SD cards give a convenient way to store, transfer, and manage all types of files. They are widely used in smartphones, cameras, and more. Whether you are a photographer, videographer, or just a casual user, you may have several SD cards for saving critical data.
However, despite their convenience, SD cards are prone to data loss due to accidental deletion, corruption, formatting, physical damage, and other reasons. In that case, SD card recovery software can be a lifesaver. You need a reliable one to find and retrieve recoverable files.
This article reviews 10 top SD card file recovery tools, highlighting their features, pros, cons, and ideal use cases. You can compare them and find the desired solution to recover lost data from SD cards.
There are many SD card recovery tools that can help you retrieve lost or deleted files. However, most of them don’t offer a good file recovery experience. What’s worse, some even fail to find the target files you want to recover. Considering that, I recommend a reputable SD card recovery for you.
Aiseesoft Data Recovery is widely used to recover files from SD cards, hard disks, and other storage devices. It can retrieve data from SD, microSD, and other memory cards. This SD card recovery software supports various file formats and file systems. It lets you recover data from your SD card on both Mac and Windows computers. Whether you have mistakenly deleted some valuable files, formatted your SD card, or encountered corruption, it can help you recover your data.
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Aiseesoft works well with SD cards in cameras, phones, and other devices. Moreover, it is compatible with FAT16, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, and other file systems. This data recovery software can perform a thorough scan to recover files from formatted, corrupted, or inaccessible SD cards. You are allowed to preview recoverable files before the final recovery. In addition, you can retrieve specific files instead of restoring all SD card data.
Compared with other recovery tools, Aiseesoft offers a higher success rate of file recovery. It adopts advanced algorithms to ensure a high chance of successful recovery. You can free download the program on your computer, connect your SD card, select it as the target drive, and then scan for recoverable files on it. If you prioritize simplicity and effectiveness, this SD card recovery can be a strong contender.
If you are looking for free SD card recovery software, you can start with the four options below to recover your files from an SD card.
Recuva is a lightweight data recovery tool developed by Piriform. It can work as a free SD card recovery tool for retrieving deleted and lost files from SD cards, hard disks, and USB drives. Recuva supports commonly used file systems like FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS. Compared to paid file recovery tools, it offers limited advanced features. Recuva currently only allows you to restore SD card data on Windows 10, 8.1, and 7 PCs.
Platform: Windows
Puran File Recovery is another free and lightweight tool that can restore data from SD cards and other storage devices. It supports FAT12/16/32, NTFS, and other file formats. This free SD card recovery software offers quick and deep scans to ensure your lost files can be found back. A variety of file types can be recovered, such as pictures, videos, documents, audio files, and others. For basic SD card file recovery tasks, Puran File Recovery is a reliable solution.
Platform: Windows
PhotoRec is a free, open-source data recovery tool that can recover files from your SD card. It can be used to retrieve deleted images, videos, audio files, and documents. This free SD card recovery software delivers a high recovery success rate. However, its command-line interface can be intimidating for beginners. In addition, PhotoRec doesn’t have a preview option for you to check recoverable files before the recovery.
Platform: macOS, Windows, and Linux
TestDisk is an open-source, lightweight file recovery tool that can recover lost partitions and repair corrupted file systems. It is often used alongside PhotoRec for file recovery. It is compatible with regular file systems like FAT32, exFAT, NTFS, and more. Like PhotoRec, it has a command-line interface to perform the SD card file recovery. Similarly, TestDisk doesn’t allow you to preview files.
Platform: Windows, macOS, and Linux
While free SD card recovery software can be effective for basic data recovery tasks, you might sometimes turn to a paid program instead. Paid recovery tools often carry more advanced features, higher success rates, and better support. When recovering some essential files, you may prefer a solid option to perform the recovery. They are designed with more advanced algorithms and techniques to recover data from SD cards. Moreover, these professional programs can better handle complex recovery scenarios.
R-Studio is a professional-grade data recovery developed by R-Tools Technology. It carries various advanced data recovery functions. It enables you to restore lost or deleted files from frequently used storage devices, including SD cards, hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and more. Moreover, R-Studio supports data recovery from damaged and inaccessible partitions. As an SD card recovery tool, it allows you to define specific file types, sizes, or date ranges to restore.
R-Studio provides high success rates of SD card file recovery. It uses advanced algorithms to deal with the most challenging data loss scenarios. However, these powerful features may be overwhelming for new users. R-Studio is more expensive compared to other recovery tools.
