Card asking to be formatted? Don't click OK.
Recovering Files From Damaged Memory Cards, USB Flash Drives and Camera Media
If the system asks to format the card, or the camera stops reading it after a shoot, the data may still be intact and only the path to it is broken. Every quick fix attempt can change what's left.
- +25
- Years of experience
- +50K
- Cases handled
- 99%
- Success rate after diagnosis
Small media, damage that adds up fast.
When does a card or flash drive need an inspection?
- 01
The drive asks to be formatted
The message asking to format the disk appears every time it is connected.
- 02
The camera won't read the card
The camera shows a card error, or the card looks empty although it holds a shoot.
- 03
A snapped or hot flash drive
The metal connector broke off, or the stick runs hot and appears in no computer.
A chip is not a disk.
Camera card recovery for Sony, Canon and GoPro media
SD cards, camera media and USB sticks store data in NAND chips managed by a controller. When the controller fails or a joint breaks, the medium doesn't appear at all, and reading the chip itself may be required. In monolithic media the chip and controller sit in one moulded piece, so work starts by identifying the media type and connection state before any read attempt. Deleted video from Sony, Canon or GoPro cards may be recoverable depending on what was written afterwards.
Inspect the case
Choose the path
Safe recovery
Supported devices & brands
The name on the label doesn't decide the method.
What decides how a card is read is the chip inside it, its controller, and the way the two are packaged together. These are the cards and sticks that reach the lab most often.
SanDisk
SanDisk SD, microSD and USB media run on their own controllers and translation tables. Many of their microSD cards are moulded as a single piece, so there is no chip to remove and the work is done on the body of the card itself.
Lexar
CF and SD cards common in professional shooting. Continuous video wears specific cells faster than the rest, so faults show up first in the long clips, before the card stops appearing at all.
Samsung
Samsung EVO and PRO cards and USB sticks pair the maker's own chip with its own controller. The common fault is a sudden stop: the card reports the wrong capacity or turns read-only, which points at the controller, not at deletion.
Kingston
One model can carry different controllers depending on the production batch, so the work starts by identifying the exact one. The factory tools circulating online reformat the medium instead of reading it, and are never used on a case that still holds data.
SD, microSD, CF and CFexpress
The form factor decides the access. CF connects through fine pins that can bend inside the camera, while CFexpress is effectively an NVMe drive in a card shell and is handled like an SSD, not like an SD card.
Monolithic chips and controller failure
In monolithic media the chip and the controller sit inside one moulded block, so the memory cannot be removed. The contact points are located on the body of the card and read directly, then the data order the controller used to manage is rebuilt.
What happens to a card inside the lab
- 01
Identify the medium before connecting it
The markings on the body are read and the media type and controller family identified before anything is plugged in. The card is not re-inserted repeatedly, nothing is allowed to write to it, and the connection goes through a read-only path.
- 02
A full image at a slow read
If the medium still appears, a full image is taken at low speed, with retries on stalling sectors and the temperature watched throughout. After that the card is set aside and all work continues on the image.
- 03
Read the chip when nothing appears
If the medium doesn't appear at all, the joints and the metal connector are examined under the microscope. On discrete media the NAND chip is removed and read on a programmer; on monolithic media the contact points on the card body are located instead.
- 04
Rebuild the order, then the files
A raw chip read is not files: ECC errors are corrected, the data scrambling is reversed, the pages are put back in sequence, then the file system is rebuilt and camera clips are carved from their own internal structure. We verify by opening the photos and playing the clips before handover.
Start from the symptom
Which fault describes your card?
- 01
It asks to be formatted, or shows as RAW
The file system or directory table may be damaged while the data is still there. Do not agree to format and do not run a repair tool on your only copy.
- 02
It appears slowly or disconnects while copying
There may be failing read areas or a controller problem. Do not repeatedly copy the same folder or scan it with a long-running tool; a full image is taken with measured reading first.
- 03
It does not appear, or shows the wrong capacity
The fault may be in the controller, the contacts, or the chip. Recovery software cannot see a medium that does not report its capacity correctly.
- 04
A broken USB connector or card body
Do not solder it, glue it, or keep re-inserting it. Keep every piece; the chip's integrity matters more than the casing.
- 05
Photos deleted or formatted, then shooting continued
Every new photo or video can overwrite older space. Remove the card and estimate how many new files were made and the time you need.
- 06
A video recording stopped suddenly
An incomplete video file may remain, or one with no final index. We need the original card, the camera type, the resolution and frame rate settings, and sometimes a known-good file shot on the same device for comparison.
A realistic expectation
What might come back?
Photos in JPEG or RAW, videos and documents may return with their folders and names if the file system survived. Where the directories are damaged, files may be recovered by their structure without the original names or ordering.
Long video, especially from professional or action cameras, may be split into fragments spread across the card. Finding the start of a video does not mean the clip is complete, so it must be played and its duration, audio and picture checked after reassembly. If new data was written over part of an older file, the file may return incomplete or stop during playback. The real outcome is presented after examining the image, not after counting file names.
What we need for the initial assessment
- 01
Medium type
SD, microSD, CF, CFexpress or USB.
- 02
Make, model and capacity
With a photo of both sides.
- 03
The device used
The camera, phone or device it was used with.
- 04
The message shown
Format, Card Error, No Card, Write Protected, or a wrong capacity.
- 05
Use since the problem
Whether it was formatted, shot on, or copied from, and roughly how much.
- 06
Physical condition
Whether the medium heats up, disconnects, or is broken.
- 07
The files you need
Their type and the date or shooting session concerned.
- 08
Video details
Resolution, frame rate, camera type, and the expected clip length.
- 09
What was tried
Any software or manufacturer tools that were used.
FAQ
Before you accept the format prompt.
Better not. The prompt often means only the file table is damaged, and the data may stay recoverable as long as no format or new write happens.
It may be possible in many cases; the result depends on whether the clips were overwritten and on the card type.
The chip and its connections can be inspected in break cases, and feasibility is decided after that inspection, depending on whether the chip survived.
They may be, if the data survived, but each file's integrity must be checked because large images can be fragmented or only partially written.
Do not try to force writing or formatting. Protected mode may signal an internal problem, but it is sometimes an opportunity to take an image before the card stops entirely.
Not always. Many CFexpress cards use technology close to NVMe, so the assessment differs from traditional SD.
The video may need its fragments reassembled and its index rebuilt, and the outcome depends on overwriting and the integrity of the internal segments.
Not when the data matters. Some manufacturer tools reinitialise the controller and remove access to the old contents.
There may be a controller problem, a non-genuine medium, or a corrupted internal configuration. Do not format it, and send a photo of the model and the capacity the system reports.
They may, if the file system survived. With severe damage, photos and videos may return with new names and without their original ordering.
The fault may be in the controller or the internal connections. In those cases the memory chip itself is read, and the result depends on the chip's condition and the card type.
Logical cases can finish within a day or two, while monolithic media or electrically damaged devices take longer. We give a time estimate after inspection.
Not necessarily, but every new file can overwrite the space an old one occupied. Stop using the card immediately; what remains is determined by the inspection.
Next step
Send case detailsDon't shoot and don't format before inspection.
Take the card or drive out of the device and send us the media type, the camera model and any message you saw. Inspection and diagnosis are free, with no obligation.