How to recover deleted files from memory card

Accidentally deleted files from Memory card??

Memory card is very commonly used in our daily life. We store files and data via memory card in camera, mobile phone, tablet computer, music play and video recorder, etc. However, I think you must have been in the trouble about files or data loss from memory card because of accidental deletion. You must be confused to think about whether there is a way to recover deleted files from memory card.

What is "File System"?

You may be wondering for why deleted files in memory card still have chance to be recovered. Actually, deletion doesn't mean erasing in "file system".
What is "file system"? We can simplely recognize it as the center that manage file storage in any storage media, such as memory card, hard drive, flash drive, etc. As long as your device can store files or data, there must be a "file system" is managing your stored files.

Is possible to recover deleted photos from memory card?

Ok, let' s come back to talk about the possibility of memory card deleted files recovery. When we deleted files from memory card, the "file system" will give a tag that means "deleted" to the files. This tag can tell the new data that these files are useless and the space is accessible for new data. At the same time, we can't see the deleted files as normal, but they exactly are still in the storage space of memory card.

Anyway, we can find out that as long as the deleted files are still in the memory card, it is possible to recover them with some ways.

What we need to do before memory card deleted files recovery

Through learning the principle of data storage in the memory card, we have known it is possible to restore file from memory card. However, we have to need to do some headwork:


1.Unplug memory card from devices, and keep it safty. If your memory card suffer from shaking, press and other physical damage, there is no hope to get back lost data.

2.The most important thing-don't save any data to memory card when you want to get back files after accidental deletion. As we know, deleted files have been marked "useless" by "file system" and new data can save to the space where the deleted files located before, when new data save to space, the deleted files will be overwritten. Once this situation happen, no one and nothing can help you retrieve data.

3.You can clean something useless in memory card to improve the possibility of data recovery. The memory card has more free space, the possibility of deleted files recovery will be bigger. More free space in memory card can prevent deleted files you want to recover from overwritting.

How to Recover Deleted Files from Memory Card

To recover memory card deleted files, commonly we need to copy back from backup, but most of us don't have a good sense of important data backup. Beside some devices like camera have a "recovery" feature that can recover lost photos from camera memory card, but this convenient feature is very rare now.


Therefore, we have to use some recovery software to help us scan out and recover deleted files which have been invisible. (This way may not be the best, but it must not be the worst.)

Here is the general step for memory card deleted files recovery via card data recovery software :


Step 1:Download and install recovery software to your computer,( you need to pay attention to the version of those software, such as Card Data Recovery, there are Windows version and Mac version.)


Step 2: Connect your memory card to computer via card-reader, and launch the software, I think you can see the software will detect your memory card as a removable drive.

Step 3: Just follow the guides in the software to finish memory card deleted files recovery, which generally is very easy.

(P.S. when you want to saved recovered files you had better save them to another place rather than the original memory card)