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How did you recover files from a corrupted SD card?
Quote from chris_89 on January 14, 2026, 3:19 pmHey everyone.
I pulled my SD card out of the camera to transfer the photos for editing, but the SD card not showing in File Explorer at all. I tried a different USB reader, then another one, and nothing changed. At this point I suspect my SD card is corrupted. So I’m basically stuck and need to understand how to recover files from a corrupted SD card before I lose everything. The photos on it mean a lot to me (I don’t care about the card itself) but I absolutely need the files. I have no backups, unfortunately, so this is my only copy.
How did you recover data from a corrupted SD card? What actually worked for you in real use, not in those “guides” that look like ads disguised as advice? That’s why I’m asking here.
Any real experience or tested method would help a lot
Hey everyone.
I pulled my SD card out of the camera to transfer the photos for editing, but the SD card not showing in File Explorer at all. I tried a different USB reader, then another one, and nothing changed. At this point I suspect my SD card is corrupted. So I’m basically stuck and need to understand how to recover files from a corrupted SD card before I lose everything. The photos on it mean a lot to me (I don’t care about the card itself) but I absolutely need the files. I have no backups, unfortunately, so this is my only copy.
How did you recover data from a corrupted SD card? What actually worked for you in real use, not in those “guides” that look like ads disguised as advice? That’s why I’m asking here.
Any real experience or tested method would help a lot
Quote from bryan on January 14, 2026, 3:27 pmHey man, welcome.
I had the same issue with an unreadable sd-card last month, so I can help you.
Since you said you have no backups, you basically have one real option sd-card data recovery software. There are tons of tools out there, just pick the ones people trust (also check whether the manufacturer of your sd-card offers their own recovery utility or at least recommends a partner tool)
But make sure the program can create a byte-to-byte image of your sd-card. sd-cards behave like fragile storage devices, and they can fail completely the moment you try to recover photos or videos directly from them. So imaging the card is step one. Even if you don’t care about the card itself and only need the files, you still want that b2b copy to finish the recovery safely. After you create the clone, run the scan on the image file and recover the data from there.
! For this to work, it doesn’t matter if the sd-card appears in File Explorer. What matters is that it shows up in Disk Management with the correct size. Check that first. If the system detects the right capacity, you’re good to go.
And yep good software isn’t free. I paid something like $90, but it was worth it because I recovered videos from a paid shoot that earned me $300 (easy math).
Also, one more thing!
everything I wrote applies only to cards that are corrupted logically, meaning the file system or metadata got damaged. If it’s physically messed up (bent, scratched, cracked, burned, whatever), and you want to know how to retrieve data from a damaged sd-card then forget DIY methods. Go to a service center or even the store where you bought it. They usually have contacts of specialists who can pull data off broken chips.
Hey man, welcome.
I had the same issue with an unreadable sd-card last month, so I can help you.
Since you said you have no backups, you basically have one real option sd-card data recovery software. There are tons of tools out there, just pick the ones people trust (also check whether the manufacturer of your sd-card offers their own recovery utility or at least recommends a partner tool)
But make sure the program can create a byte-to-byte image of your sd-card. sd-cards behave like fragile storage devices, and they can fail completely the moment you try to recover photos or videos directly from them. So imaging the card is step one. Even if you don’t care about the card itself and only need the files, you still want that b2b copy to finish the recovery safely. After you create the clone, run the scan on the image file and recover the data from there.
! For this to work, it doesn’t matter if the sd-card appears in File Explorer. What matters is that it shows up in Disk Management with the correct size. Check that first. If the system detects the right capacity, you’re good to go.
And yep good software isn’t free. I paid something like $90, but it was worth it because I recovered videos from a paid shoot that earned me $300 (easy math).
Also, one more thing!
everything I wrote applies only to cards that are corrupted logically, meaning the file system or metadata got damaged. If it’s physically messed up (bent, scratched, cracked, burned, whatever), and you want to know how to retrieve data from a damaged sd-card then forget DIY methods. Go to a service center or even the store where you bought it. They usually have contacts of specialists who can pull data off broken chips.
Quote from chris_89 on January 14, 2026, 4:37 pmbryan whoa, I didn’t expect such a long and detailed reply. Thanks a lot for that. Which program did you end up using? I checked and saw that SanDisk has its own tool SanDisk RescuePRO (and RescuePRO Deluxe? no idea what the diff is). I downloaded the free verison but it looks like a total brick on my PC.
And btw, how do you know all this stuff? Do you work in this field or are you just let’s say, not very lucky and learned everything the hard way on your own experiece?
bryan whoa, I didn’t expect such a long and detailed reply. Thanks a lot for that. Which program did you end up using? I checked and saw that SanDisk has its own tool SanDisk RescuePRO (and RescuePRO Deluxe? no idea what the diff is). I downloaded the free verison but it looks like a total brick on my PC.
