Advancing technology has made it easy to store large amounts of data on chips smaller than your fingertips. These tiny chips, called micro SD cards, are so convenient that they are used in all sorts of devices, from mobile phones to cameras. Since they are so common, panic sets in when the memory card is unreadable. But if this happened to you, worry not. Data loss can be solved with micro SD card recovery!
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How to Recover Data from Micro SD Card with Data Recovery Software
To recover data from a micro SD card, we recommend data recovery software. However, your chances of recovering data from a micro SD card heavily depend on the data recovery software you use. Inadequate recovery solutions produce inadequate results. So, to give yourself the best chance of success, we recommend Disk Drill.
Disk Drill supports a wide range of memory cards, including micro SD cards of various brands. It uses an all-in-one scanner to find as much data on your micro SD card as possible, even if it’s RAW. Once the scan is finished, you’re given the opportunity to preview photos and videos to ensure you’re only recovering the data that’s usable.
If your micro SD is damaged or failing, it is unpredictable and may stop working during recovery. Therefore, in these cases, we recommend you use Disk Drill’s byte-to-byte backup feature which allows you to make and scan a full image of your micro SD card to keep the original data intact. And, if you don’t have time to recover the data now, you can save the scan and finish recovery at a later time.
Follow these steps to recover files from a microSD card:
- Download and Install Disk Drill for Windows or Mac. Once the download is complete, install the software with the administrator’s credentials. This free version allows you to recover 500 MB of data. Run the program after installation.
- In Disk Drill’s main window, you will see a list of drives connected to your PC. Select the micro SD card that you want to recover data from. Click on the Search for lost data button.
- Select the files to recover from the memory card and click Recover.
- Select a location where recovered files from the micro SD card will be stored. Remember not to place the files back in the micro SD card that has errors. After recovering the files, you can move them to any location you like.
How to Recover Data from Micro SD Card with Data Recovery Services
As a last resort, you can give data recovery services a shot for recovering data from your micro SD Card. Data recovery services retrieve data from micro SD cards 98% of the time and are highly secure.
When even data recovery software fails, you should try relying on professionals to help recover deleted files from micro SD cards. Trustworthy services are highly reliable for recovering data from a variety of storage devices.
The typical recovery service begins with a free phone call and a quick cost evaluation. Even if your micro SD card is physically damaged, it might be possible to recover it. After the consultation, all you have to do is to ship the faulty micro SD card to the service provider. Their experts will try to clone your micro SD card and recover the data.
Even if you have a cracked micro SD card, data recovery professionals will still do their best to recover your data as fast as possible. Best of all, if they cannot recover your data, they won’t charge you anything.
Common Micro SD Card Issues and Fixes
There are several suspects behind micro SD card data deletion. Interestingly, there are some frequent Micro SD card issues that have quick and actionable hacks. Most of these fixes are implementable straight from your PC. Have a go at them:
🐌 Your Micro SD Card is Detected but Slow
A slow micro SD card is a common problem. While it is not as bad as losing all of your data, it indeed is frustrating. Sometimes, the read speeds can go as low as 10 MB/s on a 90MB/s.
Here’s what you can do:
- Insert the SD card into a different device and recheck its speed.
- If the issue persists, back up all of the data on the card and format it.
⛔ Your Device Cannot Recognize the Micro SD Card
If you just inserted your micro SD card into a new device, the device might not recognize it. This does not necessarily mean that the card is broken. Every device is capable of reading files in a specific file system. If the file system of the SD card and the device don’t match, the device will fail to recognize it.
This problem can be easily solved by reformatting the micro SD card. Digital cameras usually use FAT32 or exFAT file systems. They often fail to recognize NTFS formats.
- Connect the faulty micro SD card to a computer, right-click on it, and select Format.
- In the dialog box that pops up, select the right file system from the drop-down menu and format the micro SD card.
⚠️ You Encounter an Error Saying “Micro SD card Not Detected”
Most new computers have inbuilt SD card readers that connect to SD cards. These readers detect micro SD cards that are inserted in an adapter.
- If your computer cannot detect the micro SD card, reinsert the card into the slot.
- And if this does not work, make sure the drivers on your computer are updated.
📖 Your Device Detects the Micro SD Card, but it Cannot Read It
Did you switch your camera on to find that it does not read the micro SD card? This is a problem many people have, and the thought of losing data can be terrifying.
- Try restarting the device and then reinserting the card. Often, this solves the problem with absolutely no loss of data.
- If this does not work for you, create a backup of the data using a different device and then format the card.
This might catch you by surprise, but did you know that SD Card Recovery for Android is a possibility as well? Moreover, you can even recover photos from micro SD card mounted on your Android device.
🔐 Your Micro SD Card is Write-Protected
Standard SD cards and SD card adapters have a tiny switch on the side. This sliding switch is used to lock access to write data onto the card. This issue is very unlikely with micro SD cards, as they lack these switches.
- Check the slider on your SD card adapter.
- If the issue still persists, try changing the card adapter.
🪧 Your Micro SD Card Appears Blank
Did you suddenly find that all files on your micro SD card are missing, and it appears empty on your device? Before you decide to format the card, it is worth trying out a few things.
First, restart your device and reinsert the card. If it does not work, your files might be hidden. To unhide them, try connecting the card to a computer. Then, follow these steps:
- Open File Explorer and locate the problematic micro SD card
- Click on the View tab on the Menu bar
- Make sure that the Show hidden box is checked
- Your files should now be visible on the micro SD card
✂️ Your Micro SD Card is Corrupted
A corrupted micro SD card is a bigger problem than the rest. It has logical damage, which stops the files from it being read. A corrupted micro SD card will often appear empty or inaccessible. While this could lead to panic, usually, you can still recover files from micro SD cards.
Immediately stop using the micro SD card and try out some of the following:
- Try a different device to access the card. This will ensure that the card is faulty, not your device.
- Check the authenticity of the micro SD card with specialized tools.
- Check whether the drivers for your SD card reader are updated.
- Try to repair the micro SD card using the Disk Repair Tool in Windows.
- Change the Drive Letter of the SD card from Disk Management in Windows.
- Fix File System Errors using the CHKDSK command in Windows.
If you are using the micro SD card with a Windows device, you can quickly try out all of the above fixes. If the above hacks don’t work, chances are that your micro SD Card is corrupted. Here’s a comprehensive guide on corrupted SD Card recovery.
Conclusion
Getting your data from your micro SD card can be a task. Many users forget to back up their data. Small mistakes such as deleting files or formatting the card can lead to the loss of precious memories or all-important documents.
Suppose you find yourself using different storage devices all the time. In that case, it is essential to have a recovery tool like Disk Drill around. With Disk Drill, you can rest easy even if you suddenly have problems with your micro SD cards and retrieve your data quickly.
Moreover, as a last-ditch effort, you have the option of approaching a data recovery service center for recovering deleted data from your micro SD Card.
