Photos & RAW · Nikon exFAT compact-camera card
Recover deleted Nikon NRW files
How can I recover deleted NRW photos?
Short answer
Select only NRW in a read-only scan of the compact camera's card, before any import or new shot. A visible embedded preview does not mean the NRW is recovered; the full TIFF-derived image data must be there too. Export to another drive and confirm each file opens completely in NX Studio or another NRW-capable application.
The situation
NRW RAW images were deleted before import.
NRW is the RAW format of Nikon compact cameras, and it behaves like other TIFF-derived files: a preview near the front can still render when the image data behind it is already partly gone. Deletion before an import removes the reference, not the content itself.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
The compact camera stores NRW files in its own numbered folders on the card. Deleting through the playback menu clears the directory entry and marks the blocks free, while the file body stays where it was written. Because an NRW carries an embedded preview as well as the real image data, a scan can produce candidates that look right in a list and still fail in a converter.
NRW is TIFF-derived and needs more than a visible embedded preview to count as recovered.
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 before anything else, so that the next picture cannot land on the deleted frames.
- 2
Confirm that the missing files were never imported anywhere, checking the computer, the phone and any backup folder first.
- 3
Scan the card read-only with NRW selected instead of a broad file-type sweep, which keeps unrelated candidates out of the result.
- 4
Export the recovered files to another drive and open them in an application that handles NRW rather than a generic viewer.
Do not use the camera's own card check or repair functions, and do not transfer new pictures onto the card while the NRW files are missing. Image viewers that write cache files or sidecars to the card are just as damaging as new shots.
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 recovers whole NRW files from readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 cards; it repairs no file and reconstructs no image whose data blocks were reused. Frames still sitting in the camera buffer when it was switched off never reached the card.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A recovered NRW is complete when NX Studio or another NRW-capable application opens it at the sensor resolution of that compact camera and shows its capture data. A thumbnail in the file manager proves only that the embedded preview survived, which says nothing about the image behind it.
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 Nikon exFAT compact-camera card be recovered in this situation?+
NRW is the RAW format of Nikon compact cameras, and it behaves like other TIFF-derived files: a preview near the front can still render when the image data behind it is already partly gone. Deletion before an import removes the reference, not the content itself. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not use the camera's own card check or repair functions, and do not transfer new pictures onto the card while the NRW 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?+
A recovered NRW is complete when NX Studio or another NRW-capable application opens it at the sensor resolution of that compact camera and shows its capture data.