How to Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card

In the current market scenario, smartphones have been equipped with increased storage. This is done to cope with the safekeeping of documents and media in this digital era. However, sometimes it becomes a necessity to use a secondary storage medium to backup data. The easiest option that comes to mind is the SD card.

Backing up data or merely storing content is good until you realize that to make up for the reduced storage you have deleted some photos which meant a lot to you. This mistake leaves you to wonder how to recover deleted photos from SD card free.

Part 1: Why you can recover deleted photos from the SD card?

SD card proves to be beneficial to us but also has a problem of data loss. Whether you delete photos or you notice that some photos are missing, you should immediately stop using the SD card. If you wish to recover those files, this is the safest way. This segment deals with circumstances in which it is possible to recover deleted photos from sd card.

When certain photos are deleted, it appears that space is freed to store new data. Well, it is partially correct. The deleted photos are stored as cache data until new media is stored in the card. The number of old photos permanently cleared is somewhat directly dependent on the number of incoming media. To restore deleted or lost photos, proceed further down the article.

Part 2: 3 Ways to Recover Deleted Photos From an SD Card

Recovering deleted photos from an SD card is not hardware-based. General methods to recover deleted photos from SD card include software. Whether you are a Windows user or a Mac, the following steps can be followed to recover data for free.

• Way 1: Corrupted SD card

When fortune prevails, tough measures need not be taken. Occasionally, a corrupted disk result is unknown data loss. Fixing the disk drive can return your media directory to normal. Simple command prompt operations can do the trick.

Step 1: Connect the Android device to the PC and take note of the drive letter.

Step 2: Access the Start menu and then select All Programs. Now under Accessories, select “Command Prompt”.

Step 3: Now, enter the command chkdsk followed by the drive letter.

Step 4: Hit enter to run the process to fix the corrupted drive.

• Way 2: Renaming Drive Letter or Reinstalling the drive

The computer cannot read external drives with letters C, D, or E. This is because these letters are generally used for system drives. Once renamed, your PC can easily read the SD card connected via a card reader.

Step 1: Remove the SD card from the device in which it is used.

Step 2: Connect the card to the computer and right-click on “My Computer” or “This PC” and then on Manage.

Step 3: Now, click on “Disk Management” to load Virtual Disk Service (VDS).

Step 4: Now locate the SD card and right-click on it.

Step 5: This shows the available readable drive letters. Select one according to your preference.

Reinstalling the device driver can sometimes do the trick. Follow the steps to achieve the same.

Step 1: Connect the SD card and click on “This PC” or “My Computer”.

Step 2: Upon right-click, select “Device Manager” from the menu.

Step 3: Double Click on the “Disk Manager” and then right-click on the SD card.

Step 4: Tap uninstall and confirm your choice by clicking on OK.

Step 5: Remove the SD card from the computer and restart the system.

Step 6: Reconnect the SD card to reinstall the device driver automatically.

Hopefully, now your computer will read the card properly and display the contents.

• Way 3: Wondershare’s Recoverit

The above procedure is useful for corrupt SD cards or obvious system faults. However, this might not be the case for you. What you exactly need is the software to recover photos. This was efficiently addressed by Wondershare. Wondershare’s Recoverit has made SD card photo recovery easier than ever. The simple user interface lets users freely recover data without any hassle.

Recoverit allows us to restore data from SD card for free. The wide range of supported operating systems like Windows 10/8/7 and MAC 10.13, 10.12, etc. has increased its popularity even more. The efficiency of the software is proved by the fact that it can also recover data due to formatting, corruption, or even a virus attack.

Follow the steps down below to successfully recover important photos with an ease.

Step 1: Install and launch Recoverit.

Step 2: Connect the SD card to the PC.

Step 3: From the list of available drives, select the SD card.

Step 4: After this, scanning the card for recovery is essential. Clicking on “Start” fires up a process that scans the SD card for recoverable photos.

Step 5: On completing the search, Wondershare’s Recoverit displays a list of files that can be restored.

Step 6: The software gives you the privilege to get your files previewed before recovery. Hence, preview the files to know which one you want.

Step 7: Now it is finally time to restore the data. Click on “Recover” button at the bottom and you will be able to get your photos back with ease.

The Bottom Line

The above procedure helps retrieve data but can be a bit tricky. Fetching your precious moments are awarding when these procedures are followed. Hopefully, now you know the various effective methods to recover photos from SD card.

---

Interesting Related Article: “SD Card vs. SSD: Is There Really a Difference?“