Photos & RAW · Canon exFAT card
Canon CR2 RAW: find after an import failure
Where are deleted Canon CR2 originals after a failed import?
Short answer
First check the import destination, the trash and your catalog folder, and search for the Canon file names with the CR2 extension. EOS Utility, Lightroom or a copy script may have stopped halfway. If the CR2 files are gone from both computer and card, stop using the card and scan it read-only.
The situation
deleted Canon CR2 originals is incomplete at the destination and no longer appears reliably on the source.
Canon import chains have several places to break. EOS Utility, a photo catalog or a copy script can transfer part of a shoot, register it and then delete from the card, so the frames end up split between computer and card with no complete set on either side.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A failed import usually stops between copying and verification. Files already at the destination may be registered in the catalog, others were removed from the card without arriving, and CR2 plus JPEG pairs get separated when only one of the two files got through. The card still holds the data behind the freed entries.
Move, rename, catalog and delete-after-import steps can fail at different moments and leave source and destination in different states. For Canon CR2 RAW, this matters because CR2 is TIFF-based and can contain an embedded preview that survives even when sensor data is incomplete.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Keep the card out of the reader until the destination has been searched by CR2 file name, capture date and folder number.
- 2
Check the catalog, the trash and every download folder the Canon software uses before assuming that frames are really gone.
- 3
Then scan the card read-only for CR2 and JPEG, so the freed entries stay untouched while the search is running.
- 4
Export the recovered frames to a third drive and close the gaps in the destination set rather than importing all over again.
Do not start the import once more and do not let the software delete from the card after copying while frames are missing. A second attempt can overwrite partial copies at the destination and complete the deletion that the first run left half done.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
Frames deleted at the destination need the trash or a backup, not a card scan. File Recovery Hero reads the Canon card in exFAT as well as NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 volumes, read-only; destinations formatted with APFS or ext4 are outside what it opens.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The set is complete when the frame numbers run without gaps and every CR2 develops in full. Where RAW plus JPEG was used, both halves of each pair belong there; a missing partner points to an import that stopped between the two files of one shot.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can Canon exFAT card be recovered in this situation?+
Canon import chains have several places to break. EOS Utility, a photo catalog or a copy script can transfer part of a shoot, register it and then delete from the card, so the frames end up split between computer and card with no complete set on either side. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not start the import once more and do not let the software delete from the card after copying while frames are missing.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
The set is complete when the frame numbers run without gaps and every CR2 develops in full.