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

If you hope to know how to recover data from corrupted SD card, don’t missing the post. It shares both Windows built-in tools and powerful recovery tool to help you easily recover files from corrupted SD card.

Irene

By Irene / Updated on October 23, 2023

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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.

attrib command

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".

change drive letter and paths

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

add drive letter

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".

Check file system

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.

File system

Circumstances

Recommended mode

NTFS

Deleted recently

Default

NTFS

Deleted a while ago

Segment, followed by Signature

NTFS

After formatting a disk

Segment, followed by Signature

NTFS

A corrupted disk

Segment, followed by Signature

FAT and exFAT

Any

Extensive

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

Switches

Definition

Supported mode(s)

/n

Filter the scan range: scans for a specific file with its file name/path/type, etc.

All

/y:

Recover specific extension groups.

Signature

/k

Recover system files.

NTFS Segment​​​​​

/u

Recovers undeleted files, for example, from the Recycle Bin.

NTFS Segment

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

Winfr

Note: The destination drive of the recovered files should not be your SD card. You can save the recovered data to anywhere else and move them to the SD card later.

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 Partition Assistant Professional 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.

Notice: If you are Windows Server 2003, 2008 (R2), 2012 (R2), 2016, 2019, 2022 and SBS 2003, 2008, 2011 users, kindly please choose the Server Edition.
Download Pro Demo Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Step 1. In the main interface, click Recover > Recover Data from the top pane.

Recover Data

Step 2. Select the drive where the deleted data is stored and click Start Scan.

Recover Windows Data

Step 3. When the scan finishes, all deleted files will be listed. Then, choose the target file you want to recover and click Recover.

Select Recover Data

Step 4. Here, select a path to save the recovered file.

Select Saved Path

Step 5. When the recovery is over, click OK to exit it.

Restore

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 Partition Assistant.

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.

Irene
Irene · Staff Editor
Irene is an Editor of AOMEI Technology. She devotes herself in giving insightful thoughts on common computer problems with simple and clear guidance. Irene loves to help people solve problems and explore more solutions on relevant issues. She loves reading, singing and travelling.