How to Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card [FREE/PAID]

SD cards are a convenient and useful storage option for digital cameras, camcorders, and other mobile devices. However, data loss can occur, and if you've lost images from your SD card, don't worry - the focus should be on recovering them.

This write-up provides information on professional software to help recover deleted photos from an SD card in Windows 11/10/7, Mac, and Android, as well as some free solutions that don't require downloading software.

Quick Navigation: Part 1. Tips to Increase Success SD Card Photo Recovery Rate; Part 2. Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card on Windows/Mac/Android [High Success Recovery Rate]; Part 3. Retrieve Deleted SD Card Pictures without Software [Not 100% Working]; Part 4. Further Reading: Tips for Preventing Photo Loss on SD Card in the future; Part 5. How to Remove Similar/Duplicate Pictures from SD Cards to Save Space; Part 6. Frequently Asked Questions for SD Card Photo Recovery

Tips to Increase Success SD Card Photo Recovery Rate

When you accidentally delete images on your card, the related data isn't removed right away. Instead, the device marks the space as free and hides it in an index table. The photos may seem gone, but they're still on the card unless you overwrite them. You can still recover them, and following some tips can increase your chances.

⛔ As soon as you realize you've deleted the photos, stop using the SD card for any other purpose to prevent the images from disappearing permanently.
🗞️ Avoid (re)formatting of the memory card.
🗳️ If you've lost photos from your SD card, check if there's a backup. If not, look for reliable SD card recovery software to increase your chances of recovering the deleted photos.
✅ To ensure proper data reading from a memory card, make sure you're using a USB cable and a card reader that are compatible with the memory card itself. This will guarantee that the data is read correctly and efficiently.

Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card on Windows/Mac/Android

Losing precious photos due to accidental deletion or a corrupt SD card can be devastating. However, there's still hope for recovery, even without a backup. With the right tools, you can attempt to retrieve your cherished memories from the SD card.

Here, we offer you a piece of secure and dependable SD card recovery software - Deep Data Recovery. It has a user-friendly workflow and layout, being powerful and flexible at the same time, and can automatically repair corrupted photos during the data extraction process.

📜 Applicable Scene:: Accidental deletion, formatting/erasing, loss when transferring/pasting/copying/cutting, card corruption, file system showing as RAW, access denied, and more.
🏷️ Supported SD Card Brands:: SanDisk, Lexar, Sony, Kingston, PNY, Samsung, Integral, Transcend, KOOTION, INLAND, Verbatim, Gigastone, V7, KODAK, Bestsellinc, Skyoyo, Gigastone, SP Silicon Power, READYXIO, SUPERDUODUO, TOPESEL, Ritz Gear, Alisinsen, Nuiflash, Nuiflash, NUILAKS, Patriot Memory, and more.
📋 Supported Flash Memory Type:: SD/SDHC/SDXC/Micro SDXC/Micro SD/Micro SDHC
🗃️ Recoverable Picture Types:: Jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, orf, gif, tif, tiff, epx, nrw, cr2, raf, nef, dng, sr2, arw, raw, rw2, dcr, kdc, erf, 3fr, mef, pef, srw, mrw, mdc, max, indd, psd, dwg, dxf, hpgl, hp, hpg, plt, skf, dgn, cdr, dcd, dcf, eps, emf, fmz, fzb, fh10, fh11, fh9, fh7, fh8, raf, shp, gue, gmp, ico, jp2, lwo, lws, gdb, mb, mix, vsd, vss, vst, pcx, pdf, scr, psp, ppm, pgm, pbm, hcr, biz, qxp, qxd, qxb, qxl, qpt, cad, x3f, sdr, sdt, swi, db, tcw, wmf, xar, dib, jpe, jfif, hdr, tga, exif, fpx, svg, pod, ufo, cgm, pict, pic, cmx, cur, ani, clk, mos, and more.
🗂️ Other Valuable Features:: It seamlessly helps retrieve videos, photos, or any other format of files from memory cards from the camera.; The separate versions of software for Mac and Windows devices give you the ease of use and flexibility to recover files from a hard drive, SD card, USB drive, pen drive, etc.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

How To Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card in Windows 11/10/7

Connect the SD card to your PC.
To start, download and install the software, and then proceed with launching it.
To recover lost photos, select a target card and click on the 'Scan' option to initiate a scan of your lost photos.

