What Is the Best Free SD Card Recovery Software

Countless data recovery programs allow you to recover SD card data. Every one of them claims to be the best one for you. How can you choose the right one among the various choices? To help you find the best SD card recovery software, we have listed the top 10 best for you. You can choose the best one according to the pros and cons.

top 10 sd card recovery software

  1. 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
  2. 2. Recuva
  3. 3. Stellar Data Recovery
  4. 4. Disk Drill
  5. 5. R-Studio
  6. 6. Acronis Revive
  7. 7. Remo Recover
  8. 8. Recover My Files
  9. 9. Puran Data Recovery
  10. 10. TestDisk

We tested this SD card recovery software on various criteria like ease of use, compatibility, price, performance, and more. Test data are shown in the following table:

⚒Data loss cases Deletion, formatting, corrupting, RAW
🔢Number of SD card recovery software tested 10
⏳ Time duration 5 weeks
💻OS versions Windows, macOS, Linux
⚙ File systems FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, exFAT

Can I Recover SD Card Data for Free

"I lost all my beach holiday pictures due to carelessly formatting the SD card. I asked many people about recovering lost files. I also searched the internet, but I still couldn't fix it. Can anybody help me? Is it possible to recover lost or deleted files from SD cards and get back photos and other deleted data?"

The stored data gets lost whenever an SD card becomes inaccessible or formatted. However, all files remain in the same position on the card and can be recovered by data recovery software. Data recovery software makes data recovery possible and can help anyone with deleted recovery, formatted recovery, RAW recovery, and more.

Quick Access to recover deleted files from SD card:

10 Best SD Card Recovery Software for Windows and Mac

SD card recovery software is a handy tool that can be used to recover lost video, photos, or music files. I have listed the top 10 memory card recovery software for Windows and Mac to find the best. Read on to get the complete information.

Top 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard

Applies to: Windows/Mac

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is a reliable SD card data recovery tool that allows you to get your lost data back. It easily and quickly serves 100+ real-life data loss scenarios like deletion, formatting, RAW, etc. It is a lifesaver to restore lost data from memory cards, microSD cards, CF or SDHC cards, etc. It is a must-have tool if you want guaranteed card recovery.

EaseUS SD card recovery software

Moreover, it's also famous for free data recovery software that allows you to recover up to 2GB of deleted data without cost. 

Pros

  • Easy to use. It has a simple interface, and the recovery process only takes three steps.
  • Recover formatted SD cards and other memory cards, like Micro cards, CF cards, pen drives, and more.
  • Support all popular Camera brands like Cannon, Sony, Nikon, GoPro, Panasonic, and Fujifilm 
  •  
  • Search for files by extension or name after the scanning process.
  • Repair corrupted JPEG/JPG and damaged MP4/MOV camera videos.

SD Card Data Recovery Software for Windows and Mac

EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard has the best options to restore lost data in many situations: undelete deleted or lost files, Quick Scan, and Deep Scan. Even if you lost the whole partition, EaseUS knows how to restore your files. If you don't want to think about how to recover deleted pictures from an SD card, recover them now.

Recover Deleted Files from SD Card

Things can go wrong if your SD card becomes blank all of a sudden. The best SD card recovery software can scan and recover deleted SD card photos and files easily.

Find out how to recover deleted photos from an SD card>>

Quick Scan & Deep Scan

If you deleted data and immediately downloaded EaseUS data recovery software, there is still a chance Quick Scan can help you regain your files. Usually, when a file has just been removed, it is just the name deleted or altered by the system. Everything else is still there, just not visible. You can get it back with Quick Scan, but in case you didn't make it with the Quick Scan, Deep Scan is the way to go. It can scan and find RAW files or files that have lost the file name and path.

The Best Data Recovery for Everyone

We rely on digital data often; sometimes, data loss happens for various reasons. What can you do when you empty the Recycle Bin and suddenly realize you didn't mean to delete that exact file? You can turn to EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. It provides an easy-to-understand graphical interface, suitable for everyone to use without any technical requirements. You can get back data with a few simple clicks.  

