SD cards are portable storage devices which provide expandable storage to your smartphones and many devices. Sometimes you may encounter instances when data, including your precious and memorable photos, get deleted from these SD cards. Losing important photos from the SD card can be a painful experience, but with the correct SD card recovery methods you can easily restore lost data.
Luckily, there are several methods for photo recovery from SD cards available online that can help you to restore deleted photos without formatting. This guide will walk you through some quick and easy approaches to help you know how to recover photos from an SD card without formatting, ensuring that you retrieve your precious memories. So let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What Causes Deletion of Photos from SD Cards?
Before diving into the SD card recovery methods to restore deleted photos, it is important to understand why such instances usually occur. Some common reasons are:
- Accidental Deletion: You may have unintentionally deleted photos while managing files or performing other tasks on your device.
- Corruption: SD card corruption due to improper removal, file system errors, or malware is also the main reason for deleting files, including photos.
- Formatting: Accidental formatting of the SD card erases all its content, including photos.
- File Transfer Errors: Interruptions or errors during file transfer between devices can cause sudden loss or deletion of photos.
- Physical Damage: Damage to the SD card due to exposure to extreme conditions or mishandling.
Understanding the exact cause can help to choose the appropriate method for photo recovery from SD and prevent future data loss.
Before you Proceed…
Now that you are familiar with the reasons for photo loss issues on your device, it’s time to start with the photo recovery methods. Before attempting any recovery, it is important to follow below-given precautions to maximize the chances of successful photo retrieval:
- Stop Using the SD Card: Avoid saving new data on your SD card, as this can overwrite the lost photos and make the recovery process quite complex.
- Safely Remove the Card: Always eject the SD card safely to prevent further corruption.
- Use Reliable SD Card Recovery Tools: Opt for trusted and well-reviewed recovery software to avoid malware and ensure effective recovery.
Quick Methods to Recover Lost/Deleted Photos on SD Cards
In this part of the blog, we’ve outlined some commonly used SD card recovery methods that you can apply to restore lost or deleted photos on SD cards without formatting:
Method 01: Use Professional Recovery Software
If you are looking for an easy and quick approach to recover lost photos on SD cards, then a professional photo recovery software can help you out. Recovery tools like Stellar Photo Recovery allow you to restore lost or deleted multimedia files such as photos, videos, and audio files in a few simple steps. You can easily recover deleted photos from any internal or external storage device, including SD cards, HDDs, SSDs, etc.
Key Features of Stellar Photo Recovery:
- The software supports recovery of photos deleted due to any reason, including accidental deletion, formatting, corruption, virus attacks, etc.
- Recover lost RAW image files of popular camera brands, such as Canon, Sony, Nikon, and many more.
- Can recover deleted photos of multiple file formats, including JPEG, JPG, TIFF, HEIC, GIF, PNG, PSD and more.
- Allows you to preview recoverable files before saving them on your device.
Here’s how to recover photos from an SD card without formatting using the Stellar Photo Recovery tool:
Step 1: Download, install and launch the Stellar Photo Recovery software on your Windows/Mac device. Launch the software and from the homepage, select the storage drive or volume where your deleted photo was stored before deletion and click Scan.
Step 2: After successful scanning, preview the recoverable files and choose the photos you need to restore and select the ones that you want back.
Step 3: Click the Recover button to save selected photos at the desired location.
Method 02: Using Command Prompt (Windows)
To recover deleted photos without using any third-party SD card recovery software, you can use Windows’ in-built Command Prompt utility. This method best works for minor file system errors. All you have to do is:
- Firstly, insert the SD card into your Windows computer using a card reader.
- Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run prompt, type CMD and press Enter to open the Command Prompt.
- Type chkdsk X: /f (replace X with the drive letter of your SD card) and press Enter. This command will check and fix file system errors.
- After completion of this process, check if your recovered photo is present in a newly created folder on that SD card.
Method 03: Using Disk Utility (Mac)
Mac users can use built-in utilities like Disk Utility to recover lost or deleted photos or to fix various disk-related issues. Follow the below steps to recover your photos on Mac using Disk Utility:
- Connect your SD card to your Mac using a card reader.
- Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
- Now, choose your SD card from the list of drivers and click the First Aid button to check for and repair and file system errors.
- Check the SD card for recovered photos after the successful completion of the repair process.
Preventive Measures to Avoid Future Data Loss on Your SD Card
Follow the below-given preventive measures to avoid the deletion of photos on your SD cards:
- Regular Backups: Regularly backup your photos to multiple locations, such as cloud storage and external hard drives.
- Safe Removal: Always use the ‘Eject’ option before removing the SD card from devices.
- Avoid Physical Damage: Handle the SD card carefully and store it in a protective case.
- Antivirus Protection: Keep your devices protected with antivirus software to prevent malware infections.
Wrapping Up
When you find photo loss on your SD card, don’t lose hope as with the right tools and methods, you can easily recover deleted photos. Whether you choose to use SD card recovery software or built-in utilities, the key is to act quickly and follow the steps carefully. By understanding the causes of photo loss and taking preventive measures, you can safeguard your precious memories and ensure they remain intact.
