How to Recover Deleted Files from SD Card

SD cards are a great way to add more storage space to your mobile device. But they’re very fragile and it won’t help if you misuse them. Aside from being placed inside mobile devices, they’re also used in cameras. That’s why they usually contain a lot of precious data.

Thus, when your SD card doesn’t seem to work or when you mistakenly delete files, you can lose a lot of important data you’ve been keeping. In this guide, we’ll teach you how to recover deleted files from SD card. This is useful when you accidentally delete certain files you can’t afford to lose. Let’s get started.

Part 1：First Things First, Do Not FormatPart 2：Quickly Recover Deleted Files from SD CardPart 3：Top Tips to Help Avoid Data LossPart 4：To Wrap It All Up

Part 1：First Things First, Do Not Format

If you want to recover deleted files from SD card, do NOT format it. In this way, restoring the files will be easier. Formatting the SD card will erase all the files contained within it and probably delete remnants of mistakenly-removed files.

First, you have to try to find another card reader. For instance, when you have inserted your SD card on a mobile phone, try to insert it onto your laptop or desktop computer. Or, you can try another laptop if it doesn’t work.

This is because of the fact that the reader (and not the SD card) might be the actual problem. You can try out different card readers to make sure the issue is with the actual SD card and not the reader itself. Now, let’s get on to the meat of this article -- actually restoring the data you lost or accidentally deleted.

Part 2：Quickly Recover Deleted Files from SD Card

In order to restore files that have been removed from your SD card, you must use a data recovery software. Not all tools are created equal, that’s why you must use a data recovery software that can actually restore the lost data for you.

This is where FoneDog Data Recovery comes in. The said tool has a professional wizard enabling you to easily and safely restore deleted files such as images, videos, music, documents, emails, and other data types. It can also restore data from your computer’s Recycle Bin.

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FoneDog Data Recovery is available for both Windows PCs and Mac computers. Thus, you don’t have to worry if you have only one type of operating system. It supports the restoration of data among different storage devices such as computers, external hard drives, SD cards, USB sticks, digital cameras, and other removable drives.

The tool allows you to make two different types of scans, Quick Scan and Deep Scan. For faster speeds, you should opt for Quick Scan. However, if you want to scan more files at a deeper level, you should opt for the Deep Scan mode.

Here are the steps you should follow in order to use the tool to recover deleted files from SD card.

Step 01 - Plug in your SD card to the computer.

Step 02 - Download, install and launch FoneDog Data Recovery on your computer.

Step 03 - Select the device you want to restore the files from. In this case, we are going to select the SD card we plugged into the computer.

Step 04 - Click “Scan.” After this, wait until the process is complete. It will display a list of files you can recover.

Step 05 - Select the data type(s) and actual file(s) you wish to restore.

Step 06 - Then, click “Recover.”

Part 3：Top Tips to Help Avoid Data Loss

SD cards, along with other storage devices, are not perfect. If they fail you might need to recover deleted files from SD card. Thus in order to avoid losing data, you must follow the tips below:

Go For Reliable SD Cards

Instead of buying cheap SD cards from manufacturers that are not reliable or known, you must invest your money in reliable memory cards. Do your due diligence and opt for memory cards from trusted companies such as Lexar and Sandisk.

It is best to get the professional series of SD cards as opposed to the regular ones. However, if you have a budget you want to stick to, you can opt for older versions of professional series SD cards. It is important to note that these older versions tend to be slower compared to the latest ones.

Always Back up

If you are a media content enthusiast, for instance, you should always back up your photos, videos, and music on external hard disk drives or computers. You can even opt for cloud storage when backing up data. Options for cloud storage include Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud. Most laptops have SD card readers of their own. You can buy card readers to plug into your laptop, in order to transfer files from your memory card to your computer.

Label Multiple Cards

Do you have multiple SD cards? You should label them one by one in order to avoid reusing storage cards that are at full capacity. This is useful for photographers who use a lot of memory cards for different events, landscapes, or travel destinations. This helps you prevent the reusing of the same SD card.

Choose The Right Memory Card Storage Size

There are people who don’t want memory cards that have a large capacity. This is because once the card becomes corrupt, they will lose insane amounts of data. However, other people wouldn’t want a lot of memory cards that have small storage capacities. This is because physical damage to these cards can cause the corruption of files. Frequently changing and replacing cards on devices can lead to the damage of SD cards.

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Part 4：To Wrap It All Up

We have given you the best solution on how to recover deleted files from SD card. This comes in the form of the data recovery software we’re raving for -- FoneDog Data Recovery. It helps you recover different file types such as music, video, images, documents, and emails, among others. Plus, it helps you recover data from different storage devices including internal hard drives, external hard drives, USB flash drives, SD cards, and a whole lot more.

What’s your take on our article? How do you recover your lost data especially if you deleted them by accident? Let us know in the comments section below.