Press enter to proceed, and choose the FAT16/32 partition in order to scan the directory structure set up by your camera. It may not be named how you expect, so use the size to give you an indication of which drive is the right one. your memory card) using the arrow keys to highlight the correct option. Then, select the drive that you want to recover (i.e. Start up PhotoRec and enter your Mac password if prompted, so the program can have access to all drives. Don't be scared off though, as it's quite easy to use once you get accustomed to it. This is typically a folder called DCIM, or the name of the camera manufacturer or model.įor PhotoRec, the process looks a little more complicated, as it's a command-line interface rather than a graphical one. Plug your card reader into your computer and select the root directory of where your camera stores its image files - provided it hasn't disappeared when the card was formatted or the pictures were deleted.

Recuva can also find many other file types.Ĭlick through the menu until you reach the screen telling you in which location to look. In this tutorial we're looking for photos, but Recuva also gives you the option of finding a number of other file types. Start up the program and choose what sorts of files you want to try and retrieve. Step 3: Install and set up the software on your PC or Mac. The software mentioned in this tutorial is Recuva for Windows and PhotoRec for Mac, which are both free options.īear in mind that there are plenty of other options out there, and you may already have one that was included with your memory card, if it was from vendors such as Lexar or SanDisk. This means, don't take any more photos on the card and remove it from the camera immediately. Step 1: Don't do anything to your memory card once you realise photos have been deleted. You will need a card reader, a computer, the memory card in question and nerves of steel. If you've accidentally formatted your card or you suspect it has become corrupted, there are ways to recover your images. Those are probably the first two words you'll utter when you realise your photos have disappeared.

Accidentally formatted sd card