EaseUS SD card recovery software can help you recover data from a corrupted SD card and fix corrupted files that won't open on the SD card after recovery. Moreover, we'll also provide you with five solutions to help you fully fix a corrupted SD card in Windows 10/8/7.
The standard process to recover corrupted SD card has three phases:
If the card is damaged, it is difficult for the user to manually uncorrupt the SD card at home, and it may even cause further corruption. However, it is possible to try to retrieve data from the corrupted SD card. Here are three reliable ways:
| 1. Corrupted SD card recovery software | Use a professional SD card recovery tool to recover data from it, even if the SD card shows RAW...full steps |
| 2. SD card recovery services | Turn to data recovery services to fix corrupted SD cards and recover data without formatting...full steps |
| 3. Recover corrupted SD card with backup | Find and restore lost SD card data from backup copies if you have already created backups...full steps |
After saving your essential files from the corrupted SD card, you can read on to learn the five best ways to fix the corrupted SD card without losing data.
A corrupted SD card doesn't have to mean lost memories or critical data. You can recover files and restore the card by acting quickly - using built-in tools, reliable software, or professional services.
"Corruption" is a broad term, and it's hard to tell precisely what refers to a corrupted SD card. Usually, when a Windows PC, Android phone, or digital camera can not read or recognize a memory card, it sends strange error messages that prevent you from accessing data. From this, we can determine that the SD card has been corrupted. For example:
Based on the requests we have received and our ten years of experience in the SD disk recovery industry, generally speaking, when the SD card shows the following signs, it is a sign of damage:
| SD card corruption - Common signs |
| 🧿Error messages like "SD card is corrupted," "Cannot read from the device," or "Card not formatted." |
| 🔏SD card is corrupted/damaged or SD card shows RAW in Disk Management, resulting in unable to access stored data. |
| ⚠️Files appear as duplicates, shortcuts, or refuse to open. |
| 🗂️The card isn't recognized by devices or shows 0 bytes of storage, or SD card files do not show up when opening the folder. |
When the SD memory card starts malfunctioning, prepare yourself with some basic knowledge to fix the card. Unless the SD card is physically dead, broken, or damaged beyond repair, we can fix most corrupted SD cards with the help of many powerful SD card repair tools.
A corrupted SD card can lead to panic, mainly if it contains irreplaceable data. This guide will walk you through the causes of SD card corruption, proven recovery methods, and prevention tips:
The best way to recover data from a corrupted SD card is by using EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, which can scan any storage drive you cannot currently open or access. Get the EaseUS corrupted SD card recovery software, install it on the computer, and recover files like photos, videos, and all personal data from the corrupted SD card.
Step 1. Select the SD card to scan
Step 2. Check for scan results
Step 3. Recover SD card data
This data recovery tool is suitable for the following models and brands of memory cards:
| Type of Memory Cards | Brands |
| SD Card | SanDisk, Transcend, Sony, Lexar, PNY Elite Performance |
| CF Card | MyMemory, Delkin, EgoDisk, ProGrade Digital, Angelbird |
| Micro SD Card | Samsung, Verbatim, Kingston, Silicon Power |
| XD Card | Olympus, Kodak, Lexar, Fujifilm |
| MMC Card | SanDisk Ultra, Johnziny, Canon, Gigastone |
If you found the above-corrupted SD card recovery method helpful, share it with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to help them recover deleted files from the SD card!
Data security is always the top concern when a memory card is corrupted or inaccessible. Fortunately, third-party data recovery software could help us retrieve most of the data. However, the other mishap is that files are not open after data recovery.
If a trusted studio is near you, sending the card to a data recovery lab is the best option. However, we still urge that you address your problem through remote consultation via the Internet first. EaseUS data recovery services can retrieve data from corrupted SD cards without formatting.
Consult with EaseUS Data Recovery Experts for one-on-one manual recovery service. We could offer the following services after FREE diagnosis:
If your SD card is corrupted, you may be able to retrieve the data from a backup. This process will vary depending on the type of backup you have. For example, if you have a backup on your computer:
Step 1. Navigate to the file location of your backup.
Step 2. Select the files you want to restore and click the "Restore" button.
Step 3. Choose the location where you want to save the restored files and click "OK".
Alternatively, if you have a cloud-based backup, you can download the data from the backup onto your computer and then transfer it to the SD card. After saving your SD card data, you can refer to the four effective fixes to fix the corrupted SD card without data loss!
