[Best Practices] How to Recover Photos from SD Card on Windows/Mac/Android?

by Lorena Hill

Updated on 2023-05-17

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5min read

SD cards are a popular storage option for saving photos on a variety of devices such as Android phones, digital cameras, and DSLRs. However, it's not uncommon to accidentally delete photos from an SD card in a rush and regret it later. In some cases, photos can also be lost due to accidental deleting, formatting, file corruption or virus attacks when the card is connected to a compromised system. Regardless of the cause, losing cherished photos due to deletion can be incredibly frustrating since photographs often hold sentimental value. In this article, we are presenting some simple solutions to recover photos from SD card on Windows/Mac/Android. Furthermore, we will discuss a high-end data recovery software designed specifically for retrieving deleted photos from SD cards.

Part 1: Is It Possible to Recover Deleted Photos from Memory Card?

It is frequently feasible to retrieve deleted photos from a memory card. Deleting photos from a memory card does not necessarily erase them right away. Rather, the space they previously occupied is marked as available for new data. If the deleted photos are not overwritten by new data, it is possible to recover them using specialized data recovery software. It is crucial to stop using the memory card as soon as the deleted photos are noticed to increase the likelihood of a successful recovery.

Part 2: Most Effective Way to Recover Photos from SD Card - Eassiy Data Recovery

Not every data loss scenario is the same, and it's possible that conventional methods may not recover deleted photos from an SD card. In such instances, innovative solutions are necessary to reverse the data loss and retrieve lost photos. Fortunately, there is a powerful technology available named Eassiy Data Recovery which is designed to address queries like how to recover pictures from SD card. This software is a user-friendly yet professional program that can recover various file types, including photos, videos, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and more. It can retrieve lost files due to several causes, including accidental deletion, virus attacks, emptying the trash bin, or operating system updates. Moreover, Eassiy Data Recovery is completely secure.

Key Features:

  • Completely secure and user-friendly.
  • Retrieve over 1000 file formats, comprising photos, videos, documents, audio, and emails.
  • Supports retrieving data from more than 2000 storage devices, such as PCs, USB drives, SD cards, cameras, hard drives, SSDs, and more.
  • Eassiy Data Recovery swiftly retrieves all lost data from your computer or external device.
  • Pause or resume the scanning process at your convenience, without any restrictions.

Here are the steps to recover photos from SD card.

Step 1: Open the program and connect the external storage device from which you desire to retrieve deleted data to your computer. After connecting, Eassiy Data Recovery will automatically detect the external drive, such as an SD card, and include it in the list of drives that can be scanned under the Removable Drive option. To choose the external device, simply check the corresponding box under the Removable Drives option in the list.

Eassiy Data Recovery step 1 | recover photos from sd card

Step 2: This program provides two scanning modes: Quick Scan and Deep Scan. Quick Scan is quicker and ideal for recent data loss, whereas Deep Scan is more comprehensive and recommended for complicated data loss scenarios.

Eassiy Data Recovery step 2 | recover photos from sd card

Review the scanning results of the external drive (SD Card) in the form of a type list and path list to determine whether your desired data has been located for recovery.

Step 3: After the completion of the scanning process, select the desired files for recovery and then click on the "Recover" button.

Eassiy Data Recovery step 3 | recover photos from sd card

Note: To simplify the process, utilize the search bar to locate files by name or path, and modify the preview mode by tapping the icons next to the "Filter" button.

Part 3: Free Way to Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card on Windows/Mac

Are you looking for free ways to recover photos from SD card? Here we are providing free ways to recover deleted photos from SD card on Windows/Mac.

Way 1: Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card on Windows using CMD

CMD or Command Prompt is the default command-line interpreter for Windows and OS/2 operating systems. Here are the steps to perform SD Card photo recovery using CMD.

Step 1: Attach your SD card to the computer and search for "Command Prompt" in the Windows Search Bar. Once located, right-click on it and select "Run as administrator". After that, tap on "Yes" to launch Command Prompt.

using CMD step 1 | recover photos from sd card

Step 2: Upon launching Command Prompt, type "chkdsk F: /f" (replace "F" with the letter of the drive where you lost data) and hit Enter. Then, type "Y" and press Enter again to confirm the action.

using CMD step 2 | recover photos from sd card

Step 3: Enter the drive letter assigned to the SD card and press Enter, for example, "F:", and then type the command "attrib -h -r -s /s /d ." and press Enter. This will remove the hidden, read-only, and system attributes from all files and directories on the SD card, allowing you to access them. Your recovered data will be available in a new folder on the SD card.

using CMD step 3 | recover photos from sd card

Way 2: Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card on Mac using Time Machine

Time Machine is a pre-installed backup and recovery tool on Mac computers. It can create backups of your system, applications, and files from your main disk, as well as data from external drives connected to your Mac. If you have previously backed up your data using Time Machine, you can use it to restore lost data. Follow the below steps to perform SD card photo recovery using Time Machine.

