Cameras · Sony exFAT camera card
Recover deleted Sony photos: ARW, JPEG, and HEIF
How can I recover deleted photos from a Sony camera?
Short answer
Yes, if the card has been left untouched: ARW, JPEG and HEIF files use different structures, so choose only the formats your Sony camera actually recorded and assess each separately. Take the card out, scan it read-only and verify complete files on a computer, not in camera playback, before you reuse or format the card.
The situation
Sony still images are absent from the expected DCIM folders.
A Sony body can write three unrelated still formats onto one card. ARW is TIFF-derived, JPEG is self-contained, and HEIF sits in an ISO-BMFF container. A scan treats them as three separate searches, so the format list you choose decides what actually comes back.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
Stills leave DCIM either because they were deleted in playback, because an import moved them off the card, or because the camera lost its directory after a low-battery interruption. The data itself is unchanged in each case. What differs is the structure to search for: HEIF needs its box hierarchy intact, a JPEG only needs its own start and end, so results vary format by format on one card.
ARW, JPEG, and supported HEIF-family files use different structures and should be assessed separately.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Eject the card and leave it out; the Sony menu offers recovery and repair options that write to the card and cost you deleted entries.
- 2
Look up the quality setting used during the shoot, so the scan covers exactly ARW, JPEG, or HEIF instead of guessing at all three.
- 3
Connect the card through a reader and run the read-only scan for those formats, without letting the operating system index the volume.
- 4
Export everything to a second drive and review the files on a computer, since camera playback cannot open a recovered file from that disk.
Do not use the camera to check whether the recovery worked, and decline any offer to restore the image database, because both of those write to the card. Avoid copying recovered pictures back onto the card for a review on the camera screen.
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 whose clusters were reused by later shooting cannot be brought back, and File Recovery Hero does not repair a partial HEIF or ARW. It reads exFAT, NTFS, and FAT media read-only on macOS and Windows; scanning costs nothing, exporting requires a licence.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Each ARW must develop at full resolution in a RAW converter, each JPEG must decode to its native dimensions, and each HEIF must open with correct colour rather than a grey placeholder. A file that loads instantly and then fails at full zoom is carrying only its preview.
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 Sony exFAT camera card be recovered in this situation?+
A Sony body can write three unrelated still formats onto one card. ARW is TIFF-derived, JPEG is self-contained, and HEIF sits in an ISO-BMFF container. A scan treats them as three separate searches, so the format list you choose decides what actually comes back. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not use the camera to check whether the recovery worked, and decline any offer to restore the image database, because both of those write to the 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 ARW must develop at full resolution in a RAW converter, each JPEG must decode to its native dimensions, and each HEIF must open with correct colour rather than a grey placeholder.