What to do right now
- Take the card out of the camera and do not take new photos or videos.
- Connect it with a card reader, and do not click format if Windows asks.
- Find the photos with signature search and save them to another disk on the PC.
Step by step
Stop using the card
Every new photo or second of video after the format lands where old photos were. Remove the card and keep it aside.
Connect with a card reader
A camera connected over USB often does not let the PC read the card directly. Use a card reader. If Windows says the disk needs to be formatted, click cancel.
Select the card and scan
In FileFix Ultimate's deleted file recovery, select the card. After a quick format the file list is empty, so signature search is the main way photos are found.
Filter by photo type and preview
Filter for JPEG, HEIC and camera RAW (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, ORF, RW2 and RAF from version 1.0.4) and preview them. Names are suggested from internal data such as the capture date.
Save to another disk on the PC
The card itself cannot be the destination. Only format the card again after you have checked the recovered copies.
It depends on the kind of format
A quick format rebuilds the FAT32 or exFAT file list and allocation table and leaves the data area alone. A low-level or full format offered by some cameras, or a Windows format with quick format unticked, overwrites the whole card with zeros, and nothing can be recovered after that.
If a phone formatted the card as internal storage, the card is encrypted for that phone and a PC cannot read it. Software recovery is then not realistic.
Why the names are different
Because the format removed the file list, photos found by signature do not have their original names such as DSC_0001.JPG. The capture date and camera details stored inside each photo remain, which helps you sort them. If the card was nearly full, large RAW files or videos may have been stored in several pieces and come back only partly.
When recovery will not work
- New photos taken after the format have overwritten older ones.
- A full or low-level format filled the card with zeros.
- The card was formatted as phone internal storage and is encrypted.
- The card is not detected or shows a strange capacity, which points to a hardware fault.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Signature search finds JPEG, HEIC, PNG and video files on formatted FAT32 and exFAT cards.
- From version 1.0.4, camera RAW photos and recovery of fragmented files on FAT32 and exFAT.
- Decodes recovered photos separately to tell validated from partial results.
- A fake-capacity check shows whether the card itself is the problem.
FileFix Ultimate is free, works offline and never writes to the drive you are recovering from. Check the signature before you run it.
Frequently asked questions
Can photos be recovered after formatting in the camera?
Usually, yes. Most camera formats are quick formats, so many photos come back if nothing new was shot. A low-level format makes it very unlikely.
I took a few photos after formatting. Is it too late?
The new shots overwrote some space, but the rest may still be there. Stop shooting now and scan.
Why do recovered photos have different names?
The format removed the file list, so the original names are unknown. The capture date stored in each photo helps you sort them.
What about an SD card formatted on a phone?
A normal format can be tried the same way. A card formatted as internal storage is encrypted and cannot be read on a PC.