How to Recover Photos from Corrupted SD Card Without Formatting

ByDavid Russel Reading Time: 5 minutes
card

SD cards are one of the most commonly used storage devices which are known for their amazing features, like portability, durability, storage capacity, and many more. But sometimes, these SD cards get corrupted and all your important data, including memorable photos gets deleted. If you ever encounter such corruption issues, don’t worry as you are at the right pace! This article explains how to recover photos from corrupted SD cards without formatting. 

Signs of Corrupted SD Cards

There are many signs which indicate that your SD card is corrupted. It is important to understand these signs and then apply proper SD card recovery methods to recover lost pictures from that corrupted SD card:

  • Error Message: You might get an error message while accessing files or trying to open your SD cards. 
  • Inaccessibility: Sometimes, your SD card might become inaccessible to unable to open/view files on the SD cards. 
  • File Disappearance: You may encounter sudden disappearing or deletion of files or folders from your SD card even if the storage space is occupied. 
  • Missing Storage Space: Incorrect reporting of storage space can also lead to file corruption or loss. 
  • Frequent Disconnects: Sudden or frequent disconnection or reconnection of SD card during use may cause physical damage or deletion of files from it. 

Quick SD Card Recovery Methods to Recover Lost Photos

Here are some commonly used methods that you can apply to recover deleted photos from your SD cards:

Method 01: Update SD Card Driver

Before you dive into other technical methods to recover photos from your SD card, try to update your PC drivers. Updating the drivers can help you if PC drivers are corrupt or damaged. All you need to do is:

  • Right-click on My Computer/This PC and go to Manage > Device Manager. 
  • Double-click on Disk Drivers and right-click on your SD card name. 
  • At last, select the Update Driver option and then click “Search automatically for updated driver software.” 

Once you complete the above steps, check if you can access your memory card and the required image files. 

Method 02: Use CHKDSK Command

Another best way to recover lost photos from corrupted SD cards without formatting is by using the Windows built-in Command Prompt utility. You can use the CHKDSK command to recover lost photos from faulty SD cards. Go through the following steps to recover photos from the SD card using the CHKDSK command:

  • Press the Windows + X keys simultaneously to open Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  • Now, type the command: chkdsk J: /r and press the Enter key to continue (Replace J with the drive letter of your SD card).
  • After execution of the above command, check if you are able to access the data from corrupted SD cards. 

Method 03: Try Using the Windows Repair Tool

Windows OS provides a built-in error-checking tool that you can use to repair your corrupt SD cards and then restore their lost content. If your SD card becomes inaccessible or unrecognized, there may be some read/write errors which can even delete its stored files or folders. 

In such cases, you can go through the following steps to recover photos from an SD Card using the Windows repair tool:

  • Press the Windows + E keys to open File Explorer. 
  • Now, go to This PC, right-click on your SD card and then select Properties.
  • Choose Tools > Error Checking; tap the Check button and go through on-screen instructions to scan and repair your SD card.

Method 04: Recover Photos from Corrupted SD Card Using Stellar Photo Recovery 

If the aforementioned SD card recovery methods anyhow fail to restore your lost pictures, you can try using the Stellar Photo Recovery tool. This professional photo recovery tool supports the recovery of lost files even from inaccessible or unrecognized SD cards. It can recover photos, videos, and audio files lost/deleted due to any reason, including accidental deletion, corruption, formatting, human errors, etc. 

The software offers several amazing features which make it best for your lost photo recovery. These features include:

  • It supports the recovery of images of multiple types, including JPEG, JPG, TIFF, PNG, etc. Also, it can recover RAW images and video files of multiple types.
  • Recover lost RAW image files of popular camera brands. 
  • It allows you to preview the recoverable files so you can select and save only the required ones. 
  • This photo recovery software even supports the recovery of Unicode files along with different types of media and different file formats.

Now, check the below steps to learn how to recover photos from a corrupted SD card without formatting using this professional photo recovery software:

Step 1: Download, install, and launch the Stellar Photo Recovery software on your device. Select the storage drive, volume, or external storage location from where you need to recover media files and click Scan. 

Step 2: Wait till the scanning process is completed and after that preview the recoverable files. 

Step 3: Select the recoverable files that you need to save and click the “Recover” button to save selected files at the desired storage location. 

Conclusion

Hope, the above-mentioned methods help you learn how to recover data from a corrupted SD card without formatting. Remember to stop using your corrupted SD cards and immediately apply the above SD card recovery methods to prevent overwriting of your lost photos and enjoy smooth recovery. Among them, creating regular backups of your important files, including your memorable images will help a lot when data loss occurs on your device.

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