Sd Card Recovery Software Windows

Sd Card Recovery Software Windows 4,0/5 7951 votes

So, you just found that you had deleted or lost some files? Maybe on your computer hard drive or an external storage device.

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And you also learned that there are data recovery software might be able to recover the files.

Wise Data Recovery (Free SD card recovery software for Windows) Wise Data Recovery is one of the best free SD card recovery software to get back deleted photos, documents, videos, emails etc., from any rewriteable media you have including SD card, memory cards, external hard drives, USB sticks and more! Though SD card recovery sounds difficult, it can be done easily with the help of powerful data recovery software. Here, I’ll lay my emphasis on SD card recovery for Windows 10: how to achieve free SD card data recovery with MiniTool Power Data Recovery Free Edition V8.1 – the professional & reliable SD card data recovery freeware.

There’s more than meets the eye, though. Some of the data recovery programs are good, some are not. Some claim to be free — but when you try to use them, you find out you have to purchase a license to fully recover or save your files.

Top 5 Best SD Card Recovery Freeware for Windows & Mac 2019. SD card is the most common storage medium chosen by the users of mobile phone, digital camera, and more other electronic devices. However, most people learn the importance of backing up SD card in a hard way. Disk Drill is a user-friendly sd card data recovery software for any version of Mac OS and Windows. It is suitable for memory cards in photo cameras and phones in mass storage mode. It supports data recovery on MMC, SDHC/X, MicroSD, CF, XD and Sony Memory Sticks.

Seriously, I hate the trick! Yes, I call it a “trick”.

How do you tell good, solid data recovery software from wallet-sucking fraudulent programs?

Here’s your answer: I’ve personally downloaded, tested 50+ data recovery programs on my Windows 10 based PC and macOS based MacBook Pro, sorted out the truly free data recovery tools and put them all in one place.

The apps listed below are 100% free, or open source, or freeware, which means there’s no catch and you can use them to scan, recover and save your files without any restrictions. No need to purchase a license!

Before you read the list though, check out these practical data recovery tips to increase your chances of recovering the data. Saving additional data to the disk drive in question could overwrite your deleted data, making it difficult to restore your lost information.

  • Stop using the computer or device (or SD card, flash drive, etc.) where your lost files located.
  • Try not to install a data recovery program on the same drive you want to recover files from.
  • Once you are ready to export the recovered files, save them on a different volume.

Update Note (July 2018):

Hey, it’s been a while since I check this roundup post again. Sadly, a few programs in this list are no longer free. Some got acquired, some don’t work anymore due to lack of updates. For the accuracy of this post, I have to remove some programs from this list. Previously there were 20 truly free data recovery programs got featured, now much fewer.

This is unfortunate, but understandable if you stand from the developer’s point of view. These days it’s really hard for software developers to keep updating a piece of free software (especially Mac apps) to make it still work with the latest operating system.

Also, some free data recovery software are pushing users to buy their Pro versions. A good example is Recuva. I just tested the last version of Recuva on a Windows-10 based PC, and I instantly felt the maker is promoting Recuva Professional more aggressively than before though the free version should be enough to handle your data recovery needs. By the way, in case you don’t know. The maker of Recuva and CCleaner, Piriform, got acquired by Avast in 2017. Now you get the point 🙂 But Recuva is still free to use if you can spot out the catch (and I’ll point it out below).

Anyway, thanks for your attention and I appreciate your feedback on this article. Quite a few readers emailed me personally, thank you for taking the time. And if you get to know a new free data recovery tool, leave a comment or send me an email.

P.S. Okay, I get your feedback that sometimes free data recovery software just don’t work that well. If you are willing to try a paid data recovery program, I recommend Stellar Data Recovery – they have both Windows and macOS versions and support recovering data from mobile devices like iPhones and Android phones as well. Free trails are available but won’t allow you to save your files (if found after the scan). Your success rate may vary.

Also read our in-depth reviews:

1. Recuva (Windows)

If you want to get back the files you accidentally deleted from Windows Recycle Bin or USB stick, then Recuva is absolutely the first program you should try. A couple of years ago, I used it to recover most of the photos and videos for a friend in San Francisco who accidentally formatted her camera SD card. Recuva is 100% free for personal use.

