Connecting SD card reader to MacBook Air M5 without USB-C or SD card slot

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Connecting SD card reader to MacBook Air M5 without USB-C or SD card slot

Hi, I'm about to purchase a simple slide scanner (looking at Kodak Slide & Scan) to try to digitize some of the 20,000+ slides of my parents. (I know there are far better quality scanners, but I'm after speed & quantity with this project, not perfect quality). It saves them onto an SD card, but now that my new MacBook Air M5 has no USB-C or SD card slot, I have no idea what connectors to buy (or if they'll even work) to try to download off the SD card. Can anyone give some recommendations? Many thanks

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.6

Posted on Sep 24, 2026 7:16 AM

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Servant of Cats

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Sep 24, 2026 8:48 AM in response to femaleNYS

There are lots of USB card readers that plug into USB-A or USB-C ports. Many standalone ones for $10 – $20, and you can also find them built into hubs, docks, and even all-in-one printers.

Look for one that

Has a USB 3.0 interface. (Some have slower USB 2.0 interfaces.)
Supports SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards. (If a reader's description says it can read SDXC cards, that implies that it can read the other two types as well.)

One that plugs directly into USB-C would be most convenient, but it is not hard to go between USB-C and USB-A with the aid of an adapter.

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