How Do I Recover My SD Card on My Macbook?

I'm attempting to retrieve images from my SD card using my M1 MacBook Pro (2020 Model) laptop. I looked through Reddit and found that PhotoRec and Recuva, two commonly recommended free programs, are incompatible with M1s. Are there any recommendations for data recovery methods that I could use an M1 to retrieve images from an SD card?

Best Answered by

Jaden· Answered on Sep 17, 2025

SD card recovery on Mac can involve a few steps. Here's a general guide to help you:

  • Ensure the SD card is fully inserted into the SD card slot of your MacBook.
  • Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac on your MacBook.
  • Click "Search for lost files" after selecting "SD card" from the left panel. Should this SD card be from a camera, you can select the exact brand.
  • Upon completion of the scanning procedure, the left panel will display every detected file type.
  • You can also type the file name into the search field to help you find your files more easily.
  • To preview the files you wish to recover, double-click the eye icon. Then, to retrieve your files, click the Recover button.

If the SD card is detected in Disk Utility but can't access its contents, you might need to format it. Be aware that this will erase all data on the card. Before formatting, try using free Mac SD card data recovery software to recover any critical files.

You can also recover formatted SD cards on Mac using Disk Utility: Open Disk Utility on your MacBook (found in the Utilities folder within Applications). From here:

  • Select your SD card from the list of devices.
  • Cli"k on the "First Aid" tab and run the repair process.
  • If the SD card is not showing up in Disk Utility, it may be a hardware issue with the card itself, MacBook's SD card reader.

If you are still struggling to choose a suitable tool to recover data from the SD card, you can choose EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac without hesitation!

Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover deleted or lost files easily and quickly.

Tutorials on how to recover lost, deleted, or formatted data from HDD, SSD, USB, SD card, or other storage media on Windows and Mac.

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