Did you just delete a photo off an SD memory card and it turns out that you actually really need that photo? And you’re freaking out right now? Don’t worry. This article will get you covered.
Can you recover deleted photos from SD card?
Yes, we can.
The way SD cards work is that if you delete a photo, it doesn’t remove the photo off the card right away. You can’t see that photo anymore, but overtime as you use the card, it will overwrite that deleted photo. So as long as you haven’t used it, there’s a great chance to recover deleted photos from SD card.
That said, it’s necessary to immediately stop using your SD card once you realize that the pictures have been erased accidentally. Don’t do anything before you find a way to get back these pictures in the following parts.
Likewise, if you need to recover deleted photos from Mac, here are several ways for your reference.
How to recover deleted photos from SD card with computer?
With the aid of computer, you are allowed to recover photos from SD card using software or any backup resources. Let’s dive into the details.
Part 1. Recover SD card photos with software
Firstly a piece of SD card recovery freeware will be introduced for you to retrieve photos from SD card free, while the limitation is that it works only on Windows operating system. So when you’d like to do the photo recovery on macOS, head over to our second software which supports both Mac and Windows.
1# Recuva
Developed by Piriform Software, Recuva is an effective tool for undeleting or salvaging files deleted from internal and external hard disks, USB flash drives, memory cards, portable media players or all random-access storage mediums. Although both Free and Pro version available, its standalone free version has the ability to handle many tricky data loss scenarios on Windows, like photo deletion in SD card, without limited amount of data.
Steps to recover deleted photos from SD card free on Windows:
- Insert your SD card into a Windows PC.
- Download, install and open Recuva on the PC.
- Choose the file type (Pictures) you want to recover and click Next.
- Select the SD card to scan.
- “Enable Deep Scan” option is recommended to be ticked. Then click Start for recovery.
- Wait for the scanning to complete.
- Select the deleted pictures you need, and click Recover button.
2# Cisdem Data Recovery
Compared to Recuva, Cisdem Data Recovery for Mac and Windows performs even better in recovering photos from SD card. With modern UI, quick scan speed, advanced recovery algorithm, and high recovery rate, it tops the list of numerous competitors on the current market, trusted by millions of users. Moreover, Cisdem can rescue recently and permanently deleted photos from iCloud. Data recovery from crashed computer, Linux, NAS, etc. are also supported.
How to recover deleted photos from SD card on Mac or Windows:
- Download and install Cisdem Data Recovery, run it on your computer.
- Connect your SD card with your computer with a card reader. Cisdem will automatically detect and display the memory card.
- Choose SD Card mode, select the card you desire to recover photos from, and click Search for lost files button.
- After scanning, all recoverable items will be listed based on different categories. Go to Type and choose Pictures folder, locate those photos you deleted earlier.
- You can double click on them to have a preview.
- Select them and click Recover to save your SD card pictures to a safe location.
Part 2. Restore SD card photos without software
In case you don’t wish to use software on computer, the only option to recover SD card photos is turning to backup. But we may access to the backup in different ways.
The first one is built-in backup. Computer users tend to make a backup copy of their important files using some built-in utilities. If you’re among them, try to look for your mistakenly deleted photos by Mac Time Machine, Windows File History, Previous Versions, System Restore, etc.
Another one is cloud backup. Partial SD card users form a habit to upload their precious pictures to online platforms for saving, such as Apple iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. In that situation lost photos could be easily restored from SD card through logging in your cloud account and specifying the photo copies.
The other one is computer’s internal memory. It’s possible that you have ever imported the photos from SD card into your device’s storage disk. Now you should search for your erased photos in Mac Photos app, Mac Trash bin, or Windows Pictures folder, Windows Recycle Bin, or other location where the SD card pictures are potentially stored.
How to recover deleted photos from SD card without computer?
No computer wanted? See below for 2 tips on how to recover deleted photos from SD card on Android phone. Both tips are free of charge and are feasible under given cases.
Tip 1. Recover deleted photos from SD card on Android phone for free in Recently Deleted album
Suppose that your photos were removed recently, like within 30 days, seize your time to check if they still retain in the Recently Deleted album on your Android device. The recovery process can be finished without effort.
- Go to Photos app on the Android.
- Tap on Albums > Recently deleted.
- Find and select your deleted photos > hit on Restore. If SD card photos are not present here, they might be deleted permanently, then just proceed to next method.
Tip 2. Recover deleted photos from SD card on Android phone for free in Google Photos
Many Android users usually choose Google Photos as the cloud storage for their pictures. The deletion of your SD card photos will be synced in Google Photos, but you can still get them back in its Trash Bin.
- Launch Google Photos on your Android phone.
- Tap on Library at the button of your screen > choose Bin.
- Find the trashed photos you want and recover them from SD card for free.
Recover photos from SD card right now!
Photos being deleted off an SD card issue can be caused by unintentional deletion, SD card formatting, virus attack, device corruption, power failure, or any other factors. Regardless of the error, though, it’s always a good practice to keep a backup going to stop future data loss. If tragedies have happened, the most trustworthy way to recover SD card photos must be adopting a SD card recovery program.
