Photos & RAW · formatted exFAT DNG card
Recover DNG files after formatting a camera card
Can deleted DNG photos be recovered after formatting?
Short answer
Often yes after a quick format, if the card was not reused: DNG headers from a camera or drone can still be found, but each must be matched with its complete image data. Scan before any new shot or flight, export to another drive and develop each DNG fully; a full format usually leaves nothing to recover.
The situation
DNG originals from a camera or drone are missing after a quick format.
Whether this works depends on one detail: which kind of format ran. A quick format leaves the DNG content in place beneath new file-system records, while a full format writes across the medium and removes the basis on which any scan could work.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
DNG is TIFF-derived, so a scanner can spot the header of each frame once the directory has gone. Cameras and drones write DNG frames in long consecutive runs, which helps a scan derive plausible boundaries. What it cannot know is whether a run belongs to one frame or to the remains of two, which is why every candidate has to be developed before it is trusted.
DNG is TIFF-derived, and candidate headers must be matched with complete image data.
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 the device from writing: no further flight, no further shot and no new recording session on that medium.
- 2
Establish whether the format was quick or full, because that answer decides whether a scan is worth running at all.
- 3
Attach the card through a reader and scan it read-only for DNG across the entire medium, not just the new volume.
- 4
Export to a different drive and develop candidates from several points in the sequence before judging the result.
Do not fly the drone or shoot again with the card to see whether it still records, and do not let any tool rewrite the partition table. A new session writes its own folder structure first, and that structure lands on top of the older DNG data.
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 sources read-only and exports complete DNG files; it cannot undo a full format, repair a truncated frame or work on encrypted media. Where the medium is physically failing, a laboratory is the only remaining route.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
Each exported DNG should develop at the full resolution of the camera or drone that made it, keep its capture time, and render without a grey band. Count the results against the number of frames you remember from the flight or the shoot to see which parts of the medium were 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 formatted exFAT DNG card be recovered in this situation?+
Whether this works depends on one detail: which kind of format ran. A quick format leaves the DNG content in place beneath new file-system records, while a full format writes across the medium and removes the basis on which any scan could work. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not fly the drone or shoot again with the card to see whether it still records, and do not let any tool rewrite the partition table.
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 exported DNG should develop at the full resolution of the camera or drone that made it, keep its capture time, and render without a grey band.