Photos & RAW · exFAT camera card
HEIC, HEIF and HIF photos: recover after deletion
How can I recover deleted HEIC, HEIF or HIF images after deletion?
Short answer
Often yes, when the card has stayed unused since deletion. HEIC, HEIF and HIF files share an ISO-BMFF layout whose item tables, metadata and image data must match. Remove the card, scan it read-only for the whole HEIF family, and note whether the camera wrote original HIF files or converted HEIC copies.
The situation
deleted HEIC, HEIF or HIF images no longer appears in its recording folder even though the storage device is still detected.
Deleting a HEIF picture releases its exFAT entry while the ISO-BMFF boxes stay on the card. The camera stops listing the image immediately, yet the item tables, the metadata and the encoded picture data remain readable until new frames are written over them.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A HEIC, HEIF or HIF file is a container: item tables point at the encoded picture, at metadata and often at a thumbnail. Deletion touches none of that, only the directory entry and the free-space map. The container therefore stays recognisable by signature, provided the camera has not recorded anything since.
Deletion can release a directory reference before later writes reuse every block that belonged to the file. For HEIC, HEIF and HIF photos, this matters because these images use an ISO-BMFF layout with item tables, metadata and encoded image payloads.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Switch the camera off and remove the card at once, because the next picture can be placed exactly where the deleted data lies.
- 2
Note whether the camera wrote original HIF files or converted HEIC copies, and how many images the folder held before the deletion.
- 3
Read the card through a card reader with a read-only scan that covers the whole HEIF family instead of a single extension.
- 4
Export the hits to a separate drive and open each picture at full size in software that supports HEIF before you delete anything else.
Do not use the camera again, not even to look at the empty folder, and do not let it rebuild its image index. Each of those actions writes to the exFAT card, and a single new frame is enough to replace the deleted picture completely.
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.
Pictures already covered by later frames cannot be brought back, and a broken container cannot be rebuilt. File Recovery Hero scans the exFAT card read-only, exports after a one-time licence of 50 EUR, and runs on macOS and Windows but not on Linux.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A recovered file is usable when it opens at the sensor's full resolution and its metadata still names the camera and the capture time. A container that shows only its thumbnail proves nothing, because the item table may point into blocks that have already been reused.
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 camera card be recovered in this situation?+
Deleting a HEIF picture releases its exFAT entry while the ISO-BMFF boxes stay on the card. The camera stops listing the image immediately, yet the item tables, the metadata and the encoded picture data remain readable until new frames are written over them. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not use the camera again, not even to look at the empty folder, and do not let it rebuild its image index.
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 recovered file is usable when it opens at the sensor's full resolution and its metadata still names the camera and the capture time.