MicroSD cards can increase the smartphone’s internal memory and create more space for photos, videos, music and important files. But what if your microSD card suddenly stops working? Or if you accidentally delete a file? Here, we’ll show you how to recover photos and data from a broken MicroSD.
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Back up
Have you accidentally deleted some files? If the answer is yes, then immediately stop using your mobile phone. If you continue to use your smartphone you could overwrite areas with accidentally deleted files and reduce the chances of restoring data from the broken memory.
If the MicroSD card is damaged or appears to be damaged, there is no need to reformat it if you want to restore the data. Even if the card is ready to be reused after formatting it, it becomes more difficult for the underlying tools to recover existing data.
Check and correct errors in your microSD card with Windows
First, turn off your smartphone, remove the microSD card and insert it into any PC with Windows (make sure you have a smaller adapter). If the computer recognizes the card, right-click on the Explorer and select Properties. Next, go to the Tools tab and click Check Now in the Error Checking area.
After an initial scan, the microSD will be adjusted. If all goes well, you will have access to your data, photos and videos again.
If the microSD card is not recognized by Windows, do the following:
If Windows does not recognize your microSD card, open the system manager and click on Disk Management in the list on the left. If you see your microSD card in the right area, right-click on it, then click Change letter and drive path.
A new window will open where you will need to click Add and then assign a letter to the MicroSD card. When finished, it should be visible in Windows Explorer and the microSD card should start working again.
Repair the microSD card and save the data with DiskDigger
If no suggestions worked, don’t despair as there are many other tools and programs available that can help you recover photos and data from a broken MicroSD. One of these is DiskDigger. This program can be used for free during the trial period and a single-user license for a PC costs more or less € 14.99.
After downloading and installing DiskDigger, start the program and select the microSD card. Click on the Next tab three times and DiskDigger will scan the microSD card. This may take some time… it’s normal. Subsequently, all the files recovered during the scan will be displayed.
Recover data from a damaged MicroSD on Android with root
If the smartphone is root and you want to repair the microSD card directly from your phone, a version of DiskDigger for Android is also available on the Google Play Store. The free version allows you to restore images (JPG and PNG) and video (MP4 and 3GP). The Pro version also offers the possibility of recovering other files on the microSD card.
The process on Android is performed in the same way as described above. However, keep in mind that the Android version of DiskDigger is not as efficient as the Windows version to recover files and photos deleted from a damaged SD card. Furthermore, the phone must have root, because without extended access to the system, the application cannot work effectively.
Recover data from a damaged MicroSD Card using macOS
You can also use the Mac to restore data on microSD cards. Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is a free program that can perform this task and is available for download from the developer’s website.
After the program download is complete, insert the memory card into the Mac and start the program. You don’t have to worry about options or menus in this software, the data recovery wizard will guide you step by step through the process. Then select the memory card and the types of data you want to restore.
After a short search, the application will show which files can be recovered. For example, a file you deleted by mistake will appear here. Another optional solution is a detailed analysis of the memory card. In the window that opens, you can select all the files that have been deleted.
The last thing is to choose a new location for your files. It is not recommended to restore the file to the original location, especially if the SD card is defective.
We finished. Then you found our article useful.
