Tutorial: Recover Photos from SD Card Easily [Android, Mac or Windows]

Do Deleted Photos Stay on SD Card?

Prior to delving into the methods to recover photos from SD card, it’s important to clarifywhere deleted photos go, whether they still stay on the SD card and whether they remains recoverable. In general, when you delete photos from an SD card, they are not immediately erased from the storage. Instead, the space they occupied is marked as "available" for new data. The original files remain recoverable until overwritten by new content.

How to Recover Photos from SD Card on Different Devices?

Is it possible to recover data from a SD card? Yes, you can recover deleted photos from SD card easily with proper methods. In this section, we will guide you through proven methods to retrieve lost photos from SD cards on Android, Mac, and Windows devices.

Part 1: Recover Photos from SD Card Android

When facing data loss from an SD card, the recovery method depends on whether you’ve previously backed up your data. If you’ve used cloud services like Google Photos to automatically sync photos or files, restoring directly from the cloud is the fastest and safest solution, requiring no additional tools. However, if no backups were set up, the "lost" data may still reside on the storage device, hidden but recoverable through specialized tools like DiskDigger, which performs deep scanning and extraction. Below, we outline step-by-step guides for both scenarios to help you efficiently recover your valuable data.

Use Cloud Backup

Step 1. On your Android device, open the "Google Photos" app .

Step 2. At the bottom, tap "Library" and then "Trash".

Step 3. Touch and hold the photo or video that you want to restore.(If the photo or video isn't in your bin, it may have been permanently deleted.)

Step 4. At the bottom, tap “Restore”. Your photo or video will be back inthe Albums, Google Photos library or phone’s gallery app. Just check them out one by one.

Use Software

If you did not use any cloud backup before losing photos on your SD card, then you might need a third-party recovery tool like DiskDigger. Using DiskDigger to recover photos from SD card on Android is very simple.

Step 1. Download and launch the app. Select "Basic scan" or "Full scan."

Step 2. Select the memory device to scan, and choose the types of files that you'd like to recover. For better performance, please select only the file types that you actually need.

Step 3. When the scanning starts, you will see the main DiskDigger screen, which will start populating with recoverable files.

Step 4. Tap on any of the files to select its checkbox. Tap the Recover button.

DiskDigger provides three different ways to save the recoverable files: Save to an app, Save to device, and FTP upload. Choose one based on your situation.

Part 2: Recover Photos from SD Card Mac

When photos are accidentally deleted from an SD card on a Mac, there are several effective ways to recover them depending on your backup habits and tools available. Whether you rely on the Trash folder, iCloud backups, or Time Machine, each method offers a reliable solution to retrieve your lost data.

Trash Folder

To recover deleted photos from SD card on Mac, you can use the Trash folder to get them back.

Step 1. Click on the Trash in the Mac.

Step 2. Find your files and select them.

Step 3. Right-click on them and select “Put Back”.

If you can’t find your files in Mac Trash bin, then you should open the actual Trash folder located on your SD card:

• Launch Finder and navigate to the root directory of your SD card.
• Press “Command + Shift + .”.
• Open the .Trashes folder and go to Bin. Then find and restore your lost photos from SD card.

iCloud Backup

If iCloud Drive and Photos are enabled on your Mac, and photos on SD card were configured to upload to iCloud, you can use the iCloud backup to retrieve deleted photos from SD card.

Step 1. Open the iCloud website and log in with your Apple account.

Step 2. Click on the Account icon, then select "iCloud Settings".

Step 3. Scroll down and click "Restore Files".

Step 4. Then, it will search all recoverable files and list them. Select the photos you want to recover and click on “Restore Files”.

Time Machine

When your SD card was included in Time Machine backups, this tool can help you get back lost photos.

Step 1. Click the Time Machine icon in the menu bar (top-right) and select Enter Time Machine.

Step 2. Use the timeline (right edge) to select a backup date when the SD card data was intact.

