How to Recover Deleted Files from SD Card on Mac or Windows (Free w/o Software)

SD Card is designed to extend memory capacity for portable and mobile devices, such as digital video camcorders, digital cameras, audio players, mobile phones...Therefore, SD cards are widely used and it is much likely that anyone of us just have an SD card inserted in our device.

We use SD card so often that it becomes common when we lost files from SD card due to various reasons. Whatever the reason, there is no need to panic. With a range of solutions available, we are here to help you recover deleted files, especially photos and videos, from your SD Card on Mac or Windows, even free without software.

 

Where Do Deleted Files Go on SD Card?

This depends on which device you used to delete the files.

If you connect the SD card to a Mac or Windows PC and delete the files from your SD card, the deleted files will be moved to Mac Trash bin or Windows Recycle bin, they will stay there until you empty the trash bin or permanently deleted from trash bin.

If you just click the Delete button on your device, for example a camera, you may be able to find the deleted files in Deleted or Trash folder. If you cannot find a trash folder, the deleted files are still stored on the SD card until new files overwrite them.

 

Can You Recover Files Deleted from An SD Card?

Yes, you can.

Deleted files from an SD card can be found in the trash bin if you delete them on Mac or Windows PC, or can be undeleted from the trash folder on the device that is inserted with the SD card.

Even if you permanently delete the files from an SD card, and they vanish from the trash bin or folder, you can still recover them. Because the system or device only deletes the portal of the files so that you cannot access to them any longer, the original space will be marked as available and waits for new files to replace and overwrite. If you stop writing to the SD card right after the permanent deletion, it is still possible to recover them using a data recovery program.

 

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from SD Card on Mac or Windows?

We all hope it never happens, but we just got the SD card files mistakenly deleted on Mac/Windows and lost them. You might have tried to find back the deleted files from Mac Trash/Windows Recycle Bin but found nothing, because they have been permanently deleted. We need a professional data recovery tool to restore the deleted files from SD card.

Luckily, there are so many tools available and Cisdem Data Recovery is the best from a definitive list of top data recovery programs. 

Cisdem Data Recovery makes data recovery easy, combing quick scan and deep scan to find the most deleted files from both internal and external storage device, with a full set of features, like video repair, file filter, file preview, recover to cloud, etc. to speed up and simplify the overall recovery process.

It offers the most comprehensive data recovery solution for all kinds of data loss scenarios: deleting, formatting, system crash, OS upgrade or downgrade, partition or repartition, virus attack and other known or unknown reasons. It supports recovering 1000+ types of files, including videos, audios, images, documents, emails, archives or others from Mac/Windows, external hard drive, USB drive, SD card, media player and so on.

How to Recover Permanently Deleted Files from SD Card on Mac or Windows?

1. Download and install Cisdem Data Recovery, run the program.
   Free Download macOS 10.9 or later Free Download Windows 11/10/8/7
2. Connect the SD Card to your computer using a card reader if there is not card slot on your Mac or Windows PC.
3. Choose SD Card, select the SD card you want to recover files from, click Search for lost files.
4. All the found files will be listed. Go to Type and choose the specific file folder, especially the Pictures or Videos folder. Also you can use the filter tool to quickly locate a deleted file.
5. Preview the files by double clicking on the icons, select and click Recover to get them back to local drive or to cloud.

 

How to Recover Deleted Files from SD Card on Mac (Free, without Software)

Many Mac users are seeking avenues to recover deleted files from SD card for free, even without software. Here we will dig out several free SD card recovery tips that are potentially working for Mac.

#1 Recover Files from SD Card in Mac’s Trash Bin

As mentioned in the beginning, if you delete files from SD Card using a Mac, the files will be moved to Mac’s Trash bin and you can recover files there.

1. Open Trash Bin app on your Mac.
2. Select the deleted files and right click Put back.

 

#2 Recover Files from SD Card on Mac in Hidden Trash Folder

If you cannot find the deleted files in the trash bin, it may be for the reason that your Mac just created a hidden Trash folder for external storage media due to different format. You need to show the hidden trash folder and recover your files.

1. Go to Finder > your SD card’s root folder.
2. Press Command + Shift + . (period)> to reveal hidden files, and Trashes folder might show up.
3. Open the Trashes folder, find your deleted file, select and restore it back to the SD card.

