(Easy Guide) How to Recover Data from Corrupted SD Card?

Can you recover data from corrupted SD card?

An SD card can become corrupted for various reasons, with the most common ones being physical damage, logical corruption, or a file system error. This is typically indicated by the following symptoms:

Symptoms of a corrupted SD card

Physical damaged

Files missing/presence with unknown reasons

No SD card recognized or detected

Shows the wrong storage size

Slow/poor performance

Frequent device malfunctioning

SD card displays as RAW

When it happens, can you recover data from a corrupted SD card? Well, it depends on what caused the issue. If the card is physically damaged, there's probably no way to repair it, and you'll need a new one. But if it's experiencing problems for some other reason, there are some techniques that might be useful.

How to recover data from corrupted SD card in 4 ways?

The following 4 methods can be useful for how to recover data from corrupted SD card. You can use Windows inbuilt tools like CMD, Disk Management, or choose Windows File Recovery if your device supports it. Besides, turning to professional recovery software for help is also an ideal choice.

Way 1. Recover files from corrupted SD card via CMD

If your data has disappeared from your SD card, and you didn't intentionally delete it, there's a chance it's hidden rather than permanently removed. You can potentially retrieve these files from your SD card by using the built-in Windows CMD (Command Prompt). Here are the specific steps to follow:

Step 1. Insert your SD card into your computer using a compatible cable. Then, type "cmd" into the search box, select "Command Prompt", and click "Run as administrator".

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, enter the following command: "attrib -h -r -s /s /d/ X:*.*" (Replace "X" with the letter corresponding to your SD card). Press the Enter key to proceed.

Way 2. Assign a new letter to the corrupted SD card

If you're unable to access your SD card, it's possible that it doesn't have a valid drive letter assigned to it rather than getting corrupted. In such cases, you'll need to assign a new drive letter to your corrupted SD card manually and then insert it to check whether you can find the files again. Here's how to do it:

Step 1. Press the Win + X keys together, and then choose "Disk Management".

Step 2. Locate your SD card in the list, right-click on it, and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths".

Step 3. Click "Change" to pick a new letter, and then click "OK".

Way 3. Run Windows File Recovery to recover data from corrupted SD card

Windows File Recovery is a tool for data recovery available in the Microsoft Store. To use it, ensure you have Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11. Before recovery, check your SD card's file system by inserting it, opening "This PC", right-clicking the SD card, and selecting "Properties".

Step 1. Search for Windows File Recovery in the Microsoft Store and click Get to install it on your PC.

Step 2. Search for the program in the Windows search box, click it, and choose Run as administrator.

Step 3. Choose a suitable mode to recover your lost files based on the File System.

Step 4. Follow the prompts to enter the correct command line, such as winfr D: E: extensive /n *paper* > Click Y to continue.

Step 4. Follow the prompts to enter the correct command line to continue.

Way 4. Recover files from corrupted SD card using a recovery tool

Sometimes, the symptoms of SD card corruption may not appear singly. You might notice poor performance, and then the SD card becomes RAW suddenly and unexpectedly. To recover lost data from a corrupted SD card, you need to identify the possible causes and take specific actions. Otherwise, your recovery attempts may not succeed.

Here, we recommend a professional recovery software that allows you to cope with most data lost cases. AOMEI FastRecovery is equipped with a robust Recover Data feature, which can retrieve lost data from various scenarios, including formatting, corruption, virus attack, etc.,

What’s more. it supports restore over 200 types of data. No matter you want to recover photos, videos, documents, emails, or any other file, it can share a helpful hand for you.

Functions of AOMEI FastRecovery:
✔ Recover deleted or lost files from HDD, USB, SD card and various storage devices.
✔ Retrieve Word, Excel, PPT, photos, videos, audio, emails, zipped files, and over 200 other file types.
✔ Keep the original format of recovered files.
✔ Search for target Word files by typing the file name during the scan, or wait for automatic discovery with Quick Scan and Deep Scan.
✔ Supports NTFS, exFAT, FAT32 and ReFS file systems.
✔ Compatible with Windows Server and Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 64-bit and 32-bit.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI FastRecovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data lost and click Scan.

Step 2. Then, the recovery tool start to scan and search. lt will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".

Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.

Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovering ends.

Final words

This post shares 4 easy methods on how to recover data from corrupted SD card. To easily and effectively find lost data, it is recommended to rely on professional data recovery software like AOMEI FastRecovery.

Apart from excellent recovery performance, this tool stands out for its versatility as well. It is a good idea to explore functions like Convert to NTFS/FAT32, Format Partition, Disk Clone for backup, and so on. We believe they can build a convenient and enjoyable world in your PC time.