And btw, how do you know all this stuff? Do you work in this field or are you just let’s say, not very lucky and learned everything the hard way on your own experiece?
Quote from OhioTom on January 15, 2026, 11:17 amNot trying to interrupt your discussion here, but I’ll drop my own two cents. If you need something simple to recover photos or videos, I can recommend PhotoRec. It won’t let you create a b2b backup, but it will recover files from an SD card for free, no limits.
BUT the interface might scare you a bit. If you already called the SanDisk tool a brick, I honestly don’t even know what to compare PhotoRec to, as it’s like using a terminal from 1999. Still, I’ll excuse that by pointing at its price or more precisely, the lack of one. So, totally free, effective, ugly. Up to you.
Not trying to interrupt your discussion here, but I’ll drop my own two cents. If you need something simple to recover photos or videos, I can recommend PhotoRec. It won’t let you create a b2b backup, but it will recover files from an SD card for free, no limits.
BUT the interface might scare you a bit. If you already called the SanDisk tool a brick, I honestly don’t even know what to compare PhotoRec to, as it’s like using a terminal from 1999. Still, I’ll excuse that by pointing at its price or more precisely, the lack of one. So, totally free, effective, ugly. Up to you.
Quote from bryan on January 22, 2026, 3:32 pm@ohiotom
Let’s start from the end. I don’t work in this field, just had a situation where I needed to recover videos from sd-card asap and started looking for any solution. And I know all this mostly because I’m not as skeptical toward guides as you are. I literally googled recover files from corrupted sd card, opened one of the first arts, and it turned out weirdly useful (maybe it was an ad, maybe not but in the end you either pay money or you pay with lost files and lost work). I picked the first option.
About the program. I used Disk Drill. The guide I found showed every step using Disk Drill, so I just went the easy route instead of trying to adapt the steps to some other tool. Didn’t feel like experimenting when my files were at stake. Plus it looked really solid, nice interface, good reviews. I checked feedback, watched a couple yt vids, and decided not to overcomplicate my life. If your SanDisk tool looks like a brick maybe skip it.
Let’s start from the end. I don’t work in this field, just had a situation where I needed to recover videos from sd-card asap and started looking for any solution. And I know all this mostly because I’m not as skeptical toward guides as you are. I literally googled recover files from corrupted sd card, opened one of the first arts, and it turned out weirdly useful (maybe it was an ad, maybe not but in the end you either pay money or you pay with lost files and lost work). I picked the first option.
About the program. I used Disk Drill. The guide I found showed every step using Disk Drill, so I just went the easy route instead of trying to adapt the steps to some other tool. Didn’t feel like experimenting when my files were at stake. Plus it looked really solid, nice interface, good reviews. I checked feedback, watched a couple yt vids, and decided not to overcomplicate my life. If your SanDisk tool looks like a brick maybe skip it.
Quote from chris_89 on January 26, 2026, 2:45 pmOkay, thanks a lot @bryan. really hope I don’t become as experienced in the SD card data recovery topic as you did, and that this is my first and last time dealing with this mess. I’ll go search some info about Disk Drill then. I’ll trust you.
Update time! Guess what? it actually worked. I managed to recover photos from the SD card, literally all the ones I needed. And the funniest part? I didn’t even have to pay right away. The program let me create the backup for free, scan it, and even recover the first 100 MB before asking for an upgrade. Nice little bonus, didn’t expect that at all.
So thanks again. You saved my shoot and probably my nerves too.
Okay, thanks a lot @bryan. really hope I don’t become as experienced in the SD card data recovery topic as you did, and that this is my first and last time dealing with this mess. I’ll go search some info about Disk Drill then. I’ll trust you.
Update time! Guess what? it actually worked. I managed to recover photos from the SD card, literally all the ones I needed. And the funniest part? I didn’t even have to pay right away. The program let me create the backup for free, scan it, and even recover the first 100 MB before asking for an upgrade. Nice little bonus, didn’t expect that at all.
So thanks again. You saved my shoot and probably my nerves too.
Quote from AlexR on January 26, 2026, 4:47 pmseems like I showed up a bit late and you guys already solved everything. But whatever, I’ll drop this for the future maybe it helps someone else.
If anyone wants to know if you can fix a corrupted SD card and recover the data at the same time, you can try TestDisk. It rebuilds corrupted partition tables, fixes boot sectors, checks file system structures, and in some cases even restores lost partitions completely.
So basically, if the corruption on your SD card comes from messed-up partition info or broken FAT/exFAT metadata, TestDisk might help. But it can also make things worse if you write a new structure that doesn’t actually fix anything. You end up overwriting the old metadata, and then no tool will make sense of it anymore. So use at your own risk.That’s why I ALSO recommend making a byte-for-byte copy of the SD card first. If TestDisk helps, great. If not you just format the dead card and recover the files from the image you created earlier.
