How to recover deleted files from an SD card on Mac?

Data Recovery
1

Accidentally deleted important photos and videos from my SD card and use a Mac. What’s the best way to recover them? Urgently need help as the data is crucial. Are there any recommended tools or methods for SD card recovery on macOS?

2

Facing a similar issue a few months back, what worked wonders for me was using Disk Drill

Disk Drill Screenshot
Disk Drill Software1536×902 140 KB
. It’s pretty user-friendly and quite effective at recovering lost files on a Mac. Here’s a quick breakdown for you:

Pros:

  1. Ease of Use: Super intuitive interface, even if you aren’t tech-savvy.
  2. Comprehensive Recovery: Can recover a wide array of file types (photos, videos, docs, and more).
  3. Preview Before Recovering: You can see what you’ll get back before committing to the recovery.

Cons:

  1. Cost: The free version has limitations. You might need to get the Pro version to recover larger data sets.
  2. Speed: Depending on the SD card and data size, the scanning process might take a while.

Steps:

  1. Download and install Disk Drill.
  2. Connect your SD card using a card reader.
  3. Launch the app and select your SD card.
  4. Perform a scan.
  5. Preview the files it found and proceed with recovery if you see your lost data.

Alternatives:

  • PhotoRec: Open-source and quite powerful but might be overwhelming due to its text-based interface.
  • Data Rescue: Another robust option but pricier compared to Disk Drill.

Good luck, and remember, the quicker you start the recovery process, the better your chances!

3

You might want to give EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard a shot - it’s another reliable option for recovering deleted files on your Mac. While Disk Drill is excellent (kudos to @techchizkid for suggesting it), EaseUS has some unique benefits and drawbacks:

Pros:

  1. User-friendly Interface: Similar to Disk Drill, it’s pretty intuitive with a simple GUI.
  2. Versatile Recovery: It supports numerous file types, perfect for photos, videos, and various docs.
  3. Free Trial Version: The trial version lets you recover a decent amount of data before requiring a purchase.

Cons:

  1. Pricing: The full version can be a bit hefty on the wallet, just like Disk Drill.
  2. Speed: Scanning large SD cards can feel like an eternity, especially if you need those files ASAP.

By the way, here’s how you can use it:

  1. Download and install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
  2. Connect your SD card via a card reader and launch the software.
  3. Select your SD card and hit “Scan”.
  4. Preview the discovered files and proceed with the recovery of the ones you need.

There’s also Stellar Phoenix Mac Data Recovery which I’ve used once with good results. It’s feature-loaded and supports a ton of file formats.

Pro Tip

Regardless of the tool you opt for, always remember: immediately after a file is deleted, avoid adding more files to the SD card. Every new file can overwrite the deleted data, reducing the chances of successful recovery.

P.S. Disk Drill indeed has a lot going for it. If you decide that’s the way to go, get it from Disk Drill. Their website has useful tips and detailed guides that can come in handy.

Good luck with your recovery!

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4

For anyone who’s in the same boat with accidentally deleted files from an SD card on a Mac, I’d like to share a method that doesn’t get as much attention but can be incredibly effective: using built-in Terminal utilities. Sure, @codecrafter and @techchizkid have mentioned some great software options, but here’s another angle:

Using Terminal

Pros:

  1. Cost-Free: No need to purchase any software.
  2. High Customizability: You have complete control over the recovery process.

Cons:

  1. Complexity: Not user-friendly; it requires some command-line knowledge.
  2. Limited Recovery Success: Not as comprehensive as dedicated recovery tools.

Steps:

  1. Open Terminal: Find it in your Applications > Utilities folder.
  2. Unmount the SD Card: Use diskutil unmountDisk /dev/diskN (replace N with your specific disk number, which can be found using diskutil list).
  3. Create a Disk Image: This step ensures you’re working on a copy, not the original SD card. Use sudo dd if=/dev/diskN of=~/Desktop/sdcard.img (again, replace N with your disk number).
  4. Use fsck_msdos: This utility checks and repairs FAT file systems, which many SD cards use. Run sudo fsck_msdos -y /dev/diskN.

Bear in mind this method isn’t foolproof and often doesn’t get all the files back - but it’s a quick, no-cost solution worth trying if you’re comfortable with a bit of terminal work.

Software Alternatives

While @techchizkid and @codecrafter both recommend Disk Drill, I have a different take. Yes, Disk Drill is competent, but there might be situations when other tools can be more suitable:

  • Dr. Fone: I’ve found it straightforward, especially for photo recovery. The UI feels less cluttered than some other tools, which might appeal to those who aren’t particularly tech-savvy.

Pros:

  1. User-Focused: Super simplistic interface.
  2. Specific Recovery Options: Allows selective recovery, which can be faster.

Cons:

  1. Subscription Costs: Can get pricey, especially for long-term use.
  2. Occasional Glitches: I’ve experienced the app crashing on larger data sets.

