How to Recover Images from Memory Card [2025 Tutorial]

Here’s a situation that we all hope we do not ever have to face: you turn on your camera or insert your memory card, only to find that the important photos you once took have vanished. Maybe you accidentally deleted the images, or the memory card was formatted without you realizing it. Sometimes the memory card gets corrupted, and the files can’t be read. Even worse, a virus attack or hardware failure could have rendered the entire card inaccessible. It is urgent for you to recover images from memory card.

No matter how it happened, the most important thing now is figuring out how to recover those lost photos. Don’t panic, there are some options and data recovery software available to you that can recover pictures from a corrupted SD card.

Part 1. Is It Possible to Recover Images from Memory Card?

Yes, it’s possible to recover photos from a memory card. Many users have successfully retrieved photos that were accidentally deleted, lost due to formatting, or became unreadable due to card corruption. There are multiple methods to recover these images, from simple checks to using professional photo recovery software. The key is to act fast to avoid overwriting the lost data, which can improve your chances of recovery.

How to recover images from a memory card? You will learn some easy steps in this guide. Photo loss is a common issue in our daily use, whether it’s due to a mistake, formatting the card, or even card issues or system errors. In most cases, you can recover your lost pictures with the right methods.

Part 2. Common Scenarios of Losing Images from Memory Card

Memory cards provide a convenient way to store data, but they can also lead to photo loss due to some common mistakes. For most users of digital cameras, smartphones, or other devices, losing photos from a memory card is a frequent problem. Here are some common cases:

• Accidental Deletion: Deleting important photos by mistake.
• Card Corruption or Damage: File system errors causing photos to become unreadable.
• Formatting the Memory Card: Formatting the card without backing up the photos.
• Virus Infections, Power failure, and others: Malicious software hiding or damaging files, or a power failure while saving photos, causing file corruption.

To reduce the risk of losing photos, you should back up important images and files regularly. It’s best to store them on your computer, external hard drives, or in the cloud. You can also share these practical tips with others to help them avoid data loss!

Part 3. How to Recover Images from Memory Card

There are various ways available to help you recover your valuable images from an SD card. In this section, we’ll introduce three effective ways. Each method is designed to be simple and straightforward, you can get the photos back in a few minutes.

Method 1Use Kingshiper Data Recovery

The first method we want to introduce can deal with most cases of lost images from memory cards. Whether you've lost photos on a Canon camera, Nikon DSLR, or drone, the Kingshiper Data Recovery tool can help you recover lost images with simple steps.

If you're not sure whether the software can successfully retrieve your lost photos, you can download the trial version by clicking the download button below. You can scan your storage device for free!

This powerful recovery software can help you recover photos from various digital camera devices, and it is easy to use. Even if you don't have much technical background, all you need to do is select your device > choose the files you want to recover > and save them.

More importantly, Kingshiper Data Recovery also supports restoring every deleted data from various storage devices, including memory cards, SD cards, USB flash drives, local disks, and more. If your photos are corrupted, this tool will automatically repair the images before saving them.

Here are the simple steps to use Kingshiper Data Recovery:

Step 1. Download and install Kingshiper Data Recovery on your Windows PC. Select the “USB/Memory Card Recovery” mode in the home interface and click on the “Recover” button.

Step 2. Select the partition and click “Scan” to find the lost photos.

Step 3. Then, Kingshiper will scan all files on your memory card and display the results in real time on the interface. You don’t need to wait for the scan to complete. Once you find the photos you want to recover, select the files and click “Recover”.

Step 4. Choose a different location to save the recovered files instead of the original memory card. Click “OK” to save them.

Method 2Recover Images using CMD

In most cases, when you accidentally delete, hide, or format photos on a memory card, using CMD (Command Prompt) can be an effective recovery method, offering you a chance to retrieve your lost images.

Let’s take a look at how to use CMD to recover photos from memory card:

Step 1. Connect your memory card to the computer using a card reader and take note of the assigned drive letter (e.g., F:).

Step 2. Type “Command Prompt” in the Windows search bar and click on “Run as administrator”.

Step 3. In the command window, type: chkdsk F: /f (Replace F: with the actual drive letter of your memory card), and press Enter.

Step 4. Then type “Y” and press Enter to proceed. The system will scan and fix any file system errors.

Step 5. Next, type: F:\>attrib -h -r -s /s /d *.*, this command will remove hidden, read-only, and system attributes from all files.

Step 6. Once the commands finish running, open the F: drive. You should see a new folder with recovered files.

Method 3Recover Photos with File History (Need Backup)

To recover images from a memory card for free, you can use the Windows built-in backup utility - File History, which has been released by Microsoft since Windows 8.1. It will automatically back up files from folders like “Pictures”, “Videos”, and “Documents”, as well as selected external devices, to an external drive or network location once you enable it on your computer. Therefore, if you turned this feature on and had previously copied or synced your memory card photos to the “Pictures” folder, you can use it to recover lost photos.

Follow these simple steps:

Step 1. Type "File History" in the Windows search and select "Restore your files with File History" from the results.

Step 2. In the “File History” window, go to the “Pictures” folder. Browse through different backup versions using the timeline or file list, and select the photos you want to recover.

Step 3. Click the green "Restore" button at the bottom of the window to recover the photos to their original location. If you want to restore them to a different location, right-click the "Restore" button and select "Restore to...", then choose your desired folder.

Part 4. Pro Tips for Image Recovery from Memory Card

Recovering images from a memory card is not an easy task, but with the right approach, you can significantly increase the chances of getting them back. Preventive measures and proper file management are equally crucial in avoiding photo loss. In the following, we’ll share some practical and effective tips to help you recover images from memory card.

These tips will guide you on how to properly manage your photo files, choose reliable recovery tools, and respond quickly when data loss happens. Below are some tips to improve your recovery process:

• Regular Backups: It is essential to sync photos from your phone, camera, or memory card to a computer, external hard drive, or cloud storage regularly.
• Keep Software Updated: Always ensure that your operating system and recovery software are up to date. New versions often come with improved compatibility, bug fixes, and enhanced recovery features, which can boost your chances of success.
• Use Reliable Recovery Tools: Pick professional and well-known recovery tools like Kingshiper or other reputable software. These tools are more stable, secure to use, and less likely to cause further damage to your data.
• Avoid Overwriting Lost Files: Immediately stop all read/write operations on the memory card upon discovering photo loss. New data may overwrite deleted photos, making recovery impossible.
• Act Fast: Start the recovery process as soon as possible. The sooner you attempt recovery after data loss, the higher your chances of success.

With these 5 steps, you’ll be able to recover your favorite and important images from your memory card in no time.

The Bottom Line

All in all, it is easy to recover images from memory card with the above method. Whether your data was lost due to accidental deletion, formatting, or other reasons, you have plenty of options to recover your precious image files.

If you still have no idea on how to proceed or prefer a more reliable option, Kingshiper Data Recovery is an excellent software that has a user-friendly interface and is simple to use, even beginners can handle it in seconds.

With these methods, you can successfully recover your photos right now. Just pick the method that works best for you, and start recovering!