whatever parts of macOS that present the device to the application software.

SD Card Reader SUPER Slow in 2021 M1Pro MBP 16"

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.