Overview
How to recover formatted sd card? After you have accidentally formatted your SD card, you will obviously need to recover files from the device. For successful recovery, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the most efficient formatted SD card recovery tool, but you can also use the Windows command line for manual recovery.
What does “format SD card” mean?
Formatting an SD card is the process of preparing a storage device for use by deleting existing data and information on the media and assigning a new file system to the device. Typically, when you receive a new SD card, it’s pre-formatted and ready to go. But it happens that for further use you need to format the SD card manually.
When You Need to Format an SD Card
There are three typical situations in which you need to format a storage device.
To remove the virus on the SD card.
Convert the new file system compatible with the computer.
To fix errors such as “The drive needs to be formatted in the device”, “The drive is not formatted” or “The SD card shows the wrong size”.
Is it possible to recover a formatted SD card?
Obviously, you will lose all files on the SD card after formatting. However, this does not mean that the data is completely erased. Formatting the SD card removes the records of existing files and then makes them inaccessible, but the data is still on the device. Thus, you can recover data from a formatted SD card, as long as you have not overwritten it, that is, replacing the data with a new one.
Important: The faster you restore your SD card, the more likely you are to be able to get your files back. Once the SD card data is overwritten, you will lose the chance to recover files from a formatted SD card. Therefore, stop using the SD card immediately and restore the formatted device as soon as possible.
How to recover files from a formatted SD card
Given the popularity of SD cards, data loss on this storage device occurs almost daily due to various reasons, mostly accidental formatting. How to recover lost data after accidentally formatting an SD card? Generally speaking, there are two proven methods that can be applied to recover files from a formatted SD card. An easier way is to use the professional SD card recovery software – EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Although, if you are familiar with using the command line, you can also repair a formatted SD card using CMD commands.
Method 1: Use reliable data recovery software
As one of the best recovery programs for Windows, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best choice for recovering formatted SD cards. Why? – With high scan speed, search depth, and high overall data recovery efficiency of up to 97.3%, EaseUS data recovery software outperforms its many competitors, being the most popular among users. Undoubtedly, our tool will help you successfully recover a formatted SD card if you haven’t overwritten your lost data. Download and install the program on your computer and follow the guide to recover data from a formatted SD card right now!
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is very easy to use and suitable for all users. You just need to answer two questions: what type of files you lost and where did you lose them, then the program will find everything you need. After that, you can view and selectively restore the files you need. Restoring formatted files is one of the many features of EaseUS. The program also allows you to recover files after emptying the recycle bin, system crash, reinstalling the OS, moreover, from different devices: from a computer hard drive, an external drive, a memory card, and other media.
1. Download and install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your computer.
2. Use the installed program to find and recover lost data. Select the disk partition or folder from which your data “disappeared”. Then click the “Scan” button.
3. When the scan is completed, find the files and folders you need in the list of results.
Select them and click the “Restore” button. When choosing a location to save the recovered data, you should not use the same disk that you scanned!
Method 2: Use CMD
CMD, also known as Command Prompt, is used to issue various commands to the Windows operating system. Many users know CMD but may not know how to use the command prompt to recover data. Like this:
Step 1: Connect your SD card to your computer.
Step 2: Check the drive letter of the SD card.
Step 3: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type “cmd”, right-click “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator”.
Step 4: Type F: /f at the command prompt. (Replace F: with the drive letter of the formatted SD card.)
Step 5. Type Y and then enter the drive letter of the SD card.
Step 6. Type F:\>attrib -h -rs /s /d *.* (F still stands for a drive or SD card letter) and CMD will recover all files from the formatted SD card.
If you are not completely familiar with using CMD, you may run into a lot of problems along the way. To prevent this from happening, we recommend that you first try the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, which will find all the lost files from a formatted SD card for you. Try it!
Recommended: How to back up an SD card
Although recovering files from a formatted SD card using the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is extremely simple and convenient, it is best to prevent data loss in advance. To prevent data loss on your SD card, you can either develop a good habit of using your storage device properly or make regular backups with the free backup software – EaseUS Todo Backup, a professional backup software that supports various kinds of files and various storage devices. With the help of the software, you can easily back up the SD card before formatting and restoring data after the operation, greatly reducing the risk of losing data on your storage device.
You can download EaseUS Todo Backup for free from our website and then create an SD card backup in a few clicks:
Step 1. Click on “select data to back up” and then select the backup mode among “File”, “Disk”, “System” or “Mail” to start the backup task.
Step 2. Select the individual files, folders, hard drives, or partitions you want to back up, then click OK.
Step 3. Follow the instructions on the screen to select a storage location for the backup file. Click “start backup” and completed backup tasks will be displayed in card style on the left side of the screen.
To set the backup schedule, click “Options”, to protect the backup with a password, click “Backup Options”, in “Backup Scheme” set the backup frequency and select at which event to start back up. In addition, there are many other backup settings and flexible settings for your needs.
Conclusion
Unlike recovering deleted files on a computer’s hard drive, which can be done using the Recycle Bin, retrieving data from a formatted SD card requires the help of third-party software or CMD. Obviously, using data recovery software is an easier way compared to using the command line.
Moreover, in addition to performing formatted SD card recovery, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard also supports lost partition recovery, OS crash recovery, virus attack recovery, raw partition recovery, and more across devices. With the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and EaseUS Todo Backup installed on your computer, you will no longer worry about data loss on your PC or external storage devices.