Data loss in SD cards is an everyday sight because memory cards are used in almost all devices in the digital era that we live in, With factors like accidental deletion, virus attacks, and corruption contributing to the losses.
Except for the Physically damaged SD cards, you can recover lost SD card files by yourself. Simply stop using the SD card to avoid data overwriting and explore all the reliable solutions listed in this article.
Just like how different factors cause data loss on SD cards, there are different solutions to restore the SD card data. But we understand that you would be impatient and skeptical about the choices that you are making. We appreciate that.
Data recovery software will be the ideal choice when you don’t have a backup of the SD card data. When you choose the right one that ensures data integrity and is easy to use SD card recovery is a cakewalk.
Make no mistake about that because wrong choices can potentially complicate the data recovery process and make lost data unrecoverable.
We suggest CAT Data Recovery. Why? First, it is free to download and try and it checks the benchmarks of an ideal SD card recovery software. The tool can recover data from SD cards right from the first scan which is considered a sign of an efficient recovery tool.
This software has been my go-to option whenever I have lost photos on my SD cards, micro SD cards, USB, Hard drives, and other storage devices.
Steps to use CAT Data Recovery software for SD Card Recovery
Download and Install the software on your computer and follow the steps below:
Step 1: Click on Recover Files and select your SD card from the Storage Devices column.
Step 2: Hit on Scan and the scanning process will be initiated.
Step 3: Once the scan is complete, data that can be recovered from your SD card will be displayed in Data View or File Type View.
Step 4: Double-click on the recovered files to preview them for free.
Note: The Preview feature is supported only for media files.
Step 5: Click on Save and select your desired location where you want to save the recovered SD data.
Note: You can purchase the product key and save the recovered data. Choose a different safe location to save the recovered SD card data to avoid losing them again.
If CAT Data Recovery software didn’t work out for you there are other free software options in the market that you can try that do not harm the recovery process.
Remember: You are taking a risk here, these options may not have a user interface or tech support when you need help.
Apart from these disadvantages, these software can perform fairly decent in recovering SD card data (considering it is free).
Windows File Recovery: Micorosft’s very first attempt at Data Recovery, this tool is good in retrieving lost data on NTFS partitions, it can recover some of the modern video formats as well.
However, the software lacks a user interface, and crashes occasionally during the scan, The software kept pretty basic without any sorting or any other helpful features.
TestDisk: TestDisk is an open-sourced recovery software that lacks a command line tool, it supports FAT32, NTFS, exFAT, and file systems. The tool is good at recovering SD card partitions rather than individual files.
Other than deletion, formatting, and corruption there are other “SD card issues” that threaten the data in it. Continue reading as the next section will help you solutions to troubleshoot some of the common SD card issues and restore your SD card data.
Try the solutions if fixing errors is your priority, Some of the fixes can erase or overwrite the SD card data.
| Issues | Solutions |
| SD card Read-Only Error | 1. Check the connection, and clean if it’s dirty. 2. Try a different adapter. 3. Update the SD card drivers. |
| SD card Not Recognized | 1. Run Chkdsk Command to repair the corruption issues on the SD card. 2. Run the Error Checking tool. 3. Format the SD card. |
| SD card Data Cannot be Accessed | 1. Unhide the SD card data 2. Use the attrib command to change SD card file attributes |
| SD Card Is Not Showing Files | 1. Use Diskpart Command. 2. Format the SD card. |
All the above solution restores SD card data when it is a deletion or other logical issues in your SD card, but what about Physically damaged SD cards?
When you notice cracks, scratches near the connector (PCB), or any other damage that has cost your SD card data, you need Professional Recovery services that have both expert and expertise to restore your SD card data.
Reach out to a professional data recovery service that falls under your budget and has a good track record of recovering SD card data in recovering data from broken or damaged SD cards.
Here are some suggestions that can help you safeguard the SD card data.
Backup: Take backups of the SD card data in an external hard drive or cloud storage to protect them in events like file loss, corruption, or SD card failure.
Handle Carefully: Ensure your SD card is in ideal environmental conditions and avoid physical pressure on SD cards to protect from physical damage.
Use Reliable Cards: Always invest in branded SD cards to reduce the chances of corruption or SD card failure.
Scan for Viruses: Use updated antivirus tools to scan the SD cards periodically to avoid virus attacks damaging the SD card file system.
Use Write-protection: Enable the write-protection to prevent unintentional deletions and modifications on your SD card data.
Be a novice user or a tech expert accidents can happen at any moment, There are chances of losing data even when you trying to take a backup of SD card data.
So you must be watchful whenever you handle data on SD cards with this we would conclude the article here with the hope you found it helpful and insightful about recovering your SD card data and protecting them in the future.