Must-Read Guide: Recover Files from a Formatted SD Card | Recover Formatted SD Card

Formatted your SD card by mistake? Wondering how to recover formatted SD card? Look no further! Simply download 4DDiG Data Recovery for a seamless retrieval of data from your formatted SD card.

5 mins read

Updated on 2024-04-17 15:09:55 to SD Card

In today's digital world, everyone has a lot of data to store on their Smartphones. May it be videos, pictures, documents, or any other data, SD Cards are a great option to store a large amount of data without any issue. However, SD cards are compact and easy to use when it comes to storing data, but unfortunately, there are times when SD card gets formatted, and it becomes challenging to retrieve files from formatted SD card.

So, if your device's SD card has been formatted due to any reason and you wish to know how to recover formatted SD card, then we have got your back. But before proceeding to the fixes, let's get answers to some of the common questions related to SD Card format.

Part 1. Basic Knowledges About SD Card Format

1. What Happens After Formatting an SD Card?

When you format a micro SD Card or SD Card, you basically remove the previous file management system and replace it with another one that is much more compatible with the device in which you are using that specific SD Card. Although formatting an SD Card appears to remove or delete the content of the card, but in reality, it only removes access to the files by implementing a new file system. Oftentimes, you will be prompted to format the SD Card even when inserting it into a new device.

In a nutshell, you overwrite the current file structure with a new one, and all the files and folders that were previously visible on the SD Card will no longer be accessible.

2. Is It Possible to Recover Files from Formatted SD Card?

Whenever the SD Card is accidentally formatted, most users are concerned regarding if they can recover files from formatted SD card or not. Well, we are here with an answer. Although formatting an SD Card causes file loss, but it does not mean that the data is totally lost. Formatting the SD Card just breaks the data structure on the card, which in turn marks the whole device as “Empty,” but in fact, the data is still present on the SD Card that can be recovered with the right methods in hand.

So, the answer is YES. As long as you don’t overwrite the data with the new content or files, you still have chances to recover SD card after format. Stop using the SD card by adding any new data to avoid data overwritten.

Part 2: Recover Formatted SD Card with CMD Recovery Method

Here's a listicle on how to recover a formatted SD card with the CMD Command method on PC and Mac:

Way 1. Recover Data from Formatted SD Card on PC with CMD Command

If you are a Windows 10 user and hunting for a reliable way to recover files from accidentally formatted SD card, then the CMD Command method will work for you. As a Windows user, you can try to recover data from a formatted SD card through the command line.

  • Open a command prompt on your PC by typing "cmd" in the Windows search box.
  • Here, choose "Run as administrator."
  • Next, enter the command: chkdsk G: /f/x/r. Here, replace "G" with the drive letter of the formatted SD Card.
  • Now, hit the "Enter" key and let the process complete.

    recover formatted sd card with cmd command

You can now check if the files on your formatted SD Card are recovered!

Way 2. Recover Files from Formatted SD Card on Mac using CMD Command

If you are a Mac user who is confused regarding how to recover a format sd card, then the CMD command method works perfectly for Mac users as well. For this, you simply need a Terminal Application on your Mac, and you can then start with the guide below:

  • Open the "Terminal" application located in the "Utilities" folder of your Mac.
  • Next, go to the SD Card by using the "cd" command in the "Terminal" app.
  • Here, enter the command mv filename ../ by replacing "filename" with the name of the file that you want to recover.
  • Once you are done with entering the command, hit "Return."
  • Now, type "quit" to exit the Terminal application.

    recover files from formatted sd card with cmd command on Mac

And you are done! You can now go to the previous folder and check if the file has been restored.

Way 3. The Limitations of CMD Recovery Method

The CMD Recovery Method seems to be easy to recover the files on a formatted SD Card, but it comes coupled with certain limitations.

The chkdsk command is used to run the check disk utility that scans the drive indicated to detect the corrupted partitions. The problem with this method is that it is not perfectly applicable to a formatted SD Card. Running chkdsk command on such drive returns no issues as the SD Card is not corrupted but formatted.

Therefore, when you are unable to find lost files from formatted SD with CMD way, it is time to turn to professional SD data recovery software.

Part 3: Reliable Data Recovery Software to Recover Formatted SD Card

Tenorshare 4DDiG is a professional data recovery software that empowers the users to get back formatted, deleted, or lost data from a PC, Mac, SD Card, or memory card without any hassle. No matter whether the data has been lost due to accidental deletion, malware infection, or crashed system, Tenorshare 4DDiG will help you recover the files with ease.

The top advantages of using 4DDiG involve:

  • Restore data from PC or laptop, internal and external hard drive, SD Card, USB Flash Drive, etc.
  • Recover files within a couple of minutes lost due to accidental deletion, lost partition, formatting, and much more.
  • Recover more than 1000 plus file types involving videos, photos, audio, and documents.
  • No technical skills required.

Now, have a look at the step-by-step guide on how to recover formatted photos from an SD card with Tenorshare 4DDiG SD Data Recovery.

  • Download and install Tenorshare 4DDiG on your PC or Mac. Run the tool, get your SD Card connected to the PC, select the SD card from the interface, and hit the “Scan” button.

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    4DDIG format SD recovery
  • This software will scan the SD card to dig out the lost data. There is a progress bar that shows how much data has been accomplished. You can stop the scanning anytime you want.

    scan format SD card
  • Once the lost or deleted files are gathered, select the desired files based on the category and then preview them to get detailed information regarding the same.
  • Now, click on the "Recover" button to get the desired files back. After clicking the "Recover" button, a dialog box will appear where you can select the location to save the files. Simply select the location and tap "OK."

    recover files from formatted sd card

That's all! You have successfully recovered all the deleted or lost files on your SD Card with the 4DDiG SD Recovery. You can now view the files and make sure not to save them to the same partition where you lost them.

The Final Words

This was all about how to recover a formatted SD card! Recovering the files from a formatted SD Card sounds pretty challenging, but in reality, it is not that tough as it sounds. The simple and easy-to-use SD Card Data Recovery Software - 4DDiG presents a very accessible one-click solution to recover data from formatted SD Card. So, download 4DDiG free now and get back all the lost or deleted files within just a couple of minutes.

William Bollson (senior editor)

William Bollson, the editor-in-chief of 4DDiG, devotes to providing the best solutions for Windows and Mac related issues, including data recovery, repair, error fixes.

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