Storage media · exFAT SDXC media card
Recover deleted media data from an SD card
How can I recover deleted files from an SD card?
Short answer
Usually yes, if you stop writing now: deleted exFAT entries can keep names, sizes and cluster locations until new files reuse them. Remove the card, scan that exact card read-only for your photo, video or audio formats, export to another disk and open or play each file completely before trusting it.
The situation
Supported video, image, or audio files were deleted and no verified backup exists.
Deletion on a memory card is a bookkeeping change. The exFAT entry is flagged as unused and its clusters are released, but until something claims them the picture, clip or take is still lying there in full. Time matters less than the number of writes since then.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Deletions on cards happen in three ways, and they leave different traces. The camera's own delete function removes single entries and often keeps the numbering; a delete-all clears the directory but not the media; and a drag to the desktop trash on a computer moves files off the card immediately, because Windows keeps no recycle bin for removable drives. Without a verified backup the card is the only copy.
Deleted exFAT entries can retain names, sizes, and cluster information until reused or overwritten.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Eject the card from whatever deleted the files and set it aside; every further write reduces what can still be read back.
- 2
Write down what was lost and in which format, and check the obvious copies first: an earlier import, a cloud sync or a second card.
- 3
Scan that exact card read-only, selecting the photo, video or audio formats from the list, and note which finds still carry their original names.
- 4
Export to another disk, then open or play every file completely before the card is formatted or put back into service.
Do not empty a trash folder on the computer in the hope of tidying up, and do not run a repair or a format on the card because a scan found less than you hoped. A second pass on an unchanged card beats a first pass on a changed one.
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.
Entries whose clusters have been reused come back as fragments or not at all, and no software can tell you beforehand which ones those are. File Recovery Hero shows the result of a scan before any licence question arises, so the answer costs nothing.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A find that kept its name and its original byte size is the strongest result, but it still has to open: the photo at full resolution, the clip to the final frame, the recording to the last second. Files with new generic names need the same test, judged by content instead.
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 exFAT SDXC media card be recovered in this situation?+
Deletion on a memory card is a bookkeeping change. The exFAT entry is flagged as unused and its clusters are released, but until something claims them the picture, clip or take is still lying there in full. Time matters less than the number of writes since then. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not empty a trash folder on the computer in the hope of tidying up, and do not run a repair or a format on the card because a scan found less than you hoped.
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?+
A find that kept its name and its original byte size is the strongest result, but it still has to open: the photo at full resolution, the clip to the final frame, the recording to the last second.