How to recover a formatted SD card [2026 Updated]

Accidentally formatting your SD card on Windows and Mac, and losing all those photos, videos or important files would feel like a blow. Now you just want to recover formatted SD card, right now, without spending much money for it.

But the first thing is whether you can recover formatted SD card? Read this article below to know the answer to this, along with 4 solutions!

Part 1: Is it Possible to Recover Data from Formatted SD Card?

Whether you can recover a formatted SD card depends on how you formatted the card. A quick format only deletes the file system, not the actual data. The files are hidden but still there, so you can recover files from formatted SD card on Mac and Windows with specialized memory card recovery software.

However, if it is an SSD instead of an HDD, the TRIM function can reduce the chances of recovery. On the other hand, a full format will overwrite the data, erasing it permanently. So, in this case, you cannot recover data from formatted SD card.

Part 2: Tips for Successful Formatted SD Card Recovery

You will definitely want to know how to recover files from SD card after formatting. But before we share the solutions, you might want to learn some tips. Without them you lose your best chance for a successful recovery. Here they are:

1. Immediately remove the SD card from your camera or phone and store it in a safe place to prevent damage.
2. Do not add new data to the card as this may overwrite your old files.
3. Use reliable formatted SD card recovery or contact a professional data recovery service.
4. Act quickly, because the sooner you try, the better your chances of recovery.

Part 3: How to Recover Data from Formatted SD Card with Software?

Here’s how to recover files from SD card after formatting with 4 free specialized formatted SD card recovery tools:

Option A: 4DDiG data recovery

4DDiG Data Recovery is a professional tool to recover files from formatted SD card on Mac and Windows. It offers up to 2 GB for free formatted SD card recovery for Windows users, and can also retrieve damaged, hidden and deleted files. The tool has an easy-to-use yet intuitive interface and can retrieve data from numerous internal/external storage media.

Moreover, it can extract more than 2000 file types including audio, RAW files, images, documents, videos and more. 4DDiG offers fast and deep scanning mode, free preview of extracted files and selective file recovery. Here’s how to recover files from SD card after formatting with 4DDiG Data Recovery:

Step 1: Connect your formatted memory card to your computer. Then run the SD card recovery tool on the same PC or Mac.

Step 2: Choose the SD card from the interface. Choose the file types you want to retrieve. Press ‘Scan’. You can pause or stop the scan once you find the files you want.

Step 3: Adjust filters and enter keywords in the search bar to find the exact matches. Preview the recovered memory card files. Hit “Recover” to export them to your computer or cloud drive.

Option B: RescuePro

SanDisk RescuePRO is a data recovery tool designed for flash storage devices only. The free version allows you to scan and view files, while the paid version allows you to save them. The tool can recover data from formatted SD cards, USB drives and CompactFlash cards. Moreover, it supports hundreds of file types, such as photos, videos, audio, documents and archives.

The Deluxe version also adds support for more RAW image formats and fragmented videos from professional cameras. However, RescuPro cannot recover data from internal or external hard drives and has an outdated interface compared to newer recovery tools. Here’s how to recover photos from formatted SD card or other files using RescuePro:

Step 1: Connect your formatted SD card to your computer. Install RescuePro and run it on the same PC.

Step 2: Choose what you want to recover: Photos, Video/Audio or All Files. Then choose your SD card from the drive list. Press ‘Start’.

Step 3: After the scan, preview the list of recovered files. They are automatically saved to your computer. Click the “Output Folder” to find them.

Option C: Recuva

Recuva is a free data recovery utility for Windows only that allows you to scan and recover data from formatted SD card without any charges or file size limitations. It offers both a quick Quick Scan and a deeper Deep Scan, allows you to preview a number of files like regular images, and includes a secure file deletion feature. However, it lacks support for many modern file formats, including newer RAW photos and videos.

The tool also deals with issues with formatted or damaged drives and often cannot detect SD cards that Windows cannot read. The color-coded recovery status (green/yellow/red) is often inaccurate, preview and customer support are limited, and advanced features such as pausing scans are missing. Here’s how to recover photos from formatted SD card and other files using Recuva:

Step 1: Connect your formatted SD card to your computer. Then run Recuva. When the wizard appears, click “Next” to get started.

Step 2: Select the type of files you want to recover (e.g. Images). Press ‘Next’.

Step 3: Choose ‘On my media card or iPod’. Press ‘Next’. Check ‘Enable deep scan’. Press ‘Start’. This is necessary to recover the formatted SD card.

Step 4: Let the scan complete, preview the files if available and select the files you want to recover. Press “Recover” and save the files to your computer’s hard drive.

Option D: Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery is a free data retrieval tool created by Microsoft for recovering lost files from internal drives, external drives, USB devices and SD cards. It uses a command-line interface and supports different scanning modes (/regular and /extensive) based on the file system, such as NTFS, FAT32 and exFAT.

The tool allows filtering by file type, such as .jpg or .docx, and functions well for recovering recently formatted files. However, it is difficult for non-technical users, does not provide a preview and can be unstable when scanning exFAT drives used by SD cards. Moreover, after formatting, it often cannot recover the original file names or folders. Here’s how to recover photos from formatted SD card or other files using Windows File Recovery:

Step 1: Connect your formatted memory card to a computer. Download the Windows File Recovery Tool from the Microsoft Store. Run it with “Command Prompt.”

Step 2: For example, to find formatted “.mp3” files on your SD card, type the following command:

• winfr C: D: /r /n *.mp3. (This will find all formatted MP3 files in drive C and export them to drive D). You can replace the letter C with the number of your memory card and the letter D with the hard drive of your computer where you want to save the recovered “.mp3” files.

Part 4: Why is it difficult to recover formatted SD card files from backups?

Recovering formatted SD card files from backups is quite difficult. This is because most built-in backup tools, such as File History in Windows and Time Machine in macOS, do not automatically back up external storage media such as SD cards by default.

Although you can add SD card backup manually, the card needs to be connected during backup, which many users don’t realize. Even if a backup exists, it is often incomplete. New photos, videos or files on SD card may not be backed up yet, so key data is often missing, making it difficult to recover files from formatted SD card on Mac or Windows.

Last words

Whether you can recover a formatted SD card depends on whether you did quick or full formatting. However, if you act quickly, avoid new data, and use the right tools, you will increase your chances of retrieving SD card files. Free tools like RescuePRO, Recuva and Windows File Recovery can help recover a formatted SD card, but have limitations such as outdated interfaces, missing previews or weaker results on damaged cards.

For a highly successful recovery, 4DDiG Data Recovery is an excellent option to recover files from formatted SD card on Mac and Windows. It offers up to 2 GB of free recovery on Windows, supports more than 2,000 file types, offers fast and deep scans, enables file previews and selective file recovery. Besides formatting, 4DDiG can also extract data from many other data loss scenarios.

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