Step 3. Select target files/folders in the SD card’s volumeand click on “Restore.”

Part 3: Recover Photos from SD Card Windows

When photos are lost from an SD card on a Windows system, you can take advantage of Windows built-in utilities like “File Recovery”, “Attrib Command”, and “Chkdsk Command” to retrieve lost files.

Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery is developed by Microsoft, designed to help recover lost data from internal or external hard drive like HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, SD card and more, and those that cannot be restored from Recycle Bin.

Step 1. Download the Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store.

Step 2. After installation, right-click the Windows File Recovery in the Start menu and choose “Run as administrator.”

Step 3. Then the Windows File Recovery Command Prompt will pop out. Now input the following command and press Enter.

Basic format: winfr source-drive: destination-folder [/mode] [/switches]

For example: winfr H:D:\test /regular (restore recently deleted files from H: drive to D:\test folder.)

If you need to recover deleted photos from a corrupted SD card, enter the following command instead:

winfr H:D:\test /extensive /n "*.png"

Or

winfr H:D:\test /extensive /n "*.jpg"

Extensive: They do a deep scan on the H: drive for lost data.

/n "*.png"or /n "*.jpg": This tells Windows File Recovery to search for and recover all files with the .png or .jpg extension. The quotes ensure the wildcard is correctly interpreted.

Attrib Command

If files on your SD card have been marked as hidden or system files, use the attrib command to make them visible again. However, this method does not recover deleted files—it only reveals files that are already present but hidden.

Run the command below in Command Prompt window (Supposing your SD card is assigned the drive letter H:):

H:

attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.*

• -h: Removes the hidden attribute.
• -r: Removes the read-only attribute.
• -s: Removes the system file attribute.
• /s: Applies the command to all files in the current directory and subdirectories.
• /d: Includes directories (folders) in the process.
• *.*: Applies the command to all files.

CHKDSK Command

The CHKDSK command in Windows is primarily used to check and repair file system errors on a disk, such as an SD card. While it can fix issues that prevent you from accessing your data, it does not directly restore deleted files. In the Command Prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

chkdsk g: /f /r

• Replace H: with the drive letter assigned to your SD card.
• /f: Fixes errors on the disk.
• /r: Locates bad sectors and recovers readable information.

Data Recovery Software

If the abovecommandsdoesn’t resolve your issue, consider using data recovery software like MyRecover. This freeware can scan your SD card for lost or deleted files, even if the file system is corrupted or the card is unreadable.

★Why Use Data Recovery Software?

Recovers Deleted Files: Unlike “CHKDSK” or “attrib”, MyRecovercan restore files that have been deleted or lost due to formatting.

Handles Corrupted Drives: It can recover data from SD cards with file system errors or RAW partitions.

Supports Multiple File Types: You can recover photos, videos, documents, and more.

User-Friendly: Most tools have intuitive interfaces, making them accessible even for non-technical users.

How to Use MyRecover to Free Recover Photos from SD Card？

Step 1. Visit the official MyRecover website and download the software.Install it on your computer.

Step 2. Insert the SD card into your computer’s card reader or use an external card reader.

Step 3. Launch MyRecoverapplication. In the software, select your SD card from the list of available drives. And click "Scan."

Step 4. Once the scan is complete, MyRecover will display a list of recoverable files. You can filter photos by the search box or filter.

Step 5. Select the target photos. Click “Recover.”

Step 6. Choose a destination folder on your computer to save the recovered files. Do not save the files back to the SD card to avoid overwriting data.

To preview the photos before recovery, you can upgrade to Professional to unlock this feature. Apart from this, the advanced edition also allows you to recover unlimited data every time, as well as retrieve data from computer that cannot boot up, and more.

Sum Up

No matter you need to recover photos from SD card on Android, Mac or Windows computer, you can find a way in this article. If the SD card is physically damaged (e.g., broken, water-damaged, or unreadable), or if the data is extremely critical, consider consulting a professional data recovery service, who can handle complex recovery tasks.