Even if it’s once, in our lifetime we have all stumbled upon that horrible feeling that appears after you remove important videos from your SD card. You might have erased your footage because you wanted to clear unused space or did the deed by mistake. But whatever your reason was, you would want to know whether you can recover deleted videos from SD card.
If that’s the case, you’ve reached the correct place to understand the possibility of retrieving deleted SD card videos and the methods needed to perform this recovery. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll also teach you how to increase your memory card recovery rate and prevent losing files from the card in the future!
Part 1: Is It Possible to Recover Deleted Videos From SD Card?
Yes. It’s viable to recover deleted videos from memory card. Since SD cards don’t have a Recycle Bin, deleted files can’t be restored from there. But when you erase footage from an SD card, they aren’t immediately removed. Instead, the system marks their space as available for new data. Until new files overwrite them, you can recover deleted videos from SD card through a specialized video retrieval software.
However, you must maximize recovery chances by immediately halting the use of your SD card immediately. If you have a backup you can restore your footage from there as well. Another way to recover deleted videos from SD card for free is through CHKDSK. But that’s only achievable if you can’t access your footage because your memory card’s file system is corrupted and the video is not erased actually.
Part 2: How to Recover Deleted Videos From SD Card for Free?
Following are 4 ways to undelete video from SD card with their usage steps. Pick a method based on your circumstances:
Method 1: Use a SD Card Recovery Software
The best way to extract files from a memory card is through a specialized SD card recovery tool. 4DDiG Data Recovery can help you restore 2000+ file types other than videos lost due to various data loss scenarios. It can benefit you if you don’t have a backup of your card videos or the card is logically corrupted. The tool also allows you to pick specific file types to recover. Here are more details about this tool:
- This app supports the recovery of 1000+ file types, including images, videos, audio, and documents from the memory card.
- It functions well with all types of SD cards including SDHC, SDXC, microSD, etc.
- Other than recovering memory card videos, this app can extract files from HDDs, USBs, and SSDs.
- Offers free 2GB of SD card recovery for Windows users.
- No technical knowledge required.
Here’s how to recover lost videos from SD card with the help of this tool:
Step 1: Connect your memory card with video file loss to your computer. Then, execute this SD card recovery tool on the same computer. Pick the memory card once it’s detected by the tool.
Step 2: Select file types to scan e.g. “Video” in your case. Hit “Scan.” After scanning is completed, inspect the recovered footage by its name or path.
Step 3: Hit “Recover” to extract all extracted footage to your computer or cloud drive.
Method 2: Utilize CHKDSK
CHKDSK is a Windows-embedded tool that scans and repairs file system errors on SD cards. It fixes issues like bad sectors, lost clusters, and directory errors, helping you recover deleted videos from memory card by restoring the card’s functionality. Here’s how to recover video deleted from SD card with CHKDSK:
Step 1: Input “cmd” in the Windows search field. Then, click “Command Prompt.” Open it.
Step 2: Type the following command. Hit “Enter” afterward:
- chkdsk [drive letter]: /f /r /x (replace [drive letter] with your SD card’s letter).
- /f fixes file system errors.
- /r finds bad sectors and recovers readable data.
- /x dismounts the disk for repairs.
Step 3: Wait for CHKDSK to complete the SD card video recovery process.
Method 3: Employ Backup and Restore
In case, you’ve turned on the “Backup and Restore” function on your computer, you can recover deleted videos from SD card for free. However, the requirement for this method depends on two conditions: having your memory card footage on your PC and backing it up before it is lost. Here’s how to recover lost videos from SD card with “Backup and Restore:”
Step 1: Type “con” in the Windows search field. Then, click “Control Panel.” Open it.
Step 2: Select “Backup and Restore (Windows 7).” Then, tap “Restore my files.”
Step 3: Choose “Browse for files.” Next, pick the memory card videos to recover, and hit “Next.”
Step 4: Select a save location. Afterward, hit “Restore.”
Method 4: Use Windows File Recovery
If you have technical skills, you can also use the Windows File Recovery tool to undelete video from SD card. It’s a command-line utility for advanced users, requiring manual commands. However, it’s only compatible with Windows 10 (2004 or newer) and Windows 11, and not the older versions.
The utility enables the retrieval of documents, videos, and images from SSDs, HDDs, SD cards, and also USB drives. Through different scanning modes (Default, Signature, and Segment) Windows File Recovery enables the recovery of files with support for FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ReFS file systems. Here’s how to recover video deleted from SD card with this tool:
Step 1: Connect your memory card to your computer. Then, open the “Microsoft Store.” Look for the “Windows File Recovery” tool.
Step 2: Next, tap “Get” to download. After installation, find it in the “Start menu” beneath “Recently Added” and launch it.
Step 3: Approve the “UAC prompt” to open the command window.
Step 4: Next, use the “Default Mode” to recover deleted videos from SD card for free. Type the following commands. Hit “y” to confirm each one. Here’s how:
- Use /n with the full file path to search for a file:
- Example: winfr [SD drive letter]: D: /n UsersNameFolderfile.mp4 (Finds a deleted .mp4 video in the SD card and saves it in the D drive).
- You can also find all video files on your SD card and save them to D. To do so:
- winfr [SD drive letter]: D: /n *.mp4
Part 3: SD Card Video Recovery Tips
Prior to learning how to recover lost videos from SD card, there are some techniques to follow which can help increase the recovery rate of your footage. You should also make certain to retain the footage if you’ve successfully extracted it from the memory card lest you lose it again due to unknown reasons. For both a successful restoration and video loss prevention reasons, you must follow some SD card video recovery tips which we’ve shared beneath:
3.1. How to Increase SD Card Video Recovery Rate?
Before SD card video recovery, follow these steps to increase the restoration rate and avoid losing more videos:
- Stop using your memory card immediately after you lose your videos as new data can overwrite deleted footage, making recovery harder.
- Inspect the SD card reader by connecting it to another computer as there might be an issue with the reader and not the card.
- If a message asks to format the SD card, do not proceed, as formatting reduces recovery chances.
- If the SD card is failing physically, make a copy of its contents for backup or professional recovery.
3.2. How to Prevent Data Loss in the Future?
To prevent data loss after a successful SD card video recovery, here’s what you can do:
- Create a regular backup of your SD card files. It could be a local or a cloud backup.
- Don’t interrupt file transfer. If there’s a risk of power failure, install a UPS.
- Always remove the card properly with the ejection feature.
- Use the card only on one device to avoid viruses from attacking its files. Also, scan it regularly with an anti-virus tool.
- Format your memory card often to prevent file system corruption.
- Store your card in a safe and dry place after use.
Final Words
You can recover deleted videos from SD card with Windows tools (CHKDSK, File Recovery), or the Backup and Restore feature. But if you don’t have a backup, 4DDiG Data Recovery offers a high success rate in extracting 2000+ file types from memory cards and numerous other internal/external devices.
It can extract data lost due to accidental deletion, corruption, formatting, virus attacks, missing partitions, crashed systems, etc. You must also act fast and avoid further use of the SD card when you lose videos, to improve your chances at recovery.
