The SD Card can be used on many electronic devices, such as Android phones, tablets, and digital cameras. It helps you to store more files, videos, and songs on the devices. Therefore, what should you do when one day you accidentally delete files in the SD Card that should be spared? Is it possible to retrieve it? Do not worry or panic. This article will provide you with two methods to recover deleted files from SD cards.
Can You Recover Deleted Files from a Memory Card?
The answer is absolutely yes. You can recover deleted files from an SD card in some situations, such as due to formatting or accidental deletion. But at the same time, there are also some cases where the data may not be recovered. Examples are given below.
- If data is permanently removed or formatted by mistake, the data can be recovered with a high probability. Yet, when data is damaged or destroyed by physical influence or a virus, data recovery will be much more difficult or even unsuccessful.
- If the SD card is heavily damaged, such as damage to the chip or board, the chances of data recovery will be low or even unsuccessful.
- If the file was deleted for a long time and you keep using the SD Card to read and write data during this period, the lost data will be hard to recover.
Method 1. Recover Deleted Files from SD Card Free
The first method is a free way to recover data from SD card by utilizing CMD (Command Prompt). It is a built-in command line utility in Windows that helps people perform system administration duties by inputting commands.
Therefore, you can command recovery through CMD, but this method has great limitations. First, this method is relatively professional and unsuitable for most people who do not understand technology. Second, this method has a high failure rate. But since it’s free, you can still give it a try. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Plug the SD card into a computer.
Step 2: Press the “Win + R” key combination, then type “cmd” and hit the Enter key.
Step 3: Type”chkdsk F: /f” and press Enter. (This command includes F which stands for SD Card’s drive letter, and this letter can be changed according to the drive letter in use).
Step 4: Press “Y” and then Enter to continue.
Step 5: Press “F,” and Enter, then type: F:\> attrib -h -r -s /s /d. And press Enter, one last time.
The above is how to use CMD to restore a lost SD Card, but please, use this method with caution. Operational errors may lead to more serious problems such as the loss of all data. So it is recommended to back up your important data before trying this method.
Method 2. Recover Deleted Files from SD Card with Software
If you cannot get back deleted files from SD card through the Command Prompt, here the second option is to utilize some specialized recovery tools that are easy to use and potentially give high success rates.
FonePaw SD Card Recovery is one of the most recommended and commendable software for recovering lost data from SD Cards. It provides the possibility to restore thousands of file types and it is fit for different kinds of data loss situations such as virus attacks. You can easily recover files from SD Card in no time at all without the need for in-depth knowledge.
FonePaw SD Card Recovery Features
- Recovers lots of types of files in thousands of formats, such as videos, pictures, audio, etc.
- Gives you a free preview of the scan outcomes so you can verify whether your lost data will be restored or not before paying.
- It works on a range of devices such as memory cards, flash drives, cameras, etc.
- Simple to use, the recovery of the data can be accomplished in just three steps.
- With a high success rate of retrieving lost files.
Step 1: Stop using the SD card and connect the SD card to the computer.
Step 2: Use FonePaw SD Card Recovery to scan the SD card.
Step 3: Preview and recover the deleted files.
Step 4: Save the recovered files to your computer.
Conclusion
Through the two methods in this article, you can recover lost files from SD card either for free or quickly. But remember, data recovery is not always successful. The most fundamental solution is to back up files regularly, and use and protect the SD card correctly (for example, press fully to insert and remove the SD card, and store the SD card in a dry ring).