Cons

  • When you specify the location, it scans the whole disk where the folder is located.
  • Recover 2GB for free

Top 2. Recuva

Applies to: Windows only

Piriform Recuva is a lightweight freemium SD card recovery software. It helps you recover data from Windows storage media. Its wizard-like interface makes deleted files/folder recovery quick and is supported by Windows 10 and earlier versions. 

top 2 memory card data recovery softyware recuva

Pros

  • Easy User interface
  • Preview files before final recovery
  • Works for both FAT and NTFS systems
  • Supports the email recovery of Thunderbird, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, and Microsoft Outlook

Cons

  • No support for the free version
  • The interface isn't interesting or attractive

Top 3. Stellar Data Recovery

Applies to: Windows/Mac

Stellar Data Recovery software is an easy-to-use Windows data recovery software program to get back lost documents, emails, photos, videos, and many more files from HDDs, USBs, memory cards, etc.

If you regret your decision to delete recent files, the Stellar Data Recovery tool is here to help you effectively. Its simple and clean interface and powerful data recovery capabilities attract users' attention and gain their trust.

stellar sd card recovery software

Pros

  • 4-step recovery process
  • Support scanning a specific folder and searching for files from the scanning result
  • Recover lost files from all types of Windows devices, including audio files
  • Provide a clear interface and a simple recovery guide

Cons

  • Doesn't have the free edition. The Standard edition costs $49.99

Top 4. Disk Drill

Applies to: Windows/Mac

Disk Drill is a professional data recovery program that ranks high in the information technology industry. This application, developed by CleverFiles, can run deep scans on external and internal storage devices, from your local disk drive to portable USB drives and SD cards. It works well on a Windows computer, making it one of the most competitive tools in deleted data recovery.

top 4 sd card recovery tool - Disk Drill

Pros

  • Organizes files found by category
  • Filters the results by size and name
  • Supports multiple file systems
  • It only takes 4 steps to recover deleted data

Cons

  • Only free for 500MB
  • The scan process takes longer than the previous equivalents

Top 5. R-Studio

Applies to: Windows/Mac/Linux

R-Studio is the most comprehensive data recovery solution for recovering files from NTFS, NTFS5, ReFS, FAT12/16/32, exFAT, HFS/HFS+, and APFS. It also scans for known file types on heavily damaged and unknown file systems. This software also supports recovering data from network drives, which makes it outrank most of its equivalents.

sd card recovery software - r-studio

Pros

  • Support network drive data recovery
  • Supports multiple files, including audio files
  • Create image files and recover lost files from images
  • File or disk content can be viewed and edited with the advanced hexadecimal editor
  • File previewer to estimate recovery chances.

Cons

  • It doesn't have a free version and costs at least $49.99
  • Old-fashioned and relatively complex interface
  • Longer scanning process

Do the above SD card recovery tools help you? Help us reach a wider audience by sharing this blog post on your favorite social media platform. Or keep reading to find more valuable tools.

 

Top 6. Acronis Revive

Applies to: Windows only

Acronis Revive has released its data recovery software in 2019. This powerful utility can help bring back a file that was trashed by accident, removed by a virus, or was intentionally deleted and needed later.

top 6 sd card file recovery software - Acronis Revive

Pros

  • Support numerous file types
  • Preview photos/videos/audio files
  • Support creating image files
  • Filters files by file name or extension

Cons

  • You can only recover one deleted file using its free version
  • The interface and introduction make it confusing and complex for users to use

Top 7. Remo Recover

Applies to: Windows/Mac

Remo Recover has been in the data recovery market for quite a long time. Remo Recover can restore files from hard drives, external drives, memory cards, and Mac volumes and even repair files like Word documents, ZIP, and Microsoft Outlook. 

top 7 sd card data recovery software - remo recover

Pros

  • Can authorize a user to recover files that have unique file extensions and signatures

Cons

  • Take a long scan time, which can be a nuisance for those who want quick results
  • Don't allow you to sort by file type or scan by file type
  • The free demo only allows scanning and previewing deleted and lost data

Top 8. Recover My Files

Applies to: Windows only

Recover My Files recovers lost or deleted files emptied from the Windows Recycle Bin, files lost due to the format or re-install of a hard drive, or files removed by a virus, Trojan infection, unexpected system shutdown, or software failure. It allows users to recover files from hard drives, SD cards, USB Zip drives, floppy disks, iPods, and more. 

