Emergency · camera card and Windows import destination
Files missing after Windows Photos import
Why did Windows Photos import only some camera files?
Short answer
Usually they were skipped, not deleted: Windows Photos can pass over RAW or video it cannot preview, treat files as duplicates, or put them into dated subfolders. Search those folders for the exact names and check the card itself before a second import. Only a card with missing originals needs a read-only scan.
The situation
The Photos app shows an import, but RAW, video, or part of the sequence is absent.
The Photos app imports into its own idea of order: dated subfolders, a library that decides what a duplicate is, and formats it can preview. Files it passed over are usually still on the card, and files it did take may be somewhere you would not look.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Three habits of the app explain most gaps. It groups imports into folders named by date, so one shoot can end up split across several. It skips files it considers already imported, based on its own database rather than on what is in the folder. And camera RAW formats or codecs it cannot preview are often left behind on the card rather than copied.
Unsupported preview, duplicate handling, destination grouping, or a connection loss can omit assets without proving deletion.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Open the import destination in File Explorer and look through every dated subfolder, not only the one created today.
- 2
Search the drive for the exact camera filenames, including the RAW extension, with hidden and system items shown.
- 3
Inspect the card itself in Explorer before any second import, since skipped files are normally still sitting in DCIM.
- 4
Copy anything still present by hand with Explorer, and reserve a read-only scan for the files that are absent on both sides.
Do not let the app delete the originals after a partial import, and do not import a second time before you have compared both sides. The duplicate logic can skip exactly the files that are missing, because its database believes they were already taken.
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.
A skipped file is not a lost file, and most cases here end in Explorer rather than in a scan. Where a scan is needed, File Recovery Hero reads the card read-only on Windows and exports to another drive; it does not search the Photos library database.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Compare the number of files per extension on the card with the number in the destination folders, RAW and video counted separately from JPEG. Then open several files from the destination in an application that decodes them fully, because the app's own preview can come from a cached thumbnail.
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 camera card and Windows import destination be recovered in this situation?+
The Photos app imports into its own idea of order: dated subfolders, a library that decides what a duplicate is, and formats it can preview. Files it passed over are usually still on the card, and files it did take may be somewhere you would not look. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not let the app delete the originals after a partial import, and do not import a second time before you have compared both sides.
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?+
Compare the number of files per extension on the card with the number in the destination folders, RAW and video counted separately from JPEG.