What to do right now
- Make a copy of the damaged photo and keep the original untouched.
- Check whether the original card or a backup still has an intact version.
- Inspect the file; repair the header or structure into a new copy if possible.
Step by step
Copy the file and check other sources
Copy the photo to your PC. If it came from a memory card, also scan the card: a deleted or older copy of the same photo may be intact.
Inspect the file
In Damaged file repair, choose the photo. The inspection reports problems such as a missing start marker, damaged header segments, a truncated end or errors inside the image data, with the byte position.
Create a repaired copy
If the damage is structural, choose Create repaired copy and pick a folder. The repair rebuilds what is broken and writes a new file; the original is never changed.
Use a reference photo for a broken header
If the header is destroyed, choose a healthy photo taken with the same camera at the same resolution. Its header can be transplanted so the surviving image data decodes again.
Check the result
Open the repaired copy and compare it with the preview. Parts of the image that were missing are shown grey; they cannot be recreated.
What the symptoms tell you
A photo that is grey from a certain line downward is usually truncated: the file ends early, often because a copy or transfer stopped, or because a recovered file was cut short. The top part is real; the grey part has no data behind it.
A photo that will not open at all often has a damaged header: the first few kilobytes that describe size, colour tables and compression. The image data itself may be intact, which is why a header from another photo taken with the same camera can bring it back. Shifted colours or a displaced lower half point to errors inside the compressed data.
Recovered photos that are broken
Photos recovered after deletion can be broken because part of the file was overwritten, or because the file was stored in several pieces and only the first piece was found. FileFix Ultimate validates each recovered image by decoding it and marks broken ones, so you see the difference before opening them.
When it won't work
- Image data that is missing or overwritten cannot be restored; repair can only make the rest viewable.
- Header transplant needs a photo from the same camera model and settings; a mismatched reference gives garbled results.
- Camera RAW files such as CR2, NEF or ARW are not repaired.
- Encrypted or ransomware-damaged photos cannot be repaired this way.
How FileFix Ultimate helps
- Analyses JPEG markers, header segments and the compressed scan data and reports exactly what is wrong.
- Writes the repaired version as a new file and validates it by decoding.
- Supports header transplant from a reference photo taken with the same camera.
- Shows a partial preview with grey fill so you can judge what is recoverable before saving.
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 a grey half of a photo be restored?
Only if the missing data exists somewhere, such as another copy on the card or in a backup. Software cannot invent the missing part.
Why does the photo open on my phone but not on my PC?
Some viewers are more tolerant of small structural errors. The file is still damaged; a repaired copy usually opens everywhere.
What is header transplant?
It replaces the damaged start of the file with the header of a healthy photo from the same camera. It works when the image data survived but the description of it did not.