top 8 sd card or micro sd card recovery software - Recover My Files

Pros

  • Scan the backup (image file) of a partition
  • Sorts files by date
  • Adjust the layout of the viewed items

Cons 

  • The free version only allows scanning and previewing deleted and lost data  
  • Old-fashioned software interface

Top 9. Puran Data Recovery

Applies to: Windows only

Puran Data Recovery is a free utility that can help you recover maximum data from damaged media like scratched CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, damaged pen drives, memory cards, etc. If you can see a list of files in any media, data recovery can recover those files.

It ignores any bad sector that comes in while copying data from a file and continues copying until the end of that file. It recovers maximum undamaged data.

top 9 sd card recovery program - Puran Data Recovery

Pros

  • Skips bad sectors automatically while recovering files
  • Supports optical drives like CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays
  • Drag and drop is supported
  • Totally free

Cons

  • Can't preview the result
  • Can't filter the files you want to recover

Top 10. TestDisk

Applies to: Windows/Mac/Linux

TestDisk data recovery software is open-source software that was created to get back lost partitions and fix non-booting disks. It is a portable application. You don't need to run the installer. This software can recover deleted partitions from hard drives, fix the partition table, recover the boot sector, and more.

top 10 sd data recovery software - TestDisk

Pros

  • Open resource software (totally free)
  • Allows users to recover/rebuild the boot sector
  • Fix or recover the deleted partition table
  • Undelete files from FAT, exFAT, NTFS, and ext2 file systems

Cons

  • It may not be suitable for some regular users

Also read: Top 5 best file recovery software for Mac

Comparison Table - The Best Memory Card Recovery Software

Most data recovery programs claim to be the best in memory card data recovery, file recovery, and HDD recovery. To help you find the best solution, we have put together this comparison table of six of the most popular recovery tools for Windows 10/8/7 that work and can restore your files. Take a look at the features and find the right one that meets your data recovery needs:

  EaseUS Disk Drill Recuva Stellar R-Studio Acronis
Recovery rate ★★★★★ ★★★★☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆ ★★★☆☆
Supported OS Windows and macOS Windows and macOS Windows Windows and macOS Windows, macOS, Linux Windows
Free version limits 2GB 500MB No limitations Scan only 256KB Scan only
Photo/Video repair × × × ×
Formatted recovery
RAW card recovery × ×
Corrupted SD card recovery Partial support Limited support Partial support Limited support
Save scanning sessions ×
File preview Partial support
Modern interface × ×

We would personally recommend EaseUS data recovery software to all our readers. With superior scanning speed, an advanced interface, a secure process, and the ability to recover files from damaged Windows or newly formatted devices, EaseUS is undeniably one of the best free data recovery tools out there. Here is the result of SD or memory card recovery software free scanning the same partition (127GB free of 141GB) and searching for deleted or lost files. You can see that EaseUS stands out among them.

Have you tried these paid or free SD card recovery tools for recovering lost data? If this post is helpful, share it on your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.

 

How to Recover Files from SD Card Step by Step

You can recover deleted files from an SD card with a proper guide. Get this software and follow the video tutorial below to see how to retrieve data right now:

Step 1. Select the SD card to scan

  • Download and install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your Windows PC.
  • Use the proper way to connect your SanDisk/Lexar/Transcend SD card to the computer. 
  • Open EaseUS SD card recovery software and choose SD Card Recovery on the left panel. All connected drives will display here. Select your SD card and click "Scan".
select the sd card and click scan

Step 2. Check for scan results

  • Wait for the scanning process to complete.
  • Specify one or several file types to show up, like Pictures or Videos.
  • Click "Preview" to check if they are the wanted files.
filter the lost photos

Step 3. Recover SD card data

  • Preview the recovered files and click "Recover".
  • Choose a different location to save the recovered files instead of the original SD card.
Recover lost photos

Conclusion

You have discovered ten of the best SD card recovery software in this post. You can recover photos, images, and videos with any software. You should check the comparison table if you are unsure about their advantages and disadvantages.

SD Card Recovery FAQs

Read more information on SD card recovery.

