Having photos, videos, documents, or other files suddenly become inaccessible on your Sandisk SD card can be incredibly frustrating. While your first instinct may be to take your card to a professional data recovery service, there are several methods you can try yourself at home to recover your files for free before resorting to paid solutions.
Try removing and reinserting the SD card
One of the simplest solutions to try first is removing and reinserting the Sandisk SD card. If your computer is not recognizing the SD card or you’re getting error messages when trying to access files, start by safely ejecting the card from your computer or device. Then, remove the card and carefully wipe the contacts with a clean microfiber cloth. This will remove any dust or debris that could be interfering with the connection. Reinsert the card fully into the slot and see if your computer recognizes it now. Sometimes, simply reseating the card will fix connection issues that can prevent access to files.
Use disk recovery software
If reinserting the SD card doesn’t work, your next step should be trying disk recovery software. There are many free and paid data recovery programs available that can scan storage devices like SD cards and recover deleted files. Some popular free options include:
| Software | Details |
|---|---|
| Recuva | Free recovery tool from Piriform that retrieves deleted files on Windows computers. |
| TestDisk | Open source, multiplatform recovery software primarily focused on partition recovery. |
| Photorec | Companion program to TestDisk focused on recovering lost media files like photos, video, and documents. |
To use one of these tools for recovering your Sandisk SD card:
- Download and install the program on your Windows PC or Mac.
- Run the software and select the SD card drive letter as the location to scan.
- Select a folder to recover files to. Avoid recovering back to the SD card itself.
- Allow the program to run a deep scan, which can take some time depending on the size of your SD card and number of files.
- Preview and recover the files you need once the scan completes.
Tips for recovery software success
- Try to remember file types, filenames, or folder names to help identify files in the recovery preview.
- Sort the preview by file type to focus searches for specific media.
- Avoid saving recovered files back to the SD card being scanned.
- Some programs offer paid upgrades for better scan filtering, previewing, and recovery rates.
Check for physical damage
In some cases, your SD card may be failing due to physical damage, in which case software likely won’t help recover files. Signs of physical damage include:
- Visible dents, bends, cracks, or scratches on the card.
- Corrosion or melted plastic from water damage or fire.
- The write-protection switch is accidentally slid to the lock position.
Unfortunately, data recovery from a physically damaged card is extremely difficult and unlikely. Your best bet is taking it to a professional lab, but costs are usually prohibitive compared to just replacing the card. Some signs of damage—like the write-lock switch being on—are simple fixes, so inspect your card closely before assuming the worst.
Try a different SD card reader
Sometimes the issue is not the SD card itself, but rather the card reader or input it’s inserted into. Faulty card readers are a common cause of suddenly being unable to access files on an SD card. Before anything else, try removing your card and plugging it into a different reader. Use a reader directly connected to your computer rather than a hub when possible.
Tips for reader troubleshooting
- Try different ports if using a built-in reader.
- Test another high quality reader from a reputable brand.
- Avoid low quality generic readers which are prone to failure.
- If using a hub, connect directly to the computer instead.
- Try another computer entirely to rule out system-specific issues.
If your card works fine when inserted into a different reader, then the original reader is likely defective. Fortunately, USB card readers are inexpensive to replace. However, if your SD card is still not recognized, there’s likely an issue with the card itself.
Check for hidden partitions
Your lost files may still be on the SD card, just not accessible due to hidden partitions. SD cards can have multiple partitions, including hidden protective partitions that devices like cameras use. Disk recovery software often can’t access these hidden partitions to scan for recoverable files.
You can check for hidden partitions on your SD card by using the command line diskpart utility on Windows. Here are the steps:
- Insert your SD card and open the Command Prompt.
- Type diskpart and press enter.
- Type list disk to display connected drives.
- Select your SD card drive by typing select disk x (replace x with your disk number).
- Type list partition to display all partitions on the selected disk.
If you see multiple partitions, including some marked as hidden, then files may still be recoverable but will require revealing those hidden partitions. Unfortunately, this requires reformatting the card, which will delete your files if they’re not already recovered. Before reformatting, try file recovery software as a last resort since reformatting will likely make software recovery impossible.
Low-level format or reformat as a last resort
If all else fails, you can attempt a low-level format or full reformat of your Sandisk SD card. This should only be done as an absolute last step after attempting software file recovery. A low-level format realigns sectors on the card and may reveal corrupted sectors. Reformatting erases all data but can fix file system issues. Note that this WILL DELETE any files not already recovered.
To low-level format on Windows:
- Go to Device Manager, find your SD card, and uninstall it.
- Restart your computer and let Windows reinstall the card drivers.
- Open an admin Command Prompt and type diskpart.
- Type list disk to identify your SD card disk number.
- Type select disk x (replace x with your disk number).
- Type clean to perform a low-level format.
You can then reformat the card through File Explorer. While low-level formatting is risky and not guaranteed to work, it can potentially fix SD cards that have become corrupted or unresponsive. Just be sure to recover any files you need first!
Send to a professional recovery lab
If you’ve tried everything else unsuccessfully, your last option is to send your SD card to a professional data recovery lab. Labs have specialized tools and clean room facilities to physically repair cards and recover data at the component level. This gives them the best chance of salvaging files from even severely damaged cards. However, professionals charge hefty fees in the hundreds to thousands of dollars range to recover personal storage media.
Two well-known professional recovery firms are:
- DriveSavers – With decades of experience, DriveSavers offers reliable recovery with transparent pricing. However, costs are high starting at $500 for SD and USB drives.
- Gillware – This data recovery lab offers lower flat rates compared to competitors. SD card recovery starts at $349 and is an economical paid option.
Before sending your card to the pros, be sure you’ve exhausted all your free DIY options. But professional recovery is still the most dependable method when all else fails. The price may be worth it if your files are truly irreplaceable.
Prevent issues by backing up your SD card
Recovering lost files from an SD card can be a huge hassle. To avoid problems in the future, be diligent about regularly backing up the files on your memory cards. Here are some backup tips for SD card data:
- Copy important files to a computer or external hard drive when feasible.
- Utilize cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox to upload files.
- Enable automatic photo uploads to services like Google Photos from phones.
- Back up SD cards using professional tools like Apple Time Machine.
- Store backups in multiple locations in case one fails.
Backups give you the peace of mind that lost files are never truly lost thanks to redundant copies. And properly backing up your SD card minimizes the need for recovery to retrieve deleted or corrupted data. Your files will already be safely stored elsewhere. Develop a diligent backup plan to avoid needing data recovery down the road.
Conclusion
While the prospect of losing valuable photos, videos, documents, and other data on a Sandisk SD card is scary, there are many DIY methods you can try at home to recover your files for free before paying for professional recovery. Start with simpler solutions like reseating the card or trying it in different devices. Then move on to robust free software designed to restore deleted files. With some luck and perseverance, you may be able to get your memories back without an expensive recovery service. And going forward, be sure to prevent headaches by keeping regular backups of your irreplaceable SD card data.