Photos
Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card
Stop shooting and preview recoverable photos first.
Deleted SD card photos may remain recoverable until new photos, videos, or formatting overwrite the same storage areas. Individual photos are generally easier to recover intact than large video files because each image occupies a smaller, often contiguous block of storage.
First: do not make the source worse
Treat this as a recovery situation before you treat it as a repair task. The priority is to preserve readable data and avoid new writes to the affected device.
- Do not take new photos or video on the card after deleting images.
- Do not format the card in the camera or on a computer.
- Do not run repair tools on the card before scanning for deleted photos.
- Do not save recovered photos back onto the same SD card.
Scan and preview first
Refindo can scan SD cards for deleted photos and preview recoverable images before you restore selected files.
Likely causes
- Accidental deletion in camera, Mac, Windows, or photo software.
- In-camera format after a shoot.
- New photos or videos overwriting deleted image data.
- Card file system damage hiding existing photos.
Read-only recovery workflow
- Remove the card from the camera and stop shooting to it immediately.
- Insert the card in a reliable reader and open Refindo to select it.
- Run Quick Scan, then Deep Scan to find deleted photos by file signature.
- Preview the recovered images and save them to your computer.
When to stop self-recovery
- The card disconnects during the scan or reports an incorrect capacity.
- The deleted photos are the only copy of irreplaceable shots.
- New photos or video were recorded on the card after the deletion.
- The card or reader is physically damaged or unstable.
Related recovery guides
What You Need to Know
JPEG, HEIC, and RAW File Signature Recovery
Recovery tools identify deleted photos by scanning for known file signatures (magic bytes). JPEG files start with FF D8 FF, HEIC files use an ftyp box header, and camera RAW formats like CR3 or ARW have manufacturer-specific signatures. Because each photo is a self-contained file with a recognizable header, signature-based scanning recovers individual images reliably even when directory records are gone.
Why Large Videos Are Harder to Recover Than Photos
A 4 MB photo typically occupies contiguous clusters on an SD card. A 4 GB video, however, is often fragmented across many non-adjacent clusters. When directory records are deleted, recovery tools can locate photo signatures and extract complete files, but reassembling a fragmented video without a cluster map is far more difficult. Recovered videos may be truncated or have playback errors.
Overwrite Risk by File Type
SD cards reuse freed clusters in allocation order. Smaller photo files free fewer clusters, and new writes may land elsewhere first. Large deleted videos free many clusters at once, creating a large pool of reusable space that new recordings are likely to overwrite quickly. This makes prompt action even more critical when recovering video than when recovering photos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can deleted SD card photos be recovered?
Often, yes, when the card has not been reused and the image data has not been overwritten.
Can I recover RAW photos?
Refindo can scan for common recoverable image files. Preview results before deciding what to restore.
Why should I stop taking photos immediately?
New shots can reuse the storage areas that contained deleted photos, making recovery incomplete or impossible.
Are HEIC photos from iPhones recoverable from SD cards?
Yes. HEIC files have a distinct header signature that recovery tools can identify. If the card was used with an iPhone adapter or transferred HEIC files, they are scannable like any other photo format.
Why is my recovered video file corrupted but photos are fine?
Videos are often stored in fragmented clusters across the card. Without intact directory records, reassembling the correct cluster sequence is harder than recovering a small, contiguous photo file.