**just dropping this in case someone else lands here with a corrupted card
seems like I showed up a bit late and you guys already solved everything. But whatever, I’ll drop this for the future maybe it helps someone else.
If anyone wants to know if you can fix a corrupted SD card and recover the data at the same time, you can try TestDisk. It rebuilds corrupted partition tables, fixes boot sectors, checks file system structures, and in some cases even restores lost partitions completely.
So basically, if the corruption on your SD card comes from messed-up partition info or broken FAT/exFAT metadata, TestDisk might help. But it can also make things worse if you write a new structure that doesn’t actually fix anything. You end up overwriting the old metadata, and then no tool will make sense of it anymore. So use at your own risk.
That’s why I ALSO recommend making a byte-for-byte copy of the SD card first. If TestDisk helps, great. If not you just format the dead card and recover the files from the image you created earlier.
**just dropping this in case someone else lands here with a corrupted card
Quote from chris_89 on January 27, 2026, 12:35 pmI’m still here, btw. I already recovered the photos with Disk Drill, but my SD card still won’t open on computer normally. Do you maybe know how to fix corrupted SD card so I can keep using it? Can I try that TestDisk thing you mentioned, or is it too late since I already pulled the files out?
Basically just wondering if there’s any chance to repair the card itself, or if it’s easier to just buy a new one and not waste time.
I’m still here, btw. I already recovered the photos with Disk Drill, but my SD card still won’t open on computer normally. Do you maybe know how to fix corrupted SD card so I can keep using it? Can I try that TestDisk thing you mentioned, or is it too late since I already pulled the files out?
Basically just wondering if there’s any chance to repair the card itself, or if it’s easier to just buy a new one and not waste time.
Quote from AlexR on January 27, 2026, 1:04 pmQuote from chris_89 on January 27, 2026, 12:35 pmI’m still here, btw. I already recovered the photos with Disk Drill, but my SD card still won’t open on computer normally. Do you maybe know how to fix corrupted SD card so I can keep using it? Can I try that TestDisk thing you mentioned, or is it too late since I already pulled the files out?
Basically just wondering if there’s any chance to repair the card itself, or if it’s easier to just buy a new one and not waste time.It’s definitely easier to just buy a new one. Or even better grab a couple of spare SD cards. But if you really want to fix the old card, you can try, as long as you have the time. The fixing method depends on why it got corrupted in the first place.
- You can try TestDisk even now. If it helps, you’ll just end up with two batches of files: the ones you already recovered with Disk Drill and whatever TestDisk manages to restore by repairing the structure. You can delete the duplicates later, no big deal.
- If the issue came from bad sectors on the memory card, then you need third-party tools that can find and (sometimes) repair them. The only one I personally know is Victoria. But heads up, the interface looks like it escaped from 2005, and based on what you wrote earlier, you probably won’t love it (and TestDisk isn’t exactly pretty either, but hey, it either works or it doesn’t.)
- And the easiest option is just to format the SD card. If you already recovered your files, there’s nothing to lose. Give the card a “fresh start.”
**If it still refuses to behave after formatting, toss it. SD cards aren’t expensive enough to suffer for.
Quote from chris_89 on January 27, 2026, 12:35 pmI’m still here, btw. I already recovered the photos with Disk Drill, but my SD card still won’t open on computer normally. Do you maybe know how to fix corrupted SD card so I can keep using it? Can I try that TestDisk thing you mentioned, or is it too late since I already pulled the files out?
Basically just wondering if there’s any chance to repair the card itself, or if it’s easier to just buy a new one and not waste time.
It’s definitely easier to just buy a new one. Or even better grab a couple of spare SD cards. But if you really want to fix the old card, you can try, as long as you have the time. The fixing method depends on why it got corrupted in the first place.
- You can try TestDisk even now. If it helps, you’ll just end up with two batches of files: the ones you already recovered with Disk Drill and whatever TestDisk manages to restore by repairing the structure. You can delete the duplicates later, no big deal.
- If the issue came from bad sectors on the memory card, then you need third-party tools that can find and (sometimes) repair them. The only one I personally know is Victoria. But heads up, the interface looks like it escaped from 2005, and based on what you wrote earlier, you probably won’t love it (and TestDisk isn’t exactly pretty either, but hey, it either works or it doesn’t.)
- And the easiest option is just to format the SD card. If you already recovered your files, there’s nothing to lose. Give the card a “fresh start.”
**If it still refuses to behave after formatting, toss it. SD cards aren’t expensive enough to suffer for.
Quote from DataNerd on January 27, 2026, 1:26 pmI was reading through this and looks like most of you were way more active about recovering data from a corrupted SD card, not actually fixing the card itself. But that’s exactly why I came here.
