Photos Disappeared from SD Card: Here’s How to Get Them Back

“We took some great photos with our friends on the beach. We were using an older Nikon D3100. My girlfriend, who was the one who took most of them, noticed that a few of them were missing.”

• r/photography

Finding out your photos have gone missing from your SD card can be really confusing. But don’t worry, it happens a lot and there are ways to fix it. Maybe you accidentally deleted them, or maybe the card got formatted or corrupted somehow. The good news is you can usually get your pictures back.

We’ve put together this guide with easy-to-follow steps to help you find those lost photos. You don’t need to be a tech whiz to do it, just follow along and you’ll have a good chance of getting your memories back.

Is it Possible to Restore Disappeared Photos on SD Card?

In most cases, yes! Just like other storage mediums, SD cards don’t erase a file as soon as you delete it. Instead, it marks the space occupied by the files as available. It means that until you overwrite this available space with any new data, the old files can still be recovered using the right tools.

Each device has its own way of handling SD cards, so it’s important to identify the issue properly before you try to fix it. This helps prevent any additional data loss.

Why do Photos Disappear from SD Card?

There can be many reasons why photos disappear from your SD card. At times you unintentionally delete your photos or end up formatting your memory card. Other times, the images could be hidden or become inaccessible due to various issues.

Here are some common reasons:

• SD card corruption due to read/write interruption or virus attack, etc.
• Physical damage to the SD card.
• Ejecting the SD card while a read/write operation is going on.
• Unexpected power outage while transferring files.
• Overwriting the existing data on the SD card.
• File system error on the SD card.
• Physical lock on your SD card can make stored photos inaccessible.

How to Recover Photos Disappeared from SD Card?

Now that you’ve understood the various reasons why photos disappear from your memory card, you may move on to the solutions. Often, some simple initial steps are all you need to get your photos back, without the need for any extra tools.

Here are some quick troubleshooting methods applicable to specific loss scenarios:

• Unable to read SD card: Re-insert the SD card properly or use a different card reader.
• Files not showing: Restart your device to free your system of heavy background processes.
• Accidental deletion: Check the recently deleted folder on your device and restore from there.
• Locked or Inaccessible: Check the corner of your SD card for the lock switch and flip it to unlock.
• Corruption or file system error: Use built-in utilities like CHKDSK on Windows or Disk Utility on Mac to fix SD card file system error or corruption.
• Physical damage: A severely damaged SD card would require professional data recovery services.
• Hidden files: Enable the Show Hidden Items feature on your PC to view any hidden files.
• Formatting: Stop using the SD card as soon as possible to avoid overwriting of existing data and use a photo recovery software to retrieve your files.

Recover Photos Disappeared from SD Card Using a Professional Software

If photos are lost due to deletion, formatting or corruption, we recommend using a powerful photo recovery software to get them back. Stellar Photo Recovery is one such tool that can efficiently retrieve files from an SD card, even after it’s formatted.

This software tool can recover various multimedia files, including photos, videos and audio, even from a formatted SD card. It supports a wide range of file signatures, such as JPEG, PNG, DNG, CR2, CR3, HEIC, HEVC, MOV, RAW, and more.

Here’s a step-by-step method to recover photos using Stellar Photo Recovery:

Step 1: Start by inserting your SD card into the computer.

Step 2: Next, visit the official webpage of Stellar Photo Recovery and download the setup file for the software.

Step 3: After downloading, proceed to install the software with the provided setup wizard.

Step 4: Once installed, run the tool.

Step 5: The interface will show all connected drives, including your SD card; select it.

Step 6: Enable Deep Scan toggle button from the bottom-left and click Scan.

Step 7: When the scan completes, you can preview and choose photos, videos, and audio files to recover.

Step 8: Next, click Browse to choose a preferred location for the files you want to save.

Step 9: Click on Start Saving to finally save them.

Other Solutions to Recover Photos Disappeared from SD Card

In case the SD card is not formatted or corrupted and you haven’t deleted your photos, they may have become inaccessible due to some other reason. To fix this you can try other workarounds, given your files are still there.

Solution 1: Update Your Drivers

Outdated drivers can restrict your PC from recognizing other devices. To fix this, either update your Windows OS or download and install the latest drivers on your system.

Note: Make sure your internet is turned on.

Here’s the rundown:

Step 1: Go to Control Panel and open Device Manager.

Step 2: Navigate to Universal Serial Bus Controller and click on it to expand the list.

Step 3: Right-click the listed items and select Update Driver.

Step 4: Next, click Search automatically for drivers. If you don’t find any relevant drivers, go to the manufacturers website and download the right drivers.

Step 5: Now use the Browse my computer for drivers option to install it manually on your system.

Solution 2: Assign or Change the Drive Letter of Your SD Card

Your system may not have assigned a drive letter to your SD card, or it might be mixed up with another drive. This can prevent your computer from recognizing the drive. Here’s how to fix it:

Step 1: Open Disk Management.

Step 2: Locate your SD card, right-click on it and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Step 3: If the drive letter is already assigned, click Change, else click Add.

Step 4: Now follow the prompt to assign or change the letter. Click OK to confirm.

Summing Up

This guide outlines the various reasons why photos disappear from your SD card and the methods to troubleshoot those specific issues. From simple workarounds to more thorough recovery solutions like using a software, we’ve covered them all; try them out and see which works best for you. Keep in mind that the best way to protect your photos from any data loss situation is by regularly backing them up.