When the process is complete, a list of missing files will appear on the screen. Click the preview button to verify the files before proceeding.
Save the required files by selecting them and tapping the 'Recover' option.

recover permanently deleted photos from sd card

Note: If you can't find deleted photos in the "Deleted files" folder, try checking the "Other lost files" or "Tags" folder instead.

How To Restore Deleted Photos from SD Card on Mac

To download and install Mac data recovery software, start by opting for the software on your Mac device. If you see a message on your screen that prevents software installation, check the options under System preferences to resolve the issue. Additionally, ensure that the option to 'Install apps from App Store and identified sources' is enabled.
To connect your SD card to your Mac, make it an external hard drive, then launch Qiling and tap the 'Next' button. If you want to speed up the scanning process, deselect any unnecessary files before starting.

Select the drive representing the SD card in the next window and tap on 'Scan' to initiate the process. Once started, simply relax and let the process end.

Once the scanning process is finished, you can view all the pictures found on the SD card. Select the ones you need and click 'Recover' to save them on your Mac. That's it!

recover deleted photos from sd card on mac

Note: If you can't find the target files in their original location, you can click "Deep Scan" to extract more data, or check the files in the XXX(RAW files) folder. This trial version can help you recover up to 200M photos from an SD card on Mac for free.

How To Recover Deleted Picture from SD Card on Android

If you accidentally delete photos from your Android phone's internal storage, Deep Data Recovery won't be able to help you as it can't get root permission to scan this storage. However, you can still use the Photos Recovery tool for Android to recover your deleted photos.

Launch the app and click the "Start Scan" button.
Check to find photos after scanning is complete.

recover deleted photos from sd card on android phone

Select them and save them to Android storage.

Retrieve Deleted SD Card Pictures without Software

Losing pictures can be frustrating, but don't panic! In most cases, you can recover deleted photos from your phone, computer, or camera's SD card without using software. While it's not a 100% guarantee, giving it a try is worth a shot.

Ways 1. Use CMD

If you're looking to recover deleted photos from an SD card without using software, the Command Prompt (CMD) can be a useful tool. It can help fix various SD card issues, such as data corruption and accidental deletion. To recover deleted files using CMD, simply open it and type in the necessary commands.

To open Command Prompt as an administrator, start by tapping on the Start menu and typing "Command Prompt". From the search results, right-click on Command Prompt and select "Run as administrator".
To run the check disk on the specified drive, open the Command Prompt, type "chkdsk E:/f", replacing "E" with the actual drive letter where the deleted pictures were located, and press Enter.
To move forward, type Y and press Enter. This will initiate the examination process.
To execute the command, type `attrib -h -r -s /s /d E:\*.*` and press Enter. This will remove the hidden, read-only, and system attributes from all files and subdirectories on the E:\ drive.

recover deleted photos from sd card free

Go to the original folder to check the returned images

Ways 2. Check Recently Deleted Menu

Mac computers have a built-in feature called "Recently Deleted" that allows users to recover deleted photos within a specific time frame, providing an option to restore accidentally deleted images.

To access the "Recently Deleted" album in the Photos app, simply open the app and navigate to the left menu, where you'll find the "Recently Deleted" album. Tap on it to view the deleted photos and videos, and you can then restore or delete them permanently from there.
From here, you can choose which photos you would like to resave and click "Recover" to restore them to their original location.

recover deleted sd card photos by Recently Deleted

The photo is only available for 30 days after being removed from Google Photos, so check it as soon as possible after you notice it's missing.

Ways 3. From Google Photos

Google Photos is a great solution for storing and sharing photos, and syncing it will back up pictures to Google's servers, allowing for recovery of deleted photos even without software.

Open "photos.google.com" on PC.
You can search for deleted photos by going to Google Photos and looking for the "Trash" folder. If you're unable to find them there, you can also try searching for the photos in the Google Photos search bar. If you're still unable to find them, you can also try checking your device's storage for any deleted photos.
Now, select the images you require to restore.
You can then tap on the option of 'Save to device.'

Note: If you can't see deleted photos in Google Photos, check the Trash folder via the Menu, as deleted photos remain there for 60 days.