Step 1: Attach the external hard drive or SD Card that contains your Time Machine backup to your Mac.
Step 2: Tap on the Time Machine clock icon located in the menu bar, then select "Enter Time Machine".
Step 3: If you cannot locate the Time Machine icon, navigate to the Apple logo, then select "System Preferences" and click on "Time Machine". From there, select the checkbox that reads "Show Time Machine in the menu bar".

using Time Machine | recover photos from sd card

Part 4: Best SD Card Photo Recovery for Android

Eassiy Android Data Recovery is a top-rated solution for restoring deleted photos from Android phone SD cards. This software is widely recognized for supporting more than 16 file types, including photos, videos, audio, contacts, messages, call logs, and attachments, among others. It leads the industry with the highest recovery rate for photos and videos on Android devices. With its three recovery modes, users can retrieve data directly from Android devices, SD cards, and SIM cards. Additionally, Eassiy Android Data Recovery is compatible with over 6,000 Android devices and provides fast scanning speed to users.

Key Features:

  • The software boasts the highest industry rate for recovering photos and videos on Android devices.
  • Three recovery modes are offered for users: direct recovery from Android devices, recovery from Android SD card, and recovery from SIM card.
  • Have to ability to recover lost photos in any data loss scenario.
  • Supports over 16 file types from Android devices.
  • Allows you to choose the desired photos and restore them to your Android device.

Here are the steps to perform SD card photo recovery.

Step 1:  Make sure to download and install the appropriate version of Eassiy Android Data Recovery software for your computer, as there are two versions available.

Eassiy Android Data Recovery step 1 | recover photos from sd card

Step 2: First, execute the program you obtained on your computer, and afterward, link your Android device (which has an SD card) to your computer. To ensure a successful connection, activate the "USB debugging" option.

Eassiy Android Data Recovery step 2 | recover photos from sd card

Step 3: Opt for the category of the file to be scanned. Pick the file format that you wish to retrieve, and then hit the "Next" button.

Eassiy Android Data Recovery step 3 | recover photos from sd card

Step 4: When your computer recognizes the Android phone, Eassiy Android Data Recovery will request authorization to access the data on the SD card. Please grant permission to access the SD card. On your Android phone, choose "Install via USB," and when the installation prompt emerges, tap on "Install" to install the Eassiy app on your phone.

Eassiy Android Data Recovery step 4 | recover photos from sd card

Once the application is installed on your phone, it will request permission to access the Android Data SD card. You should click on "Allow" to grant permission.

Step 5: Upon granting permission to Eassiy, it will initiate a scan on your Android SD card to search for deleted data. The initial scan may not be comprehensive. If you cannot find the deleted data you seek, you may click on "Deep Scan" to excavate additional hidden files.

Eassiy Android Data Recovery step 5 | recover photos from sd card

Step 6: Upon completion of the deep scan, you will be able to view your deleted files. Choose the items you wish to recover, and then press "Recover." Keep in mind that the deleted items will be displayed in red.

Eassiy Android Data Recovery step 6 | recover photos from sd card

Part 5: Tips for SD Card Photo Recovery and Backup

Here are some tips for SD card photo recovery and backup

  • Consider using a dedicated SD card reader to ensure proper reading of the card and minimize data loss.
  • Utilize backup software to automate the backup process of your SD card upon connection to your computer. Some software may also provide the option to synchronize your photos to cloud storage, ensuring an additional copy in case of computer malfunction.
  • Set up a backup schedule as a reminder to regularly back up your SD card, whether it's daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on your camera usage and photo volume.
  • Opt for cloud storage services like Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox to conveniently back up your photos and access them from any device.
  • Create physical copies of your photos through CD or DVD burning or printing to ensure additional protection against potential data loss.

It is vital to properly eject SD cards to avoid data corruption and loss. As an SD card is being used, the device writes data onto it. If the card is removed before the data has been fully saved, it can lead to corruption or loss of data, ultimately resulting in loss of essential files or making the card unusable. Additionally, failing to eject the SD card correctly can cause physical damage to the card or card reader, leading to costly repairs or replacement of the device or card. Therefore, it is critical to always follow the manufacturer's instructions for your specific device to eject SD cards properly. These instructions may include clicking "eject" or "safely remove hardware" in your computer's operating system or using the "unmount" option on your camera or phone. By taking this simple step, you can ensure the safety and reliability of your data while prolonging the life of your SD card.

Conclusion

Deletion is the primary cause of photo loss from storage media such as SD cards, Android phones, internal storage, and so forth. Nonetheless, you can retrieve them by implementing certain methods. In this article, we have presented some simple solutions to recover photos from SD card on Windows/Mac/Android. Among the methods provided above, we recommend utilizing Eassiy Data Recovery and Eassiy Android Data Recovery to retrieve deleted photos from an SD card because they are much better than the others. Both of these programs make sure that you have a safe recovery of your deleted SD Card pictures.

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