You can get Recuva from its official website here. Just scroll down on the page and click the green “Free Download” button, when using the program do not be bothered by the upgrade pitch 🙂

Here’s a video tutorial you may find useful:

What I like:

  • Quick to download and install. The portable version runs from flash drive.
  • Easy to use. Perfect for everyone as it comes with both simple and advanced options.
  • Deep Scan function could find more files though take a bit longer.
  • Able to preview highlighted images before recovery.

What I Dislike:

Free Sd Card Recovery Software Windows 10

  • Many junk files are scanned and listed there. Some of those show as unrecoverable, making it a bit hard to find the files you actually want.

2. PhotoRec (Windows/Mac/Linux)

Created by Christophe Grenier, PhotoRec is a free, open source file recovery program that works amazingly well on almost every operating system. PhotoRec isn’t just a photo recovery tool (don’t be fooled by its name). You can use this powerful software to recover nearly 500 different file formats from hard disks or removable media. Here’s a tutorial on how to use PhotoRec step by step.

What I Like:

  • Works on multiple platforms (Windows, macOS, and Linux).
  • Updated by its developer regularly.
  • Powerful recovery capability that includes a large variety of file formats.
  • It’s open source (source code is released).

What I Dislike:

  • Not very user-friendly, as it uses a command line tool interface.
  • You may want to get some help from a techie friend to get this working properly.

3. Puran File Recovery (Windows)

Another powerful, yet free data recovery utility. Puran File Recovery works great to rescue data from practically any storage medium. The software supports ten different languages. All Puran utilities are totally free for private and non-commercial use. You can see a video tutorial from YouTube here.

What I Like:

  • Deep Scan and Full Scan options for more powerful searching.
  • Able to preview files once highlighted.
  • You can categorize found items by file types. e.g. pictures, videos, documents, etc.
  • File quality reserves after recovery.

What I Dislike:

  • Not that intuitive for new users, especially when compared to some of the other options on this list.

4. Glary Undelete (Windows)

A great undelete tool similar to Recuva, Glary Undelete “unerases” items from FAT and NTFS disks. It’s simple to use: just choose a drive to scan, click “Search”, and wait for a while, depending on the volume of the disk selected. You’ll see a bunch of files found. Once you do, just navigate to the folders on the left, use the preview function to locate your targeted items, and you’re good to go! Check out more from this video tutorial (from Vimeo).

What I Like:

  • Quick to download and install. Clean, logical software interface.
  • Perfect for undeleting items from the Recycle Bin or an external storage device.
  • Preview capability helps find files you want to retrieve.

What I Dislike:

  • Many junk files are found and listed, which can feel a bit overwhelming.
  • Less capable of recovering data lost to formatting or a hard disk crash.

5. SoftPerfect File Recovery (Windows)

This is another nice tool to bring your accidentally deleted files back to life. SoftPerfect File Recovery(scroll down on the page to download the program, skip the EaseUS recommendation) was primarily developed to help you rescue data that was accidentally deleted from hard disks, USB flash drives, SD and CF cards, etc. It supports popular file systems such as FAT12/16/32, NTFS, and NTFS5 with compression and encryption. The program runs under Windows XP through Windows 10.

What I Like:

  • Portable, no installation required.
  • 33 interface languages are available.
  • Very easy to use – no unnecessary settings and screens.
  • Able to restore files with “path”.

What I Dislike:

  • No file preview. Scanned files are listed one-by-one without being categorized in folders.

6. Exif Untrasher (macOS)

Exif Untrasher is another totally free program that runs on Mac (macOS 10.6 or above). It’s primarily designed to recover JPEG photos that have been deleted from a digital camera. It also works if you want to get back lost JPEGs from an external drive, USB stick, SD card, etc., as long as it’s a removable disk you can mount on your Mac.

What I Like:

  • Easy to download and install.
  • Quick and accurate in findingrecovering erased pictures from my camera SD card.
  • Quality of recovered photos is very good.

What I Dislike:

  • Works only with JPEG files.
  • Can’t recover photos removed from an internal Mac hard drive (you’ll notice the “Macintosh HD” option is greyed when you attempt to select the volume).

7. Tokiwa Data Recovery (Windows)

If you want to recover your lost files quickly, Tokiwa Data Recovery is a nice option. It’s a standalone application, which means little time is required for the installation process. In my case, Tokiwa found 42,709 files in less than a minute — very efficient! Tokiwa claims it can retrieve and wipe documents, archives, pictures, videos, and more from common storage media.

