Accidental deletion of photos from a memory card can occur due to various factors, such as mistakenly pressing the “Delete” button, formatting the card, or damaging the device. Losing valuable images can be extremely frustrating. In this article, we will explore methods for recovering deleted photos from a memory card. We will discuss different recovery techniques and provide tips for preventing data loss in the future.
Contents
- How to Recover Deleted Photos from a Memory Card
- Free SD Card Photo Recovery
- Recovering Photos from an SD Card with RS Photo Recovery
- Recovering Photos from an SD Card When It Becomes RAW
How to Recover Deleted Photos from a Memory Card
To restore photos from an SD card on mobile devices, you can try using mobile apps designed for iOS or Android operating systems. Search for “data recovery” programs in the App Store or Google Play and attempt to recover the photos using these apps.
If mobile apps are unable to recover the photos, or if you are using a different device, you will need to recover the photos using a computer.
If the device can be connected to a computer via USB in data transfer mode, you can try this connection. However, it is recommended to connect the SD card using a card reader, as this ensures that the data recovery programs can fully access the card.
Note: Most laptops have a built-in card reader, usually located among other ports on the side of the case.
While some PCs have a built-in card reader, it is more common for them to not have one. In such cases, you can purchase an external USB card reader for your PC.
Next, you will need to use a data recovery program on your computer.
Free SD Card Photo Recovery
One solution for recovering photos from an SD card for free on a Windows computer is the Windows File Recovery console utility. To use this utility, you must connect the SD card using a card reader.
Windows File Recovery is compatible with Windows 10 and 11, supports SD cards as well as NTFS, ReFS, FAT and exFAT file systems. Detailed instructions on how to use this utility can be found in the article “How to Use Windows File Recovery“.
Unfortunately, Windows File Recovery may not be able to help in all cases. The SD card may have an unsupported file system, or the utility may not be able to locate the photos you need to recover. In such situations, you will need to use more effective data recovery programs.
Recovering Photos from an SD Card with RS Photo Recovery
One of the best solutions for recovering deleted photos from an SD card is the RS Photo Recovery. This program supports SD cards and almost all file systems.
RS Photo Recovery is an effective program specifically designed for recovering deleted photos from an SD card. It can restore images that have been deleted normally, as well as those lost due to software crashes, virus attacks, formatting, or logical damage to the memory card. It specializes in image file recovery.
Note: If you need to recover not only photos, but also other types of files from the SD card, you should use a more comprehensive alternative to RS Photo Recovery, such as RS Partition Recovery. The latter allows for the recovery of any type of data.
Let’s now look at how to recover deleted photos from an SD card using RS Photo Recovery.
Download the program and install it. Follow the software wizard to proceed.
In the list of removable media devices, select the memory card.
Select the type of data analysis. There are two options available. The first is a quick scan, which is suitable for recovering existing or recently deleted photos. This scan is performed quickly.
The second option is a full analysis, which is recommended for more complex cases, such as recovering long-deleted photos, photos lost due to a card failure, formatting, logical damage, relabeling and so on. This analysis may take longer.
Next, you will be presented with filters to narrow down the scope of the data analysis. If there are many photos stored on the SD card, using these filters can make it easier to find the desired photos in the analysis results. You can specify the file type, size, creation date, modification date, or opening date.
In the analysis results, you will see the photos found by the program. Deleted photos will be marked with a red cross. All these photos are available for recovery. For easier selection, the program offers different views, including a preview and image properties. Mark the desired photos with checkmarks.
Choose a photo recovery method.
Specify the saving path. The path should not be the original one, meaning you should save the recovered photos on your computer and not on the memory card from which the photos are being recovered.
If you have a large number of photos and want to restore them with their original folder structure, you can use the “Restore folder structure” option.
Save the photos and retrieve them in the specified location.
Recovering Photos from an SD Card When It Becomes RAW
If your SD card becomes RAW, meaning it is listed as a RAW disk in Windows Explorer and Disk Management when connected via a card reader, you can still recover photos from it.
RAW indicates a corrupted or missing file system on the storage device. While Windows may not have access to such a memory card, the RS Photo Recovery program does. It supports data recovery from logically damaged media.
In this case, you will need to use the RS Photo Recovery as described in the previous section of the article. Specify the storage location of the photo SD card that is listed as a RAW disk.
After recovering the photos, you can restore the memory card. The steps for this are the same as for a flash drive and you can find detailed instructions in the article “Flash Drive Recovery After Unsuccessful Formatting”.