 

#3 Recover Files from SD Card on Mac Using Terminal

Speaking of recovering files with Terminal, you may be wondering if it works. Actually, with Terminal alone, you can recover deleted files from Mac Trash only, you won’t be able to recover deleted files from an SD Card. But with the help of PhotoRec, we will be able to do this.

PhotoRec is an open source data recovery program for Mac users, it uses command line to recover more than 400 types of files, ranging from photo, video, archive to documents. It is not easy to use, even though you don’t have to know much about command lines, you need to input and move between the codes carefully, any errors will lead to failed recovery.

1. Download and install PhotoRec on your Mac.
2. Insert the SD Card to your Mac or connect them with a card reader.
3. Launch the program with Terminal, you need to enter Mac password to continue. 
4. Select the SD Card where you want to restore deleted files on Mac, press Enter. 
5. Choose Partition type and press Enter.
6. Choose File System and press Enter.
7. Choose the output folder to save the restored files from SD card and press C to start the process. Then check the folder to view the recovered SD Card photos or other files.

#4 Recover Files from SD Card on Mac with iCloud Backup

If you have a good habit of backing up files regularly, it should be pointed out that we can recover deleted files from SD Card with backup, so that you don’t have to download any extra apps and get SD card files back without software. 

Cloud services are nowadays favored by a majority of people for uploading and backing up their folders and files, which can greatly save storage space of their local devices. Mostly, Mac users will prefer iCloud. If you have done this, please refer to the following steps to do free SD card data recovery on Mac.

1.  Go to icloud.com and sign in with your Apple account, then go to Drive.
2. Browse the files you’ve backed up on your iCloud drive, select the files and click the Download button to save to your SD Card again. Don’t forget to check the Recently Deleted folder if you cannot find a back up file.

 

How to Recover Deleted Files from SD Card on Windows (Free, without Software)

If you are looking for free ways to recover deleted files from SD Card on Windows and without installing any software, here are 3 options.

#1 Recover Files from SD Card in Windows’ Recycle Bin

Still, you are recommended to check the Recycle bin first if you deleted the files on a Windows PC, if they are still in the bin, just select and restore them.

1. Open Recycle Bin app on your Windows PC.
2. Select all the deleted files and right click Restore. 

 

#2 Recover Files from SD Card on Windows Using CMD

Similar to Terminal on Mac, Command Prompt (CMD) on Windows can also be one of solutions in data recovery from storage devices like SD memory card. Since this program involves command line as well, proceed with caution to recover deleted files from SD card by CMD.

1. Connect your SD card with the PC via a card reader.
2. Type cmd into the Windows search bar > select "Run as administrator" to launch it.
3. Type the following command: attrib -h -r -s /s /d C:\*.* > press enter to execute it. C is the exampled drive letter, and you are supposed to replace it with the drive letter of your own SD card.
4. After the procedure done, restart your computer and open the SD card. You might see the deleted files again.

 

#3 Recover Files from SD Card on Windows with OneDrive

Alternatively, as a backup solution, most PC users will choose OneDrive. In case you have backed up the SD card data with OneDrive service, deleted files can be retrieved without effort.

1. Log into OneDrive online.
2. Specify the folder where your files from SD card are backed up and saved.
3. Select the files and download them back to your SD card again.

 

Bonus: Recover Files from SanDisk SD Card on Mac and Windows

Which SD Card brand you are using? It is much likely you will use one of these brands: SanDisk, Lexar, Transcend, Samsung, Sony. If your SD Card is produced by these manufactures, then you can search on their official websites and check if they offer data recovery software for lost file on your SD Card. For example, SanDisk recommends using its SanDisk Rescue for data retrieval. Here we will take SanDisk as an example to recover deleted photos or videos from SD Card. Surely, it supports recovering other files, like documents, mails, music, database, archives, etc.

How to Recover Deleted Photos from SD Card on Mac or Windows?

1. Download and install SanDisk RescuePro Deluxe on your computer.
2. Insert the SD Card to your computer or connect them with a card reader.
3. Launch the program, select an action, here we choose Recover Photos. 
4. Select the SD Card and click Start to start the scanning. 
5. Preview the photos and put them back to your local drive or SD Card. 

 

Conclusion

If there is no back up for the deleted files on your SD card, the best way to restore them is using a professional data recovery program like Cisdem Data Recovery. It designs a comprehensive solution for various data loss from your SD Card, USB, media player, external hard drive and other storage devices connecting to your computer.