What I Like:

  • It’s portable — no installation required.
  • Fast scanning process.
  • Deep scan function available after simple scan is over.
  • Capable of wiping files permanently.

What I Dislike:

  • I couldn’t find any settings or documentation — though it’s simple to use.
  • Can’t preview images or files.
  • Wipe function doesn’t allow erased items to be saved in the system drive.

8. PC INSPECTOR File Recovery (Windows)

Another super-powerful freeware, PC Inspector File Recovery helps recover deleted, formatted files from disks or partitions, even if the boot sector has been erased or damaged. The program won’t help if you have mechanical problems with your disk drive, however, and it can’t be installed on the same drive you’d like to recover files from. A video tutorial is available on YouTube here.

What I Like:

  • Powerful, able to detect logical drives that other freeware can’t.
  • Easier to organize recovered files, as it automatically puts them into correct file structures.
  • Supports many languages, as seen in the above screenshot.
  • Claims it’s freeware for good.

What I Dislike:

  • Icons and instructions look a bit obsolete.
  • Freezes sometimes during the recovery process.

9. Wise Data Recovery (Windows)

Another excellent freeware from the WiseClean family. Wise Data Recovery helps you recover files and folders from various devices. The software is intuitive: select the drive you want to scan, wait, then can browse the item tree to recover your precious files.

What I Like:

  • Simple to set up and use.
  • Speedy scanning process.
  • Multiple languages available.

What I Dislike:

  • No deep scan capability.
  • Large percentage of files are unrecoverable.

10. UndeleteMyFiles Pro (Windows)

Don’t be fooled by the software name. While it sounds like a pro edition that requires a purchase to use, UndeleteMyFiles Pro is absolutely free, and comes with tools for data recovery and file wipe as well. Just select the drive, scan it, and you should be able to view a list of missing files. SeriousBit, the developers, says UndeleteMyFiles Pro works well for recovering deleted files from hard disks, USB, SD/CF cards, and other storage media.

What I Like:

  • Quick, easy and intuitive to use.
  • File preview ability for certain types of files.

What I Dislike:

  • File names are missing in scanned results.
  • No deep scan capability.

11. TestDisk (Windows/Mac/Linux)

TestDisk, PhotoRec’s sister program, is an extremely powerful partition recovery tool developed to help find deleted/lost partitions, make crashed disks bootable again, and a whole lot more. TestDisk is like an experienced doctor that cures most of the problems related to computer hard disks. A video tutorial about how to use TestDisk is here.

What I Like:

  • Free, open source, secure.
  • Can fix partition tables and recover deleted partitions.
  • Rescues data from problematic partitions caused by faulty software, certain types of viruses, or human error.

What I Dislike:

  • Non-GUI program — i.e. it’s not for computer newbies as it requires more tech knowledge to use successfully.

12. Undelete360 (Windows)

Like the name says,Undelete360undeletes files you accidentally removed from your computer, Recycle Bin, flash drive, digital camera, memory card, etc. You’ll see two tabs when the program is launched: “Recover Files” and “Wipe Files“. To get back your deleted items, stay on the “Recover Files” tab, highlight the disk drive, and start searching.

What I Like:

  • Multiple languages available.
  • The file tree is very helpful to find targeted items.
  • File path, as well as the condition of the files, are indicated.
  • Includes a wipe tool that securely deletes files that are beyond recovery.

What I Dislike:

  • My computer hung during the scanning process.
  • Quite time-consuming compared to most of the other apps listed here.

Best Sd Card Recovery Software

13. FreeUndelete (Windows)

As the name indicates,FreeUndeleteis freeware tool that undeletes files from any NTFS- and FAT-based volume. FreeUndelete runs on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. During my test, I found the program intuitive, and the process of data scanning is pretty fast. However, what frustrated me was that the found files and folders are not well-organized, making it hard to actually select and recover those you want to recover.

What I Like:

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  • Quick to download, install, and scan.
  • Very intuitive – no complicated buttons or options.

What I Dislike:

  • The panel on the left is kind of odd — there is no drive D: or E: on my computer.
  • Found files are poorly organized. I couldn’t find the pictures I wanted to recover, whether they were recovered or not.

