How to get photos off SD card without formatting? Check out this post that offers detailed methods to help you recover SD card without formatting.
Users who are using SD cards will be familiar with many data loss situations.
They might have accidentally deleted photos from SD card, or, more severely, they might have met many prompts or errors, like SD card read error, or “The SD card needs to be formatted.”
Desperate! photo SD card says "not Formatted" is all lost!?
I put the card back in the camera to hook up the entire camera to the computer and the camera said: "card not formatted - format card?"
- Question from Fordor’sTravel
That’s not quite common and easy, which usually indicates that the SD card went corrupted.
You might be wondering why the SD card would get corrupted.
In general, the causes of SD card corruption are various.
If the SD card was physically damaged, it will be extremely difficult. If the SD card can still be recognized, it is still feasible for you to solve the problem of how to get photos off the SD card without formatting.
How to get data from SD card without formatting? Some commands and tools would be helpful.
The Recover command in CMD is a command used in Command Prompt to recover readable info from the good sectors on a corrupted device.
It uses the parameters to scan the hard disks. The syntax goes like this:
As the format has shown, it requires the exact directory and filename to recover the files.
Step 1. Input cmd in the search box > start Command Prompt > choose Run as administrator.
Step 2. Input diskpart > list disk > select disk 0 > list volume > select volume 1. Please replace the number here with the real drive letter of your affected drive.
Step 3. Input recover [drive:][path]filename.
Let’s take an example, suppose you want to recover 1 picture stored in a folder named “photos” on the F: drive
recover f:\photos\travle01.jpg
The method mentioned above can only restore 1 file in one time, which is extremely inconvenient and only applies to users who only need to restore a few photos from SD cards.
If you need an easier and more convenient method, the Windows File Recovery tool will be an option.
It is also a command-line app that can recover deleted and missing files from corrupted hard drives. But because it offers no graphical user interface, it will be pretty tough for ordinary users.
It uses recovery modes and switches to scan for data from the SD cards.
File system | Scenarios | mode |
NTFS | Deleted recently | Regular |
NTFS | Deleted for a while | Extensive |
NTFS | Formatted disk | Extensive |
NTFS | corrupted disk | Extensive |
FAT and exFAT | Any | Extensive |
To decide which mode to use, you need to check the file system first. Open This PC > right-click on the drive that has lost files > Properties.
Switches are to help you target the wanted files.
Switches | Meaning | Supported mode(s) |
/n | Filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc. | All |
/y: | Recovers specific extension groups. | Signature |
/k | Recovers system files. | NTFS Segmentβββββ |
/segment | Segment mode; recovers files under NTFS drives using file record segments. | Segment |
/signature | Signature mode; recovers files under all file system types using file headers. | Signature |
/u | Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin. | NTFS Segment |
To learn more about the recovery modes and switches, refer to the How to use Windows File Recovery guide.
Now follow the guide to solve the problem of corrupted SD card recovery.
Step 1. Go to Microsoft Store > search for Windows File Recovery > click Get > after installation, click Open to start it.
Step 2. Input the recovery command.
Command format: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
Here the source drive must be different.
E.g., winfr F: D: /extensive /n *.jpg /n *.png
Step 3. Then input y to continue. Wait for the program to process and scan the SD card for lost pictures.
The recover command and Windows File Recovery add difficulties to common users to some degree, especially the later one that uses complex parameters. Ordinary users will prefer an easier way to recover data from corrupted SD card without formatting.
How to get photos off SD card without formatting easily? MyRecover will be your best choice.
It is a comprehensive and convenient Windows data recovery tool that can restore data from any device.
Step 1. Download and run the app>hover the mouse over the affected SD card > Scan.
Step 2. Filters like: Size, Type, Date modified, etc., are feasible to help you target the photos.
Step 3. Go to Deleted files> check the original location > select the media files > click Recover x files. Or go to Other missing files> select Images, Videos, etc.
Not only photos, but it can also recover media files like videos, audio files, etc.
How to get photos off SD card without formatting has been introduced. Several methods are useful if you need to recover photos from your SD card. Also, some other tools like Disk Management, Disk Check, etc., will be helpful in corrupted SD card recovery.