Platform: macOS, Windows, and Linux
Disk Drill is an all-featured data recovery program developed by CleverFiles. Like other recommendations above, it can retrieve all types of data from various storage devices. It is known for its powerful recovery capabilities. Moreover, Disk Drill offers additional tools to enhance data protection and management. This powerful SD card recovery software works with SD cards, microSD cards, USB drives, hard disks, SSDs, and more. Disk Drill has a free version with basic recovery features. You can start with the version to recover up to 500MB of data from your SD card for free.
Platform: macOS and Windows
Wondershare Recoverit is a famous data recovery tool that supports SD card recovery. It is known for its high file recovery success rate and intuitive interface. Like Aiseesoft, it can recover over 1000 file types and offers a deep scan mode for complex recovery tasks. Recoverit has a free version available with basic recovery features. But this version comes with limited functionality. Compared to other SD card recovery tools, Recoverit offers slower data scanning speeds, especially for its deep scan.
Platform: macOS and Windows
Stellar Data Recovery is another professional-grade program designed for recovering lost or deleted files. It adopts advanced recovery algorithms to restore data from hard drives, SD cards, and other storage devices. The software highly supports all commonly used file types and systems. It provides a deep scan option for complex recovery tasks. Stellar Data Recovery offers a high recovery success rate from SD cards. You can use its Demo version to recover up to 1GB of SD files for free.
Platform: Windows and macOS
FoneLab for Android is a popular tool for recovering data from Android devices and SD cards. It can recover different data types, including photos, contacts, videos, calls, messages, documents, etc. Besides internal storage of Android devices, it can work as an easy-to-use SD card file recovery software to rescue your lost files.
While FoneLab for Android can recover data from SD cards, it works best when the SD card is connected to your Android device. If the SD card is corrupted or not recognized by your Android phone, the SD card recovery software may not be able to restore data.
Platform: Windows and macOS
Is there free SD card recovery software for Mac?
Yes, there are several free SD card recovery software options available for Mac. You can try using open-source data recovery tools like PhotoRec or TestDisk to recover erased and lost SD files on your Mac for free. Moreover, some professional recovery programs for Mac also offer their free version to restore limited data. You can use the trial version of the recommended Aiseesoft Data Recovery, Disk Drill, Recoverit, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, or Stellar Data Recovery to recover data from SD cards, USB drives, and other storage devices. They often have limitations on the amount of SD data you can retrieve.
How do you fix an SD card that won't read?
If your SD card doesn't read, you should first check and make sure it is properly inserted into the card reader or slot. Try reading the SD card on another computer, camera, or card reader. Check if it can be recognized normally. Some SD cards are designed with a physical lock switch on the side. Check the lock switch and ensure it is in the unlocked position. To troubleshoot an unreadable SD card, you can clean it to remove any visible dirt, dust, or damage. You also need to check the SD card reader and USB ports. After that, you should check for driver and system issues. Last, you can reformat the SD card to bring it back to normal condition. If possible, backup any critical data from the SD card before reformatting.
How to tell if an SD card is corrupted?
To determine if an SD card is corrupted, look for these common signs, such as unreadable files, error messages, disappeared files or folders, the SD card can’t be detected and recognized, SD card connection errors, slow performance, and more. Also, you should check for visible physical damages like cracks, bends, or broken connectors. Try using the CHKDSK on your Windows computer or the Disk Utility on a Mac to check and repair the SD card. If the card is accessible but corrupted, formatting it may fix the issue.
Why is my SD card data lost?
Data loss on an SD card may occur for a variety of reasons. You often use it among different devices. Your improper ejection can corrupt the file system and make some data inaccessible. Moreover, a power failure, accidental deletion, overwriting, physical damage, and even virus or malware may lead to data loss on your SD card.
Conclusion
Losing data from your SD card can be frustrating, mainly when it contains essential photos, videos, or documents. If you are dealing with a simple data loss case or recovering a small amount of files, you can start with free recovery tools or the trial version of some professional programs. However, a paid SD card recovery tool is generally better for critical data loss or recovering files from a complex scenario.
How to Fix Corrupted SD Card Easily without Data LossDon’t worry if your SD card is corrupted or damaged. This tutorial is a detailed guide about repairing corrupted SD card to restore its data.
[2025] 5 Best Tools to Recover Deleted Files on MacThis post offers the top 5 Mac data recovery software to help you retrieve your important but lost data. Check it and discover the most appropriate one for you.
Stellar Photo Recovery Overview: Features, Pros, Cons, PricingCheck our post and learn more about Stellar Photo Recovery Software. We’ve discussed its features, strong points, shortcomings, pricing, best for, and verdict.
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Aiseesoft Data Recovery is the best data recovery software to recover deleted/lost photos, documents, emails, audio, videos, etc. from your PC/Mac.
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