Ways 4. From iCloud

If you've removed pictures from your iPhone's internal storage and are looking to recover deleted photos from an SD card, consider using iCloud. This service automatically stores each picture you take in the cloud, making it easier to access and recover your photos.

Go to the Settings application.
Click on iCloud and then the Photos option.
Go ahead with turning on iCloud Photos.
Select the Recently Deleted option in the sidebar.
Select the destination file and click the "Recover" button.

The process of recovering deleted photos may take some time due to internet speed, so it's essential to keep an eye on the app for a while.

How to Remove Similar/Duplicate Pictures from SD Cards to Save Space

One of the most common complaints among camera owners is that they can never seem to have enough storage space on their SD cards, especially when taking many pictures or videos. To free up space, one effective solution is to remove duplicate or similar pictures, a task that can be simplified with the help of tools like iBeesoft Duplicate File Finder.

Download and install iBeesoft Duplicate File Finder.
Select the camera memory card to scan.

select sd card to scan duplicate pictures

Select duplicate photos and click "Remover" to remove them.

Frequently Asked Questions for SD Card Photo Recovery

Here are some frequently asked questions about SD card recovery deleted photos. You can check them out to solve your troubles.

How to prevent SD card corruption from causing photo loss?

You can do some things to protect your SD card from damage. First, ensure to only insert and remove the card from your camera or other device using clean hands (avoid touching the gold contacts on the card). Second, don't expose the card to extreme temperatures or situations where it could become wet. Finally, consider investing in a high-quality SD card case or holder to help protect the card while it's not in use.
Can you recover things deleted from an SD card?

You can recover deleted files from an SD card using helpful data recovery software such as Qiling. You must make sure your SD card is not damaged physically, or the data does not get overwritten.
What is SD card photo recovery?

It retrieves deleted or lost photos from an SD card. This can be done using special data recovery software, which scans the SD card for any recoverable files.
What is the best SD card photo recovery software?

The answer to this question depends on a few factors, including what type of SD card you are using and what kind of files you hope to find. If you are using a standard SD card, then data recovery software like Recuva or Photorec should be able to help you resume most types of files. However, if you use a higher-capacity SD card, such as an SDXC or microSDXC card, you may need to use specialized recovery software like Deep Data Recovery.
How can I recover deleted photos from my camera SD card for free?
If it is an internal Android card, you can try recovery software for Android (DiskDigger, PhoneRescue, Dumpster). If it is an expansion card, you can follow the steps below to SD card recover deleted photos free:
1. Connect the memory card to the computer and download and install Qiling free data recovery software.
2. Click "Go to setting" to filter file types.
3. Select the SD card and hit the scan button.
4. After scanning, select the found pictures to save.
Can I recover permanently deleted pictures from my SD card?

Yes, in most cases, you must act quickly. The longer you wait to attempt recovery, the greater the chance that the removed files will be overwritten and lost forever. Therefore, connecting the card to your computer as soon as possible is essential and starting the SD card deleted photo recovery process.
Can I restore photos from a damaged SD card?

If the damage to the SD card is physical (e.g., the card was bent or otherwise physically damaged), then it's unlikely that any data recovery will be possible. However, if the damage is logical (e.g., due to access denied, showing as RAW, etc.), then there's a good chance that at least some of your photos can be recovered.
Can I get back pictures from a formatted SD card for free?

It doesn't matter if you use "Quick Format" or "Full Format" mode to erase the memory card as long as you don't save a new file. You can rely on Deep Data Recovery to help you recover photos from a formatted SD card for free.
How long does recovering deleted photos from an SD card take?

The time required for SD card deleted photo recovery will vary depending on how damaged it was at the time of loss and the amount of data to be recovered. In most cases, the process can be completed within 1 hour.
Is there a risk of damaging my SD card during recovery?

During SD card recovery of deleted photos, there is always a risk of damaging the storage device. However, this risk can be minimized by working with professional data recovery software.

Conclusion

An SD card is a convenient tool for storing images and other data, offering portability and increased storage capacity for mobiles or digital cameras. However, users may lose photos on an SD card due to various reasons, but there are full solutions available to recover permanently deleted photos on Mac, Windows, and Android phones.

We also offered various ways to recover lost photos and remove duplicate photos from memory cards. These methods are freely available and can be used to help you. Once you've recovered your deleted photos from the SD card, be sure to back them up to avoid going through this process again.