In today’s digital world, SD cards have become a popular external storage device. You can use an SD card to save files of numerous formats, ranging from photos, videos, documents, to software data, etc. However, sometimes instances occur when the stored content gets deleted from your card, which can put you in trouble too, especially if something valuable is stored on it.
Have you ever wondered what if your precious photos get deleted from your SD card? Such terrible instances can be distressful, but don’t lose hope. Fortunately, there are several photo recovery methods available online that you can try to restore lost photos. In this guide, we will explore different methods that can help you recover deleted photos from SD card.
Understanding How Photo Deletion Works on SD Cards
Before diving into photo recovery methods to restore lost photos from your SD card, try to understand what happens when a photo is deleted from an SD card. When a photo is deleted from any storage device, including your SD card, it is not immediately removed. Instead, the space deleted photo occupies is marked as “available” by the system.
The data remains intact until a new file overwrites it. This means the sooner you proceed with the recovery workarounds, the easier it will be to restore lost photos.
Common Reasons for Photo Loss on SD Cards
Understanding the exact cause of photo deletion from your SD cards can help you identify the exact SD card recovery workarounds. Some main reasons why photo loss occurs include:
- Accidental Deletion: You might have deleted photos by mistake while browsing other files on your device.
- Formatting: Formatting your SD card without proper backup leads to data loss.
- Corrupted File System: The File System gets corrupted due to improper ejection or malware, which in turn causes data loss instances.
- Virus or Malware: Malicious programs like viruses or malware can infect your SD card and corrupt its stored content.
- Bad Sectors: Continuous usage for a long time can develop bad memory sectors and cause unexpected data loss issues.
Checklist Before You Start SD Card Recovery
Now that you are familiar with the causes of deletion of photos from your SD cards, it’s time to move on to the SD card recovery workarounds. Before starting the photo recovery process:
Avoid saving new files immediately: Continuous usage of the SD card for storing new files can make the photo recovery process quite complex.
Don’t format the card again: This can also complicate the recovery.
Use a reliable card reader: Also, ensure the card is properly connected to your computer.
Quick Methods to Recover Deleted Photos from an SD Card
In this part, we will show you different methods to recover deleted photos from an SD card (with or without backups). Just go with these methods one-by-one to get access to your lost photos again:
Method 01: Use Cloud Backups (Google Photos & iCloud)
Many smartphones and cameras are synced with cloud services, which, when enabled on your device, create automatic backups. Here’s how you can recover lost photos using them:
Google Photos (For Android Users):
- Open any web browser, go to photos.google.com and sign in to your Google account.
- You can also launch the Google Photos app from your Android device
- Go to the Trash folder and check if your deleted photo is present there.
- If found, select it and click Restore to conclude its recovery.
iCloud Backups (iPhone and iPad Users)
- Go to iCloud.com, click on Photos.
- Open the “Recently Deleted” folder.
- Select your photo and click Recover.
Method 02: Recover Photo Using Device Backups
Whether you are a Windows or macOS user, your device offers several built-in backup utilities which you can use to back up your important photos. These options enable you to recover your lost photos in the event of sudden data loss issues.
On Windows (Using File History):
- Firstly, connect your external drive containing File History backup to your computer.
- Launch Control Panel, then go to File History > Restore personal files.
- Open your SD card folder, select Photos and click Restore to recover lost photos.
On Mac (Using Time Machine)
- Connect your Time Machine backup drive to the Mac.
- Launch Time Machine, and go to the SD card’s backup.
- Locate the photo you want to restore and click Restore.
Method 03: Use Third-Party Photo Recovery Software
If you don’t have any backup, don’t worry. You can restore your lost photos even without any previously created backups. In such a case, third-party photo recovery software such as Stellar Photo Recovery can be your lifesaver to get your deleted photos back. It is a reliable, user-friendly solution to restore deleted, lost, or inaccessible photos, videos, and audio files. The software supports recovery of multimedia files deleted due to several reasons, including accidental deletion, formatting, virus attacks, and many more.
You can use the Stellar Photo Recovery software to recover lost files of various formats, including:
- Image files (JPEG, PNG, TIFF, RAW, etc.)
- Video files (MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.)
- Audio files (MP3, WAV, etc.)
Not only SD cards, the software supports recovery of files deleted from various internal or external storage devices, including SD cards, USB drives, external hard disks, and even corrupt or formatted devices.
Here’s how you can recover deleted photos from an SD card using this amazing tool:
Step 1: Download the Stellar Photo Recovery software from its official website on your Windows PC or Mac. Also, connect your SD card to that device.
Step 2: Launch the software and from the homepage, select Photos (or the file type you need to restore) and click Next.
Step 3: From the “Recover From” screen, select the drive (e.g., SD card) from where your photos were lost and click Scan to initiate the scanning process.
Step 4: Once the scan is complete, use the preview feature to view photos before recovering them. Lastly, click the Recover button and choose a different drive or folder to save the recovered files.
Conclusion
When you find any photo missing from your SD card, try the above-mentioned photo recovery workarounds one-by-one to recover it. Whether you’re a casual smartphone photographer or a professional using DSLR cameras, losing photos can be a distressing experience. But the aforementioned photo recovery methods will help you know how deletion works and how you can restore your lost photos. Start with basic approaches like checking the previously created backups. If it fails, move to reliable software recovery tools like Stellar Photo Recovery. More importantly, make regular backups and treat your SD cards with care to avoid future mishaps.
