# Is non-volatile memory immune from the effects of magnets?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-non-volatile-memory-immune-from-the-effects-of-magnets/558311>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 25, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-non-volatile-memory-immune-from-the-effects-of-magnets/558311 "2010-10-25T18:52:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![human\_extinction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/839c29/32.png) [@human\_extinction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/human_extinction)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-non-volatile-memory-immune-from-the-effects-of-magnets/558311/1 "2010-10-25T18:52:22Z")

</div>

Hey guys,

Simple put: strong magnet + flash drive = data corruption? Why and How?  
Thanks!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-non-volatile-memory-immune-from-the-effects-of-magnets/558311/2 "2010-10-25T19:10:20Z")

</div>

I don’t know that a magnet could actually flip bits in the flash chip itself. I _suppose_ it’s possible that moving a really strong magnet near a flash drive might induce a current in some of the conductors/traces which could damage the chip.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![human\_extinction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/839c29/32.png) [@human\_extinction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/human_extinction)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-non-volatile-memory-immune-from-the-effects-of-magnets/558311/3 "2010-10-25T19:14:02Z")

</div>

Indeed - which is why I want to how for sure.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-non-volatile-memory-immune-from-the-effects-of-magnets/558311/4 "2010-10-25T19:31:25Z")

</div>

Well, I suspect [some kinds of non-volatile memory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_core_memory) were affected by magnetics.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-non-volatile-memory-immune-from-the-effects-of-magnets/558311/5 "2010-10-25T19:38:27Z")

</div>

An ordinary flash memory drive is not vulnerable to damage from a magnetic field:

1. The flash drive does not use magnetic fields to store data.
2. The voltages induced by a hand-held magnet on a flash drive are too low to damage the circuitry or erase the flash cells. You typically need a magnet moving at a very high speed and/or a coil of some kind to induce a high voltage.

However, if you had a powerful enough magnet, you might be able to mechanically damage components in the flash drive by the force of magnetic attraction, depending on what materials it uses. So I wouldn’t treat them as completely compatible.