I put my SD card in to copy a few photos onto it, and it threw some error every time. So I decided to try formatting it, like some ppl here suggested but my Windows can’t format the SD card, no matter how many times I try. I’ve tried quick format, full format, different readers. same result.
Any idea why this happens? I’ll just sit here and wait for replies, thanks in advance.
I was reading through this and looks like most of you were way more active about recovering data from a corrupted SD card, not actually fixing the card itself. But that’s exactly why I came here.
I put my SD card in to copy a few photos onto it, and it threw some error every time. So I decided to try formatting it, like some ppl here suggested but my Windows can’t format the SD card, no matter how many times I try. I’ve tried quick format, full format, different readers. same result.
Any idea why this happens? I’ll just sit here and wait for replies, thanks in advance.
Quote from AlexR on January 27, 2026, 1:56 pm@datanerd Weird one, honestly. The only thing that comes to mind first is SD card write protection.
Pull the card out of the computer and check the little switch on the side (if it’s a full-size SD, not microSD). If that switch is down, Windows won’t let you format it no matter what you do.
**If there’s no switch at all, then you might need to disable write protection through the registry editor. Look up how to set the WriteProtect value to 0 (there are tons of guides for it, like this one https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2437841/usb-flash-drive-prompts-with-write-protected-messa )
@datanerd Weird one, honestly. The only thing that comes to mind first is SD card write protection.
Pull the card out of the computer and check the little switch on the side (if it’s a full-size SD, not microSD). If that switch is down, Windows won’t let you format it no matter what you do.
**If there’s no switch at all, then you might need to disable write protection through the registry editor. Look up how to set the WriteProtect value to 0 (there are tons of guides for it, like this one https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/2437841/usb-flash-drive-prompts-with-write-protected-messa )
Quote from JohnMiller on January 27, 2026, 2:31 pmI came here for the same reason as most of you - I needed to recover files from a corrupted SD card. Before doing anything I read the whole thread. The only difference is that I already had my data recovery software picked out, the same one I used before when I recovered deleted files from my hard drive. I just needed to understand the extra SD card corruption nuances. But the result kinda shocked me in a bad way.
I recovered the videos, but the data is unreadable, but it shows file names. The files appear, the names look right but nothing plays. I already downloaded a bunch of third-party players, tried everything from VLC to obscure stuff, but none of them can open the recovered videos.
So now I’m wondering at which step did I mess up? Is this fixable at all or did I miss some important part of the process? I’d really appreciate any pointers.
I came here for the same reason as most of you - I needed to recover files from a corrupted SD card. Before doing anything I read the whole thread. The only difference is that I already had my data recovery software picked out, the same one I used before when I recovered deleted files from my hard drive. I just needed to understand the extra SD card corruption nuances. But the result kinda shocked me in a bad way.
I recovered the videos, but the data is unreadable, but it shows file names. The files appear, the names look right but nothing plays. I already downloaded a bunch of third-party players, tried everything from VLC to obscure stuff, but none of them can open the recovered videos.
So now I’m wondering at which step did I mess up? Is this fixable at all or did I miss some important part of the process? I’d really appreciate any pointers.
Quote from phillyjohn on January 27, 2026, 2:33 pmHm interesting case. @johnmiller
At first I thought you were dealing with fragmented video files, and I was already about to recommend tools that actually rebuild fragmented footage (there aren’t many, btw). But since you say the filenames look normal, it’s probably not fragmentation.
Much more likely the data itself is damaged. Something may have gone wrong during recording - power drop, camera freeze, buffer error, anything like that. In that situation the recovery software can only pull whatever blocks still exist, even if the video header or key frames are missing. Try recovering photos too, just as a test. If you get an exclamation mark instead of photos, that basically means the file has a correct name and maybe correct metadata, but the actual image data is either missing or corrupted. The file opens, but the decoder finds no usable image stream inside.
Sadly, there isn’t always a fix for that. For video files there are actually a few online services and tools that sometimes repair broken containers or rebuild missing headers. But for photos I’m not sure.
Hm interesting case. @johnmiller
At first I thought you were dealing with fragmented video files, and I was already about to recommend tools that actually rebuild fragmented footage (there aren’t many, btw). But since you say the filenames look normal, it’s probably not fragmentation.
Much more likely the data itself is damaged. Something may have gone wrong during recording - power drop, camera freeze, buffer error, anything like that. In that situation the recovery software can only pull whatever blocks still exist, even if the video header or key frames are missing. Try recovering photos too, just as a test. If you get an exclamation mark instead of photos, that basically means the file has a correct name and maybe correct metadata, but the actual image data is either missing or corrupted. The file opens, but the decoder finds no usable image stream inside.
Sadly, there isn’t always a fix for that. For video files there are actually a few online services and tools that sometimes repair broken containers or rebuild missing headers. But for photos I’m not sure.