Photos & RAW · exFAT camera card
JPEG photo series: recover after deletion
How can I recover a deleted JPEG photo series after deletion?
Short answer
Often yes, if the camera has not taken any further shots on that card. Deleting frees the directory entries first, while the JPEG data stays until new images overwrite it. Remove the card, note the burst range and image size, scan read-only and check that each frame opens completely without grey bands.
The situation
a deleted JPEG photo series no longer appears in its recording folder even though the storage device is still detected.
A deleted burst is the most favourable kind of loss, because the frames were written consecutively and are usually released as one block. Nothing on the card has changed physically; the camera simply no longer lists the images, and that holds until it records again.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A series is written in one go, so its JPEG files sit in a long, contiguous run of blocks. Deleting through the playback menu clears the directory entries for the whole run at once and marks it free. Each JPEG still begins with its start marker, carries its scan data and ends with a terminal marker, which lets a scan bound the frames precisely.
Deletion can release a directory reference before later writes reuse every block that belonged to the file. For JPEG photo series, this matters because each image should contain a valid JPEG start, complete scan data and a terminal marker.
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, take the card out and do not release the shutter again with that card in the body.
- 2
Note the camera model, the length of the burst and the image dimensions it produces, as the yardstick for the result.
- 3
Read the card in a reader and scan it read-only for JPEG across the whole volume, not only the current folder.
- 4
Export the frames to another drive and sort them by capture time to reconstruct the order of the series.
Do not use the camera's protection or card-check functions to undo the deletion, and do not shoot a replacement series on the same card. Both write into the contiguous run that still holds the images, and a burst overwrites a great many frames very quickly.
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.
File Recovery Hero reads exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 cards read-only and exports whole JPEG files; it does not repair a truncated frame. Once further pictures were taken on the card, that part of the series is gone, and a physically failing card needs a laboratory.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Each frame should open fully, without grey bands, at the dimensions the camera produces, and the capture times should follow one another at the burst interval. If the count of recovered frames falls short of the burst length, the missing ones lay in the part already 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?+
A deleted burst is the most favourable kind of loss, because the frames were written consecutively and are usually released as one block. Nothing on the card has changed physically; the camera simply no longer lists the images, and that holds until it records again. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not use the camera's protection or card-check functions to undo the deletion, and do not shoot a replacement series on the same card.
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?+
Each frame should open fully, without grey bands, at the dimensions the camera produces, and the capture times should follow one another at the burst interval.