FastRecovery
How to Recover Deleted Photos from Sony Camera Easily
Accidentally deleted photos from your Sony camera? Don’t worry, here in this post, we’ll guide you through how to easily recover deleted photos from Sony camera in 3 free tools.
By Ivy / Updated on May 8, 2026
Can I recover deleted photos from my Sony camera?
“I own a Sony Cybershot camera. I accidentally deleted a photo that I was very pleased with while reviewing the photos I had just taken. My camera does not have an undo button. Can I recover deleted photos from my Sony Cybershot camera?” - Question from Reddit
Yes! You can recover deleted photos from a Sony camera or other cameras, like Nikon camera. This is possible because when you delete a photo from a camera's SD card, the photos will not instantly be erased. The files remain on the SD card but are marked as ready to be overwritten. So they won’t be permanently deleted until new photos come and overwrite them.
Immediate action to maximize photo recovery rates
As mentioned earlier, recovering deleted photos is possible, but the success rate depends on the immediate action you take.
- Stop using the Sony camera as soon as you accidentally delete your photos. This includes taking new photos or formatting the SD card, which may cause data overwriting.
- Remove the SD card from your camera and store it somewhere safe until you are ready to begin the data recovery process.
- Identify the possible cause of data loss on a Sony camera. The common reasons are accidental deletion, formatting, power failure, virus infection, etc.
- Pick a reliable data recovery tool. You can use Sony's Memory Card File Rescue, Microsoft's Windows File Recovery, or third-party software - FastRecovery.
3 Free Tools to recover deleted photos from Sony camera
We'll go over 3 free tools on how to recover deleted pictures from Sony camera in this part.
Option 1. Retrieve photos from Sony camera via FastRecovery [Fast & Powerful]
The first option is to recover photos from a Sony camera SD card using the best Sony digital camera recovery software - FastRecovery. With an intuitive interface and simple operation, you can recover deleted photos in just several steps, with a high success rate.
FastRecovery-
Intuitive and easy-to-use interface, without technical skills required.
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Scene matching scan algorithm - Quick Scan for deleted files (e.g., photos) while Deep Scan for complex scenarios, such as formatted drive, virus attack, etc.
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Search, filter, and preview files, especially useful for recovering specific files or folders.
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Recover deleted documents (e.g., recover Word files), images, audios, videos, compressed files, emails, etc., over 1000 data formats.
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Supports different Sony cameras, such as FX2, Cybershot, Alpha, RX100, ZV-E10, etc., and memory cards.
Download, install, and launch FastRecovery on your computer, and connect your SD card to a computer with a card reader.
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Don't download and install FastRecovery on the SD card where you store deleted files, as this may cause data overwriting.
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Any newly added data or disk formatting can overwrite data. Please avoid these operations after realizing data loss.
Step 1. Click USB/SD Card Recovery after accessing FastRecovery. You can also choose a more suitable alternative. All of them can help you retrieve data without causing any damage.
Step 2. Hover the mouse over the SD card and click Scan to get started.
Step 3. It will start a Deep Scan to find all deleted or missing files. You don't need to wait much. Scan time mainly depends on disk size and health, especially regarding bad sectors or file system corruption.
Step 4. Wait for the process to complete. The software is designed to organize and display data by Type (default) or Path, offering options to sort, search, filter, and preview files, thus making it easier to locate files.
👉Under the Type section:
- Specify the data type and click the arrow next to type, size, date modified, etc., to sort files.
- To locate files quickly, type the file name or extension in the search box.
- Or use the filter feature, similar to the Type category, allowing you to further specify the size of files, from less than 512 KB to 1GB above.
- Once found, double-click the files to preview.
👉 Under the Path section: Directly navigate to the original location where you saved deleted files. Sort files if needed.
- The Type categories and filter options include all supported data types, such as images, videos, documents, mails, web pages, compressed files, etc.
- You can preview a wide range of data formats, such as wav, ico, jpg, png, bmp, jpeg, tif, svg, gif, mp4, mp3, txt, xlsx, pdf, ini, docx, etc.
Step 5. Select deleted photos and click the Recover button. Please choose a new location to save your recovered photos.
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Restoring deleted photos to the original camera card will cause data overwriting.
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The free edition only supports 500MB of data recovery. To recover more data, please upgrade FastRecovery to the advanced editions.
Option 2: Recover photos from Sony's Memory Card File Rescue Software
Memory Card File Rescue is a data recovery software, released by Sony, and designed to recover deleted photos and videos on some Sony memory cards, such as CFexpress Type A Memory Card, CFexpress Type B Memory Card, XQD Memory Card, SD Memory Card, Memory Stick, etc.
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Photo |
JPEG, RAW photo (Sony ARW, Nikon NEF, Canon CR2 & CR3, 3D photo (MPO) |
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Video |
MPEG-1 (mpg, mpeg), MPEG-4 (mp4), MPEG-4 AVC (mp4, XAVC S, AVCHD, MOV, MXF), and so on |
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Other |
Documents |
Step 1. Download Memory Card File Rescue and install it on your computer. Please enter the model name and necessary information to download the software.
Step 2. After installing, open this software. On the Introduction window, click Next to continue with recovery. You will be asked to select the drive containing memory media. Select the SD card and click Next.
Step 3. Check the drive information and click the Run button to proceed.
Step 4. It will start the recovery process automatically. Just wait patiently.
Step 5. Check the files you want to recover and click Next. Please select a new location to save them if you don't want to lose any data.
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Files saved on a memory medium formatted by a PC or camera may not be recoverable.
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Game data and content-protected music and movies are not supported.
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This software is only verified to operate with Sony memory media currently on the market.
Option 3. Recover photos from Sony camera with Windows File Recovery (for Technicians)
Another option for you is to recover deleted photos from SD card using CMD. Specifically, Windows File Recovery will be used. Because this method involves command lines, it is a little more technically demanding. Besides, its recovery rate still remains to be proven. Aside from these, please note that this tool only works with Windows 10 versions 2004 and up.
Preparation work before using Windows File Recovery:
To use this tool, check out your File System first. Go to This PC > right-click on the external drive that contains the deleted files > click Properties.
In addition, you need to use recovery mode and switches to get back your files. To decide which mode to use, refer to this table.
| 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 |
Switches are used to filter the scanning range, thus can save the scanning time.
| Switches | Meaning | Supported mode(s) |
| /n | Filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc. | All |
| /y: | Recover specific extension groups. | Signature |
| /k | Recovers system files. | NTFSSegment |
| /u | Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin. | NTFSSegment |
Step 1. Download and install Window File Recovery on your computer from Microsoft Store and then open it.
Step 2. Open Powershell or Command Prompt (run as administrator). In the Command Prompt, enter commands in the following command format:
winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
For example, if you need to recover deleted photos from F: drive (the SD card) to D: drive, then the command will be like:
winfr F: D: /regular /n *.jpg
Conclusion
This post primarily introduces 3 free tools on how to recover deleted photos from Sony camera. You can use FastRecovery, Memory Card File Rescue, or Windows File Recovery to perform Sony camera recovery. We hope both of them can assist you in recovering your deleted photos.
Before finishing, here are some pointers to help you never lose your photos on your Sony camera again:
- Maintain a regular backup of your Sony camera photos. To ensure that your data is never lost, use smart backup solutions such as AOMEI Backupper.
- Always handle your Sony camera and SD card with care during the transfer process.
- In the event of data loss, remember to choose the best data recovery software to save time and energy.
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