SD card recovery is often possible when the lost data has not been overwritten by new files. This guide covers how to recover deleted files from SD cards using data recovery software or backups and what to do if the SD card is corrupted.
Quick Answer: Can I Recover Deleted Files from SD Card
Deleted files from an SD card are often recoverable if the deleted data has not been overwritten.
When a file is deleted, the file system generally marks its space as available for reuse rather than immediately erasing every piece of the file data. The most important step is to stop using the SD card immediately and avoid saving new files to it.
On Windows, you can recover deleted SD card files using SD card recovery software or an existing backup. This guide explains the available recovery methods, when each method works, and what to do if the SD card is corrupted or inaccessible.
Way 1. Recover Deleted Files from SD Card with Data Recovery Software
When you delete a file from an SD card, its underlying data can remain recoverable until the storage space it occupied is reused. MiniTool Power Data Recovery can scan the SD card for deleted and lost files and recover data that is still intact.
It can be used to recover photos, videos, documents, audio files, and other common file types from SD cards. It also supports recovery after accidental deletion, formatting, file system problems, and partition loss.
MiniTool has developed several editions of this software. You can get MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free for a test to detect and recover permanently deleted files from SD card with the following steps.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 1. Connect the SD card to your computer and scan the target location.
Connect the SD card to your computer via a card reader and launch the software. In the main interface, here are two sections:
- Logical Drives: All detected partitions, encompassing internal disk partitions and external device partitions, will be listed in this section. You can choose the partition of your SD card and click Scan.
- Devices: This section will display all devices, including the internal disk and connected devices. If you want to recover files from the whole SD card, you can scan the entire SD card from this section, which will take a longer time to complete the scan duration.
Please wait patiently until the scan process is finished. You are not advised to stop the process in the midway in order to find all the files from the SD card.
Step 2. Locate your wanted files with multiple features.
All detected files are displayed on the result page, sorted by their paths into three folders: Existing Files, Deleted Files, and Lost Files. Expanding those folders one by one to locate the target files. Here are four other features that assist you in pinpointing files swiftly.
- Filter: As the name indicates, this function allows you to set filter criteria, such as file size, file type, file category, and file last modified date, to exclude unwanted files.
- Type: Different from the Path tab, files under the Type tab are classified by their types and, more specifically, file formats. For instance, to find the JPG photos, you can change to the Type tab, expand Picture, and focus on JPG.
- Search: This feature is for a specific file recovery. Type the file name (both the complete and the partial name are acceptable) into the search box and press Enter to allow the software to detect the matched items from the file list.
Step 3. Choose the required files and restore them to a new destination.
Once finding the wanted files, add check marks in front of them and click the Save button. Do not save recovered files back to the same SD card. Writing recovered files to the source card can reuse storage space that may still contain other deleted data.
MiniTool Power Data Recovery will inform you when the SD card data recovery task is completed. You can close the software and head to the destination to check files.
Way 2. Recover Deleted Files from SD Card via Backups
Previous backups are always the easiest way to recover deleted files from SD card and other devices. If you have backed up SD card files to other physical devices, such as an external hard drive, USB drive, memory stick, etc., you can connect the backup device to the computer and copy and paste the target files to the SD card.
Some of you may use Windows backup utilities to create redundant SD card files, such as File History. Despite the powerful functions of File History, it requires you to manually enable File History and add the SD card folder to the backup list in advance. With the preliminary conditions, you have a chance to recover files with File History on Windows.
Basic Solutions to Resolve SD Card Issues
As we mentioned in the forehead content, plenty of reasons lead to SD card data loss. Logical errors in the SD card are the main cause. Here are some basic solutions for you to repair the problematic SD card. Handle the issue with the following solutions.
Solution 1. Run the CHKDSK Command Line
The CHKDSK command line is used to check and repair the disk logical issues. If you get error messages like “the file system is corrupted” or other similar error information, you can run this command line to detect the file system issues. Here are the steps to execute the command.
Step 1. Connect the SD card to your computer.
Step 2. Press Win + R to launch the Run window.
Step 3. Type cmd into the dialog and press Shift + Ctrl + Enter to run Command Prompt as administrator.
Step 4. Type CHKDSK X: /f and hit Enter. You should replace X with the actual drive letter of your SD card.
After running the CHKDSK command line, you can close the window and try to access the SD card again. Check if files are lost when the SD card becomes accessible. If files are actually missing, please run MiniTool Power Data Recovery to recover permanently deleted files from SD card immediately.
Solution 2. Format the SD Card
Formatting is always a feasible solution to resolve many disk errors. However, formatting a disk will erase all the saved files at the same time. Performing a format operation after recovering SD card files with MiniTool Power Data Recovery.
Here are several methods to format the problematic SD card. In different situations, you can choose one that suits your case the most.
>> Format the SD card via File Explorer
If you can’t access the SD card in File Explorer after connecting it to your computer, you can try to format the SD card via File Explorer.
Step 1. Press Win + E to open Windows Explorer.
Step 2. Select This PC at the left sidebar. Right-click on the SD card and choose Format.
Step 3. Set the wanted file system and volume label in the small window and tick Quick Format.
Step 4. Click Start to perform the formatting operation.
>> Format the SD card with MiniTool Partition Wizard
If you cannot format the SD card through File Explorer, try MiniTool Partition Wizard. It can format the card for free and also provides other partition management features.
MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 1. Connect the SD card to your computer. Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard on your computer and launch it.
Step 2. Right-click on the SD card and choose Format. You need to set the proper file system and click OK to confirm.
Step 3. You can preview the disk status after formatting the SD card. If there is no error, click Apply to complete the suspending process.
Final Words
This post focuses on ways to recover deleted files from SD card as well as solutions to repair SD card issues. Taking precautionary measures to safeguard files is much more important than seeking methods to recover data after deleted.
If you have any problems when using MiniTool software, please feel free to contact us via [email protected]. Hope this post provides you with some useful information in time.
SD Card Recovery FAQ
Deleted or formatted files may still be recoverable if their storage space has not been reused. If the SD card is physically damaged or the data has been overwritten, recovery may not be possible.
If you accidentally delete files from an SD card, stop using it and recover them from a backup or with data recovery software as soon as possible.
After your important data is safe, you can try running CHKDSK to repair its file system or formatting the card. If the card is not detected at all or has physical damage, professional data recovery services may be required.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Shirley holds a bachelor’s degree in English and has been an editor at the MiniTool Team for many years. She specializes in IT-related content, with a focus on data recovery, file backup, disk management, and other technical topics. She is committed to delivering clear, accurate, and practical solutions to help users resolve common computer issues.
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