How to Recover Deleted Files from an SD Card for Free?

To recover deleted files from an SD card for free, follow these steps:

  1. 1. Download and install EaseUS free SD card recovery software for Windows.
  2. 2. Connect the SD card to your computer and start the app.
  3. 3. Run the memory card recovery software and scan the card.
  4. 4. Find your lost data.
  5. 5. You can check and preview desired files by double-clicking each one. Then, click Recover to save found SD card files to a secure location on your PC or external storage.

What is the best free SD card recovery software?

Top 10 best free SD card recovery software:

  1. 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard
  2. 2. Recuva
  3. 3. Stellar Data Recovery
  4. 4. Disk Drill
  5. 5. R-Studio
  6. 6. Acronis Revive
  7. 7. Remo Recover
  8. 8. Recover My Files
  9. 9. Puran Data Recovery
  10. 10. TestDisk

The comparison shows that EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is the best. You can download it now and restore SD card easily and quickly.

How can I recover deleted files from the SD card on the Mac?

To recover deleted files from SD Card on Mac:

  1. 1. Insert your SD card into your Mac computer.
  2. 2. Download and run EaseUS Mac data recovery software.
  3. 3. Select the storage device and click the Scan button.
  4. 4. Preview the files you need and click Recover to recover files from the SD card on your Mac.

How to recover deleted files from SD cards on Android?

Use EaseUS SD Card Recovery for Android to recover deleted files on an Android SD card:

  1. 1. Install and run EaseUS MobiSaver for Android.
  2. 2. Connect your Android phone to your computer with an SD card.
  3. 3. Scan the SD card on the Android phone to find the lost data.
  4. 4. Preview and recover deleted files from an SD card on an Android phone

Can I recover data from a corrupted SD card? 

Yes, you can recover data from a damaged SD card using EaseUS SD card recovery software:

  1. 1. Connect your SD card to your computer. You may need a card reader.
  2. 2. Launch the EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard and choose the SD card to scan.
  3. 3. Scan the memory card for SD card recovery.
  4. 4. Preview and click the Recover button to restore data from the SD card.  

How can I recover data from a formatted SD card?

You can recover formatted SD cards with EaseUS SD card recovery software with the steps below:

  1. 1. Connect your SD card to the computer.
  2. 2. Download and run EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Select the SD card to scan for files.
  3. 3. The EaseUS SD card recovery program will list all the recoverable files.
  4. 4. Preview and recover files from formatted SD cards.

How to Fix a Corrupted SD Card? 

When it comes to the word "corrupt", it's mostly associated with pen drives, SD cards, and a few special categories of humans. If your SD card, pen drive, or flash drive stops working, you can lose a lot. To fix your corrupted SD card, we have the following 8 tips:

Also read: 8 Ways to Fix Corrupted/Damaged SD Card 

  1. 1. Change the card reader, adapter, or USB port
  2. 2. Run the Windows Repair Tool
  3. 3. Change the drive letter
  4. 4. Run CHKDSK to check and repair SD card bad sectors
  5. 5. Reinstall the SD card driver
  6. 6. Format the RAW SD card
  7. 7. Format the half-capacity SD Card
  8. 8. Create a new SD card partition on unallocated space

So, those are the short tips on how to fix or repair a corrupted SD card. You can use them to revive your external drive or any internal logical volume. If you found this helpful or you have any suggestions to make, drop your thoughts and feedback below.

Why is my SD card not showing up?

Due to an outdated memory or SD card driver, your computer may not be able to read or detect the memory/SD card properly. If nothing is wrong with your memory card or SD card, you'll be able to read and find all your personal data on the card by using another mobile phone or PC. If the memory card or SD card is still undetectable, fix the memory card not detected error with EaseUS.

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Updated by Dany

Dany is an editor of EaseUS who lives and works in Chengdu, China. She focuses on writing articles about data recovery on Mac devices and PCs. She is devoted to improving her writing skills and enriching her professional knowledge. Dany also enjoys reading detective novels in her spare time.

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Approved by Mahesh Makvana

Mahesh is an experienced computer tech writer. He's been writing tech how-to guides for about 8 years now and has covered many topics. He loves to teach people how they can get the most out of their devices.

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