How to Use It:

  1. Install Dr. Fone.
  2. Insert your SD card via a reader.
  3. Run the software, select “Data Recovery”.
  4. Choose your SD card and scan it.
  5. Preview and recover.

Speaking of alternatives, I want to touch on PhotoRec again, which @codecrafter mentioned. PhotoRec is potent but its text-based interface can be off-putting. However, it’s in fact more resilient in recovering files that other software might miss.

For those unafraid of a bit of coding:

  1. Install PhotoRec: Brew users can do brew install testdisk.
  2. Run the tool: Open Terminal and type photorec.
  3. Follow prompts: The wizard guides you through selecting the drive and file recovery options.

This tool provides raw power and effectiveness over a pretty interface, which is exactly what’s needed in some dire data recovery scenarios.

Couple of Additional Tips:

  • Backups: Have a regular backup strategy. Use Time Machine or another backup solution to maintain copies.
  • Storage Hygiene: Immediately minimize the use of your SD card after data loss. Each new file or operation risks overwriting the lost data.
  • Specialized Services: In worst-case scenarios where the data is irreplaceable, professional data recovery services might be the best bet. Yes, they’re expensive, but they also use advanced techniques that are generally more successful.

Final Thought:

While Disk Drill shines and offers a user-friendly, effective recovery method, always remember you have options. Assess the situation, see what fits your immediate needs (cost, complexity, timing), and choose accordingly. For those wanting to give Disk Drill a try, you can find it at Disk Drill Data Recovery Software. Follow their guides conscientiously, and you might just rescue those invaluable memories.

Good luck and may your files be recovered quickly!

5

I get that I’m probably too late to help OP here, but for anyone reading this later have a quick reminder that in many cases, when you delete files from external drives connected to a Mac, they actually go to the Trash first. So just check the Trash since restoring files from there takes like a couple of minutes.

6

To be fair, there are a lot of the best photo recovery software out there, and you can usually find something that fits your case. The main thing you should check is format support (if your SD card comes from a camera, not every tool can properly recover raw formats like CR2, NEF, or ARW, so it’s worth paying attention to that before choosing anything).

Video recovery is where things get more complicated. On SD cards from cameras or drones, video files are often fragmented. If you just go with the first recovery tool you find, there’s a good chance the recovered videos won’t play at all, no matter what player you try. That’s why in cases like this, I usually recommend Disk Drill with its Advanced Camera Recovery module, since it’s the only tool that can actually reconstruct fragmented video. And if you don’t want to split your workflow between different tools, it’s easier to just stick with something like Disk Drill from the start. It handles both photos (including RAW formats) and video recovery in one place, so you don’t have to jump between apps depending on the file type.

7

Just remembered something I wanted to add to my previous comment. If you’re going to try recovery, don’t scan the SD card directly. It’s a safer approach to create a disk image first and work with that instead. These cards are pretty sensitive, and even a healthy one can act up or fail during a long scan.

That’s actually another reason why I tend to stick with Disk Drill - it has a built-in option to create an image of the card, so you can avoid touching the original media during recovery.

8

I probably won’t name the best tool overall, but I can definitely tell you what I’d avoid - PhotoRec. It gets recommended a lot, but I wouldn’t use it on SD cards larger than 32 GB. Yeah, it works, but the result is usually a complete mess. All files come back without proper names, and you lose any structure.

The bigger issue is how it recovers data. It doesn’t really pick your files, it just pulls everything that matches the file type you select. I chose jpeg once and ended up with hundreds of images, including stuff I deleted long ago and completely forgot about. No preview, no selective recovery, just a huge pile of files to sort manually. It was honestly a nightmare.

After that experience, I wouldn’t use it again, even for important photos. So if you’re thinking about trying it, I’d seriously reconsider.

10

I’m kinda surprised no one has clearly pointed this out yet. If you’re already at the stage of using recovery software, it will only help if the data hasn’t been overwritten.

What I mean is, if you delete photos and then keep using the same SD card (taking new photos or videos), your chances drop quickly. Those deleted files don’t just sit there safely, they get replaced by new data, and once that happens, there’s nothing left for the software to find.

That’s why the main rule you’ll see in almost every recovery guide is to stop using the storage device immediately. No new files, no formatting, no testing, just take it out and scan it.

11

Hey everyone! I found this page while looking for a way to recover deleted photos and videos from my SD card. This is my first time dealing with something like this, so I had no idea what to do. To give you an idea of my level, I didn’t even know I should check the Trash (saw that tip here). Unfortunately, mine was full of random draft files from my studies, and none of the media I needed was there.

So, based on the suggestions here, I decided to use a data recovery tool. I’ve already created an image of the card and I’m about to scan it with Disk Drill.

I’ll update this comment a bit later and let you know how it goes.

As promised, quick update. Everything finished way faster than I expected, around 15 minutes. The program found all my photos and videos, and I was able to recover them (had to pay, but still). What surprised me the most is that even with basically zero experience, I managed to go through the whole process without issues.

Not sure if anyone here will see this, but thanks to everyone who shared advice here, you really helped a lot :folded_hands: