Photos Disappeared From SD Card? Here’s How to Get Them Back

Quick Solutions for Getting Back Missing Photos From an SD Card

Before we look at the best SD card data recovery software to use for this situation, you should make sure your files aren’t just hidden. When the files on your memory card are hidden, they won’t show up like normal. This can happen on any brand of SD card, including SanDisk, Lexar, Samsung, and Kingston. But, it will depend on how the data is hidden.

Unhide Hidden Pictures on the SD Card

It’s possible for you to hide files on Windows using the ‘hidden’ attribute. Files with this attribute (like some system files) will make them appear invisible when you check them in programs like File Explorer. 

If your files are not showing up because they’ve been marked with the ‘hidden’ attribute, you can actually make them visible in File Explorer and then unhide them, like so:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click View > Show > Hidden items.
3. Select the hidden items, then click See more > Properties.
4. Untick Hidden, then click Apply.

Remove the Nomedia File From Your Smartphone

Files on your microSD card in your Android phone may be hidden because it shares the same directory as a .NOMEDIA file. When a file with the .NOMEDIA file extension is present, all other files in that folder won’t be visible in photo managers or video players. Deleting the file can make the files visible once again:

1. Open a file manager app on your Android device (e.g. My Files).
2. Navigate to the folder that contains your photos that aren’t showing.
3. Tap the vertical ellipsis at the top-right and click Settings.
4. Enable Show hidden system files.
5. Return to the folder and delete the .NOMEDIA file.

How to Recover Photos Disappeared From SD Card

When your photos or videos are definitely lost or deleted, you should recover them using a data recovery tool as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the lower your chances of recovery become.

In the case of disappeared photos, the ideal data recovery tool should be capable of:

• 📷 Raw photo recovery – Seeing as there is a huge number of different photo file types out there, the number that can be recovered by their file signature greatly increases your chances of recovering more.
• 🔍 Using multiple scanning algorithms – There are lots of ways to discover lost data. Some recovery tools merely rely on the file system, but a strong and capable data recovery tool will be able to find photos based on their file signature.
• 👀 Previewing and filtering data – Many users, especially photographers, will greatly benefit from being able to quickly preview any recoverable data to easily select what photos and videos to recover.

For this reason, we recommend Disk Drill. After a lengthy testing process, Disk Drill revealed that it was more than capable of recovering our lost photos and videos from our SD card using its all-in-one smart scan. The smart scan uses the file system to find recoverable files quickly, then follows up with a signature scan to find any files that were missed. During our review of Disk Drill, it received a score of 100% in raw photo recovery, making it the ideal choice even for photographers who shoot in more obscure file formats. All recoverable files were easy to locate and search through thanks to the preview function and handy filtering options.

Rest assured that our goal is to help you recover as many photos from your SD card as possible. Here at Pandora Recovery, we focus on reviewing the many recovery tools on the market and passing on the results to you, our readers. If you’re interested in learning more, check out our software comparison tool, or try our software picker for a tailored solution.

Here’s what SD card photo recovery looks like with Disk Drill:

1. Download and install Disk Drill.
2. Select the SD card from the device list, then click Search for lost data to begin the smart scan for any photos that have disappeared.
3. Click Review found items, or click Pictures to see all of the image files that Disk Drill found. Alternatively, recover everything straight away by clicking Recover all.
4. Select the photos that disappeared. You can use the collapsible Existing, Deleted or lost, and Reconstructed sections to find data based on its state. Any hidden data will be visible in the Disk Drill scan results. When you’re ready, click Recover.
5. Select an appropriate recovery location. Make sure you don’t recover the photos to the same SD card you’re recovering them from. When ready, click Next to complete recovery.

If you want to explore other data recovery solutions, check out our list of the best data recovery software for more options.

Other Solutions to Fix Photos That Disappeared From Your SD Card

After recovering your data, you can troubleshoot your SD card without the stress of losing it. Here’s a step-by-step troubleshooting guide to fix the issue of photos that have disappeared.

Step 1: Reinsert Your SD Card Into the Device 

Your photos may not appear due to an unstable connection. If you’re using the SD card in a camera, try removing it from the SD card slot and then reinserting it. Check to make sure the port is free of any physical build-up or damage and make sure the contacts on the SD card are clean.

Step 2: Identify and Resolve Hardware Problems

Let’s eliminate other areas that could be faulty. Try connecting your SD card to your computer using a different external card reader. If you have a built-in SD card reader, make sure its drivers are up-to-date and it’s working by testing it with another SD card. This can also be done on any devices you use the SD card in. For example, if it’s used in a Canon camera, inspect its SD card port and do a test with another SD card if possible.

Step 3: Scan Your SD Card for Viruses

Disappearing files can be caused by a virus-infected SD card. Viruses can target your data and either mark it as hidden or delete it entirely. If your photos have disappeared from your SD card because of a virus, perform a virus scan using Microsoft Defender Antivirus which is included with Windows 10 and 11 by default.

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Shift right-click your SD card and click Scan with Microsoft Defender. This will immediately perform a quick scan of the SD card.
3. To perform a more comprehensive scan, select Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan) and click Scan now.

Step 4: Repair SD Card Errors Using Command Prompt

Corruption can be the culprit if your pictures have disappeared from your SD card. When the file system of your SD card becomes corrupted, data on affected partitions will become lost and inaccessible. Until the damage is repaired or the data is recovered, it will remain this way. You can repair SD card errors using CHKDSK. 

Here’s how you run CHKDSK to repair damage on your SD card:

1. Right-click Start and click Terminal (Admin). For Windows 10 users, click Windows PowerShell (Admin) instead.
2. Type chkdsk *: /r. Replace * with the drive letter assigned to your SD card. Press Enter.

Step 5: Erase and Reset Your SD Card

If none of the steps prior to this have worked, you can always fall back on a full format. Performing a full format is akin to factory resetting your SD card. It will overwrite all sectors, eliminating all corruption in the process. However, this will also delete your data and eliminate any chance of data recovery. Therefore, you should absolutely perform data recovery before this.

1. Right-click Start and click Disk Management.
2. Right-click the volume of your SD card, then click Format.
3. Specify a volume label and select your file system. Make sure Perform a quick format is unticked, then click OK.
4. Click OK to confirm the format.