14. Lazesoft Recovery Suite Home (Windows)

If you are looking for an ultimately powerful windows rescue solution, then Lazesoft Recovery Suiteis the one. Besides recovering data from common disks, Lazesoft also comes with a set of utilities that rescues your Windows system when you forget your login password, or even won’t boot.

Note: the software has several editions, but only the Home Edition is free.

What I Like:

  • Multiple modes (Undelete, Unformat, Deep Scan) available to choose.
  • Able to preview pictures before they are retrieved.
  • Many super-useful utilities are included, including password recovery, Windows rescue, disk clone, and more.

What I Dislike:

  • Download is a bit slow.

15. WinHex (Windows)

WinHexis targeted more toward forensics data recovery needs. After you download the archive, unzip it and click on “WinHex.exe” to run the program. It might be a little overwhelming the first time you open it. To scan and recover data, move to “Tools” -> “Disk Tools” -> “File Recovery by Type”. TechTarget also has a detailed tutorial here.

What I Like:

  • The only freeware I found for investigation and forensics usage.
  • Able to edit/clone disk and recover partitions as well.

What I Dislike:

  • Needs certain expertise to handle the program.

Which Free Recovery Software Is The Best?

So, what do you think of this list? Have you tried some of them? Did it work to retrieve your lost files?

I’d like to know your stories. For me, I really like Recuva for Windows and Exit Untrasher for Mac because they helped me pull back some of my deleted items.

Also, if you found another free data recovery software that I missed, please leave the comment below and let me know. I’d be happy to test it out and may feature it here as well.

Don’t forget to backup your computer and hard drive! I just did so with my MacBook, see my recent post: how to backup Mac to an external drive.

Either way, thanks for reading, and I wish you best of luck getting back the lost data.

There are countless apps for Windows designed to allow you to recover data that has been lost from your SD card. While everyone obviously hopes that they’ll never need to use it, it’s important to ensure that you have the best software available in case something does happen.

It’s easier than you think to have your files accidentally deleted, and there are several potential causes. These can range from hardware or power failures to viruses, to simple human error.

You can take measures to reduce the risk of data loss, but nobody can completely eliminate the possibility. Once you’ve discovered that files have been deleted, you should stop using the SD card and start up one of these 5 programs – the best pieces of memory card recovery software for Windows.

1. Disk Drill

Pros:

  • High success rate
  • Supports all file systems
  • Verifies recovery chances with “Preview”

Cons:

  • No portable version

Among the various free SD card data recovery programs, Disk Drill is a great place to start and we recommend it as a must-download if you are storing anything important on your SD card.

Another hero of the day: @Cleverfiles Disk Drill! Had a corrupt SD card with timelapse footage. None of the data recovery apps could see or mount the card. I then formatted the card in a @GoPro , after that the card mounted and Disk Drill recovered everything :))

— Sybren Arnoldus (@IetsMetFilm) March 18, 2019

✔ Available for most current versions of Windows, including Windows XP, 7, 8 & 10, Disk Drill Free version allows you to recover up to 500MB of photos and pictures, music, videos, and anything else for free.

✔ It’s also compatible with a wide range of storage devices, from Sandisk and Samsung SD and micro SD to SDHC, SDXC, and CF.

✔ Additionally, it can read a variety of uncommon file types, such as EXT, NTFS, HFS+, and FAT32.

While any attempt at recovering lost files is more likely to succeed when they were deleted more recently, Disk Drill is also capable of searching through older files with its Deep Scan feature.

This examine your drive and memory cards in their entirety, searching for deleted files to reconstruct. Among the freeware options, there’s a good argument in favor of Disk Drill as the best SD card recovery software.

2. IObit Undelete

Pros:

  • User-friendly
  • Quick scan

Cons:

  • Good results in recovering only recently deleted files
  • No advanced options

Another good choice for free SD card data recovery, IObit Undelete focuses on ease of use. One of its main advantages over the competition is that it’s free to use regardless of how much data you need to restore.

This gives you the ability to recover anything you need without having to worry about hitting the limit, and you can restore large files for which other programs would require payment.

Unlike other software designed for this purpose, IObit Undelete doesn’t actually need to be installed on your hard drive—installing new programs can overwrite “lost” files, which is specifically what these applications are designed to avoid.

