Photos & RAW · Canon exFAT photo card
Recover deleted Canon CR2 files
How do I recover deleted CR2 photos?
Short answer
Stop shooting on the card first, then scan it read-only for CR2, even if the paired JPEGs survived. CR2 is TIFF-derived with a Canon signature, but a found header counts only when the full sensor payload is intact. Export to another drive and develop each file at full resolution in Digital Photo Professional or another RAW converter.
The situation
CR2 originals were deleted while paired JPEGs may remain.
A card that still shows the JPEGs while the CR2 files are gone is the normal picture after a deletion pass aimed at RAW. The JPEG partners prove which frames existed and what they looked like, but they hold none of the sensor data the CR2 files carried.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
CR2 is built on the TIFF structure with a Canon signature at the start, so a scan recognises candidates reliably. Recognition is not the same as completeness: the sensor payload takes up almost the entire file, and deleting on an exFAT card frees those blocks for the next shot. As long as the camera has not written again, that payload is usually still present in full.
CR2 uses a TIFF-derived structure with a Canon signature, but the full sensor payload must still be intact.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Stop shooting on that card and eject it; every new frame is written into the space the deleted CR2 files still occupy.
- 2
List the surviving JPEG file numbers, because they tell you exactly which CR2 numbers a scan has to produce.
- 3
Scan the card read-only for CR2 through a card reader, without letting the camera or the system rewrite the directory.
- 4
Export the files to another drive and develop a sample from the start, the middle and the end of the sequence.
Do not delete the surviving JPEGs to free space, and do not copy anything onto the card while the CR2 files are missing. The JPEGs are your reference list, and any write can consume the blocks holding the RAW payload. Card checks run from the camera write as well.
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 sources read-only and exports whole CR2 files; it does not repair a CR2 whose payload is partly overwritten, and it cannot bring back frames that later shots replaced. Physically failing cards need a laboratory.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Open each CR2 in Digital Photo Professional or another RAW converter and develop it at full resolution. The image must match the sensor dimensions of that Canon body, keep aperture, shutter and lens data, and render down to the bottom edge. A file that only yields its preview is not recovered.
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 photo card be recovered in this situation?+
A card that still shows the JPEGs while the CR2 files are gone is the normal picture after a deletion pass aimed at RAW. The JPEG partners prove which frames existed and what they looked like, but they hold none of the sensor data the CR2 files carried. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not delete the surviving JPEGs to free space, and do not copy anything onto the card while the CR2 files 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?+
Open each CR2 in Digital Photo Professional or another RAW converter and develop it at full resolution.