How to repair corrupted SD memory card? We will provide you with five solutions to help you fully fix and retrieve a corrupted SD card in Windows 10/8/7:
The drive letter conflict can cause Windows not to recognize the removable disk that is externally connected to it, making the SD card look corrupted. So, assigning a new drive letter unique to the SD card can help Windows re-recognize it.
Step 1. Insert the SD card into your computer and open Disk Management.
Step 2. Right-click on the SD card and select "Change drive letter and path...".
Step 3. Set a new drive letter for the card.
When the process finishes, check if you can access your card.
When the file system of the SD card gets corrupted, be it NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT, you'll most likely receive the error messages that say, "The file system is RAW", "the disk is not formatted", "the drive is not accessible", and so on. This makes the memory card unable to work usually. Here, we'll try to fix the corrupted SD card using CMD.
Step 1. Insert the corrupted SD card into your PC using a card reader.
Step 2. Press Win + X and select "Command Prompt".
Step 3. Right-click "Command Prompt" and then select "Run as administrator".
Step 4. Type the command: chkdsk [sd card drive letter]: /f /r /x and press Enter. Replace the SD card drive letter with the actual letter of your SD card drive.
Caution: Note that this command will cause a permanent file loss error. So before you execute the operation, ensure you recover data from your corrupted SD card with the reliable EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard.
Chkdsk will check and fix any possible errors on the corrupted SD card and make it readable again.
Bonus Tip: for Mac Users - First Aid in Disk Utility
The worst thing that can happen is you cannot find the SD card in Windows Disk Management. How do you troubleshoot an SD card that is corrupted to this degree? Windows Device Manager is where you need to check the driver update information for the SD card. An outdated or corrupted driver will also cause your SD card to malfunction.
Step 1. Connect the corrupted SD card to the PC, right-click on This PC/My Computer, and select "Manage".
Step 2. Click "Device Manager" and expand "Disk drivers".
Step 3. Right-click on the SD card and select "Update driver".
Step 4. Click "Automatically search for driver software online" and wait for the process to complete.
Step 5. When you turn on the computer the next time, Windows will automatically install the latest driver for your SD card.
Disk formatting is the most commonly applied and effective way to fix most memory card issues. Know that formatting the card will erase data on the SD card. Therefore, we suggest you apply the SD card data recovery steps in advance. If you've formatted the corrupted SD card without backing up its data, you can still use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover data from the formatted SD card.
Step 1. Keep the SD card connected to your PC. Right-click on This PC/My Computer and select "Manage".
Step 2. Click "Disk Management", locate and right-click the SD card, and choose "Format".
Step 3. Select FAT32/NTFS/exFAT as the file system for the SD card and click "OK" to confirm.
Protecting your SD card data can minimize the risk of potential corruption and loss. Here are the tips:
If you follow these tips, you can help protect your SD card data from corruption and loss. However, even if you take all of these precautions, there is still a chance that something could go wrong. Therefore, it's essential to have a backup plan to recover your data if necessary. You can make a backup plan with the help of EaseUS Todo Backup - award-winning disk imaging free backup software.
Share these useful solutions to recovering damaged SD cards on your social media to help people with the same problem.
If your SD card becomes corrupted, several options exist for recovering the data. You can try retrieving the data from a backup on your computer or another external storage device or use data recovery software to scan and recover the lost files. However, even with these tools, protecting your SD card data is essential to minimize the risk of corruption and loss. Taking these precautions and having a backup plan ensures that your important data is always safe and accessible.
Don't worry if you still have problems. Read the questions and answers below to get additional help.
1. Can a corrupted SD card be restored??
Yes, there are some tips you can try to fix a corrupted SD card.
2. How do I recover corrupted files on my micro SD card?
To fix micro SD card, you can try using data recovery software such as EaseUS data recovery software. This program can help scan for and recover lost or damaged files from different SD cards like Micro SD cards, SDHCs, and SDXCs.
3. How to recover data from a corrupted SD card without formatting?
To recover data from a corrupted SD card without formatting, you can use data recovery software that supports RAW file systems. You can also try using the CHKDSK command in Windows or turn to specialized SD card data recovery services to repair the file system.
4. How to recover data from a corrupted SD card Android?
To recover data from a corrupted SD card on an Android device, you can connect the SD card to a computer and use data recovery software for SD card repair. After data recovery, you can fix a corrupted SD card on Android in several ways, including running chkdsk in cmd to repair a damaged Android SD card.
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