This feature transcends what other pieces of software can offer, guaranteeing that it won’t prevent itself from recovering files. Instead, you can simply put the program on a USB drive, making the application portable and stopping it from interfering with its purpose.

For these reasons and more, IObit Undelete comes with very positive reviews and most of its users are extremely satisfied, especially with the value it provides without any cost.

“IObit Undelete is a simple program to use which is already appreciated, because simplicity is our times is very important, another feature that I like in the depth of the scan which allows the deep and exhaustive search of the deleted files…” – Ines S, g2.com

For simple, free memory card recovery software, IObit Undelete is among the top options, for its unlimited recovery ability, portability without installation, and easy to use interface.

3. Piriform Recuva

Pros:

  • Text
  • Advanced options

Cons:

  • No support for free version
  • No updates since 2016

Piriform Recuva includes many of the same features of the other options on this list, and it comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. Like Disk Drill, Piriform Recuva offers both a free and premium version, but the set of features locked behind the paywall is slightly different, as data recovery is unlimited in both.

Instead, the premium version—available for only $20—offers a few unique features that make the experience more seamless. First, premium users are given priority technical support and automatic updates.

“Recuva is one of the best free file recovery software tools available. It’s easy to use and is as effective as any other freeware or premium file recovery program on the market.” – Tim Fisher, lifewire.com

Possibly more important to some users, the premium software also gives you the option of creating a backup using a virtual hard drive before making any adjustments, thus allowing you to reverse any unforeseen negative consequences.

4. Recoverit Data Recovery

Pros:

  • Deep Scan available
  • Clean design

Cons:

  • Not all files can be previewed
  • Doesn’t show a file’s quality before recovering it

This option is designed for those looking for a professional data recovery solution, and while it comes with a price tag—$75.95 for a month, $79.95 for a year, or $89.95 for life—its features may be worth it if you need the best software available.

If you’re not sure whether to pay or to stick with one of the freeware options, Recoverit offers a free trial period in which you can test it out without a commitment.

The highlighted features of Recoverit Data Recovery include the sleek, professional interface, high rate of file restoration, speed, and ease of use. If you’re looking for a specific file or type of file, you can narrow your search by file extension, and many of the more advanced options are made accessible to those with less technical experience. It’s extremely easy to understand the options Recoverit offers, and its menu system seamlessly takes you from step to step.

In the end, nobody but you can determine whether Recoverit’s steep price tag is worth its set of high-quality features. Those looking for a reliable, easy option, or for software to license throughout a business, may be willing to pay for an application with better ease of use and a simpler interface, but it may be too expensive for those willing to negotiate the slightly more complicated menus of other programs.

Sd Card Data Recovery Software For Windows 10

5. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

Free Sd Card Data Recovery Software Windows

Pros:

  • Simple interface
  • Good overall recovery results

Cons:

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  • The poor recovery rate for video files
  • Slow scan

Like several of the other options on this list, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is available in both a free and paid version. It also offers standard quick scan and deep scan features, allowing you to look for recent files or conduct a more thorough check. With its premium edition costing $90, it comes in as one of the more expensive pieces of software, but it also has a trial for those who want to try before they buy.

Like Recoverit Data Recovery, EaseUS gives you the ability to search for a specific type of file, targeting your scan to a specific set of files and thus reducing the total scan time. Since the trial is limited to a total of 500 MB of data restoration, you’ll need to pay for a license before scanning for any larger files.

If you’re interested in EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, you should run its trial version first before making any purchases.

Compared to other similar pieces of software, including those on this list, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard can sometimes run slower scans. The flipside of this is that its performance in finding corrupted and deleted files is among the best on the market, and it also takes up a lower amount of energy on your computer. If you have the time and patience to wait for the scan to finish, EaseUS is one of the best options available.

Conclusion

While the five programs on this list are among the best available for SD card data recovery, each one comes with a unique set of features and shortcomings that makes it particularly useful for a certain audience. In the end, you’re the best judge of your own needs, and there are plenty of other applications out there.

For software that requires a paid license, you should always take advantage of the free trial until you’re sure that the program is right for you.

Moreover, if you’re looking for one to recover files that have already been deleted, don’t be discouraged if the first application doesn’t find them—each one works slightly differently, and a deep scan by a certain program may find files that another will miss.