Updated 2026-11-15 · 5 min read
How to recover deleted photos from an SD card
Deleted photos on a camera or phone SD card are usually still on the card. Learn why, what to avoid and how to get them back on a Windows PC, even after formatting the card.
Deleting a photo on a camera, or formatting the card in the camera menu, does not erase the picture itself. The camera only marks the space as free. Until new photos are taken, the old ones stay where they were.
That is why the first rule is simple: take the card out of the camera or phone and do not shoot anything else on it.
Why deleted photos can be recovered
SD and microSD cards use FAT32 (up to 32 GB) or exFAT (64 GB and larger). When a photo is deleted, the file system marks its entry as deleted and its clusters as free. The photo data is not touched.
Photos are stored mostly in one piece because cameras write them sequentially. This makes them ideal for content search: a JPEG starts with FF D8 FF and ends with FF D9, so the whole picture can be found and checked.
What makes recovery fail
The chance drops with every new file written to the card. The most common mistakes are:
- Continuing to take photos or videos with the same card.
- Letting the phone or camera “repair” or reformat the card.
- Saving the recovered photos back onto the same card.
- Physical damage: a card that is not detected at all usually needs a lab.
Phone cards and Android
Photos saved to an SD card in an Android phone can be recovered the same way: put the card into a card reader on your PC. Photos stored in the phone's internal memory cannot be read this way, because modern phones encrypt that storage.
Step by step
- 1
Remove the card
Take the SD card out of the camera or phone and do not take new photos on it.
- 2
Connect a card reader
Insert the card into a USB card reader or your laptop's card slot.
- 3
Open DiskMend and select the card
The card appears under removable devices. If Windows asks to format it, close that window.
- 4
Scan
DiskMend reads the deleted entries first and then searches the card for photos and videos by their content.
- 5
Preview and save
Check the blurred previews and save the photos to a folder on your PC, not to the card.
| Situation | Typical result |
|---|---|
| Deleted, nothing new taken | Almost all photos intact |
| Formatted in the camera | Most photos intact, original names often lost |
| Many new photos taken after deleting | Older photos partly overwritten |
| Card not detected by any PC | Hardware fault, needs a lab |
Check your drive for free
DiskMend scans and previews for free and only reads the drive.
Download DiskMendFrequently asked questions
Can I recover photos after formatting my SD card?+
Yes, in most cases. Cameras and phones perform a quick format that leaves the photos on the card until they are overwritten.
Do I need to root my phone?+
No. If the photos were on the SD card, remove the card and read it with a card reader on a Windows PC.
Why do some recovered photos have names like jpg_00012.jpg?+
When the file entry is gone, the photo is found by its content. The picture is intact, only the original file name is unknown.
Can deleted videos be recovered too?+
Yes. MP4 and MOV videos are recognised by their structure; long videos that were stored in fragments may come back only partly.
Is it safe to scan a damaged card?+
Yes. DiskMend only reads the card and never writes to it. If parts of the card cannot be read, they are skipped and listed in the log.