How to Recover Data   from a Corrupted / Damaged SD Card

Although SD cards are useful for storing data, they frequently get corrupted. This may result in misplaced images, recordings, or important papers. Don’t panic if that’s what you’re dealing with at the moment. Step-by-step methods for recovering data from a corrupted SD card are provided in this article.

Indications of Corrupt SD Cards

Not all problems with SD cards are brought on by corrupted data. Let’s examine the typical indicators of corrupted SD cards and associate each symptom with one or more effective recovery techniques.  

Data on your SD card not accessible: If your SD card is detected as a legitimate storage device and you are unable to access the data, there can be a problem with its drive letter or file system.

A few files are absent: Files can occasionally appear to be gone when they’re only hidden. Expert data recovery software will undoubtedly be helpful if eliminating the concealed attribute isn’t enough.

SD card appears to be empty: You may have unintentionally formatted your SD card if it looks to be totally empty. Software for data recovery can assist, so don’t worry.

Read/write error messages: A variety of read/write error messages might be caused by extensive data corruption, so you should address the root cause as soon as you can.  

Files are there, but they can’t be opened: SD card corruption can cause a number of frustrating issues, including the inability to open files that are clearly there on your SD card.

The notice “SD card is not formatted” appears. With or without a file system, SD cards are no different from any other type of storage device. The file system may be harmed by extensive corruption, giving the impression that the SD card is unformatted.

File systems cannot be suddenly recognized: While different file systems are supported by various devices and operating systems, an SD card that ceases being recognized suddenly may indicate a developing corruption of data.

Unknown files show up on the SD card: If files abruptly vanish from an SD card, there’s a serious problem. Random files that seem to be emerging on your SD card without any obvious cause, however, should also worry you. 

Typical Diagnostic Techniques to Verify SD Card Corruptness

Be sure the SD card is the real issue before attempting to recover data from a corrupted memory card using the techniques outlined in this article.

Many people start trying various repairs as soon as they realize they can no longer access their SD card, never thinking that the device using the SD card or even their memory card reader could be the cause of the issue.  

Fortunately, it is not necessary to be an expert in IT with sophisticated diagnostic abilities to verify SD card corruption. What you have to do is just this:

Try using the SD card in a different device: The simplest solution is to use a different device that has an integrated SD card reader to access your corrupted SD card. If the first device you used to access the SD card isn’t working properly, then the SD card is actually working fine.

Test the same device with a known-to-be-functional SD card: An alternate option is to use an SD card that is known to function in the device. Should you find that the SD card functions in the same manner as the one you suspect is corrupted, there may be a hardware issue with the device (or memory card reader).

Attempt to read the SD card with an alternative memory card reader: Since USB memory card readers are cheap, it’s not a terrible idea to get one in order to make sure the one you have now is functioning properly.

Try using a cable to read the SD card using the original device: Certain SD card-dependent devices, such Android smartphones, can also be accessible by connecting them straight via a USB cable to a PC. This diagnostic technique can be used to verify that the SD card isn’t functioning properly everywhere.

Try using various operating systems to access the SD card: Not every operating system supports every file system. For instance, Windows does not support Apple’s HFS+ and APFS file systems, and neither macOS nor Windows does support the popular Linux file system ext2/3/4. It makes sense, therefore, to attempt accessing an SD card from various operating systems that appears to be contaminated.

Look for Corrupted Data Backup Copies

There’s a potential that backup copies of your deleted files are somewhere else, like the internal memory of your smartphone or the cloud, depending on how the infected SD card was utilized.

The following should be kept in mind when retrieving deleted files from backup copies:

It is never advisable to attempt file recovery from a corrupted SD card. One of the several reasons why SD cards can become corrupted is because they all have a finite lifespan. Your SD card may be nearing its end if it is older. Throw it in the trash and get a new one instead of running the risk of experiencing another data loss catastrophe.

Always copy files from your backups; never relocate them. You should never move files from your backups; instead, you should copy them unless you have several backup copies of the same file. In this manner, you’ll always have two copies on hand.

Ensure that the root cause of the corrupted SD card has been completely addressed. Important files shouldn’t be recovered from a backup only to be lost once more as a result of improperly treating the initial cause of SD card corruption. This is particularly crucial in cases of malware-induced corruption.

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Thomas Plank

Thomas Plank

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