How to Recover Photos and Videos from Memory Card?

Summary: Here are three ways to recover photos and videos from a memory card. The first method involves using backup to restore lost files. The second method involves using the Command Prompt on Windows to repair a memory card with no physical damage. The final method involves using Stellar Photo Recovery Software to recover files by scanning and previewing recoverable files before selecting and restoring them to your computer.

How to Recover Photos and Videos from Memory Card?

Have you accidentally deleted your precious photos and videos from your memory card? Don’t worry, all hope is not lost! There are multiple ways to recover photos from SD cards for free.

In this article we will explore:

• 3 ways you can recover photos from the SD card for free
• Use your backup
• Use Command Prompt
• Use Stellar Photo Recovery Software
• Answer FAQs like what are the causes and symptoms of a corrupt memory card

Also Read: How to recover deleted photos?

3 Ways you can recover photos and videos from memory card:

1. Use your backup

Depending on your device and backup software the following steps may vary. With your backup, you can recover photos from the SD card for free.

1. Log in to your cloud storage account or open the backup software that you used to back up your photos and videos, for example Google Drive.

2. Navigate to the location where your backup is stored. This may be a folder or specific backup file.

3. Select the photos and videos that you want to recover. Depending on your backup software, you may be able to preview the files to ensure that you have selected the correct ones.

4. Download the selected files to your computer or device. Depending on the size of the files and the speed of your internet connection, this process may take some time.

5. Once the files have been downloaded, verify that they are complete and undamaged.

6. If the files are complete and undamaged, transfer them back to your memory card using a card reader or directly to your camera or smartphone, depending on your preference.

Also Read: How To Fix “SD Card is Damaged, Try Reformatting it” Error?

Here is a guide to help you locate backup software to recover photos from the SD card for free.

Backup Software	Device
iCloud	Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac)
Google Photos	Android devices, Google account
Google Drive	Android devices, Google account
Microsoft OneDrive	Windows devices, Microsoft account
Dropbox	Various devices (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Amazon Photos	Amazon devices (Fire tablets, Fire phone), Amazon Prime account
Carbonite	Windows and Mac devices
Backblaze	Windows and Mac devices
Acronis True Image	Windows and Mac devices

Note – This is not an exhaustive list and there may be other backup software options available for each device to help you recover photos from the SD card free.

Also Read: How to Recover Photos Disappeared from SD Card?

2. Use Command Prompt

This method is only recommended if your memory card does not have any physical damage. To recover photos from the SD card for free:

• Connect your memory card to your computer via a card reader or USB cable.
• Open the Command Prompt by typing “cmd” in the Windows search bar and selecting “Command Prompt” from the search results.
• In the Command Prompt window, navigate to the drive letter associated with your memory card by typing the drive letter followed by a colon (e.g. “E:”) and pressing Enter.
• Type “chkdsk /f” followed by the drive letter associated with your memory card and press Enter. This will check the memory card for errors and attempt to fix them.

• Type “ATTRIB -H -R -S /S /D .” and press Enter. This will remove any hidden, read-only, and system attributes from all files on the memory card.
• Type “DIR /A /S /B” and press Enter. This will list all the files on the memory card, including hidden and system files.

• Use the arrow keys to scroll through the list of files and identify the photos and videos you want to recover.
• Type “COPY” followed by the file path and name of the file you want to recover, followed by the destination folder where you want to save the recovered file, and press Enter. For example: “COPY E:\DCIM\100MEDIA\IMG_1234.JPG C:\RecoveredFiles”
• Repeat step 8 for each file you want to recover, changing the file path and name and destination folder as needed.
• Once you have recovered all the files you want, safely eject the memory card from your computer.

Also Read: How to Recover Missing Files & Folders After CHKDSK Command?

3. Use Stellar Photo Recovery Software

The SD card data recovery tool is a low-effort and efficient method to recover photos from an SD card for free.

• Go to the Stellar Photo Recovery page.
• Click on “Free Download” to download the software and install it on your computer.

• Connect your memory card to your computer using a card reader.
• Launch the Stellar Photo Recovery software.
• Select the type of data you want to recover, such as photos, videos, or audio.
• Choose the location of your memory card from the list of available drives and click on “Scan”.

• Wait for the software to scan your memory card for lost or deleted files.

• Once the scan is complete, you will see a list of recoverable files.
• Preview the files to ensure they are the ones you want to recover.
• Select the files you want to recover and click on “Recover”.

• Choose a location on your computer to save the recovered files.
• Wait for the software to complete the recovery process.
• Once the recovery process is complete, you can access your recovered files on your computer.

Note – The free version of the SD card data recovery tool only allows you to recover 10 photos from the SD card for free.

Also Read: Get the Activation Key of Stellar Photo Recovery Software

Now that we have covered 3 ways to recover photos from the SD card for free, let’s move on to some other questions you might have.

FAQs

1. What are the symptoms of a corrupt memory card?

• Inability to read or write data to the card
• Files on the card are missing or inaccessible
• Error messages when accessing the card or files on it
• Slow transfer speeds or freezing during data transfer
• The card is not recognized by devices or computers

Also Read: Best Ways to Fix Corrupt SD Card/ Memory Card

2. Can you recover photos from the SD card for free which have been permanently deleted?

Yes, if the space previously occupied by the deleted files has not been overwritten by new data.

3. Why does data loss happen from memory cards?

• Physical damage to the memory card
• Corrupt file system or formatting errors
• Accidental deletion or formatting of data
• Malware or virus infection
• Power surges or sudden removal of memory card from the device

4. How many photos can I recover from the free version of Stellar Photo Recovery software?

You can recover 10 photos from the SD card for free. We offer 3 licensed versions of deleted photos and video recovery software to help you recover up to 6TB of data.

5. How can I recover corrupt photos?

With Stellar Photo Recovery’s Professional plan, you can repair corrupt JPEG/ JPG and camera-specific RAW image files from Nikon, Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus, and others. Learn more here.