How Can I Recover Formatted SD Card? Possible or Not?

To recover data from the formatted SD card on Windows or Mac, you can apply professional GUI data recovery software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard or other CLI recovery tools like Windows File Recovery and PhotoRec. You can also restore a formatted SD card by checking some backups with Windows File History or Mac Time Machine.

What Is SD Card Formatting? Can I Recover Data?

SD cards are convenient storage devices; users may format them to keep them fresh. Especially photographers prefer to format SD cards frequently after each shooting task. Sometimes your SD cards will be formatted involuntarily on a Mac and lose data.

Besides accidentally formatting the card, there are other possible situations:

• Format the wrong SD card when you have more than one SD card on your end.
• Don't know how to format an SD card on a Mac or Windows computer, and then format your SD card improperly.
• Eject your SD card from your Windows or Mac computer improperly.
• The computer suddenly powers off when you are dealing with the files on the SD card.
• A computer virus or malware attacks your computer and SD card.

Quick Format & Full Format: What Are the Differences ❓

About formatting an SD card, there are Quick Format and Full Format. So, what are the differences between them? Check the following table and infographic to understand quickly:

Format Type	What Happens Internally	Recovery Possibility
Quick Format	File system metadata is cleared; actual files remain untouched	✅ Very high success rate
Full Format (Windows)	Metadata cleared + sectors overwritten with zeroes	⚠️ Low success rate
Disk Utility "Erase" (macOS)	Can behave like full format if "security options" are enabled	⚠️ Varies by setting

Common SD Card Formats: FAT32, exFAT, APFS

A formatted SD card can be in the FAT32, exFAT, APFS, or HFS+ format, and the recovery tools you choose must support the card's file system type. Some free software can't recognize APFS or encrypted volumes, so choosing the right tool is critical.

• FAT32: Common in cameras and older systems. Simple structure, good for recovery.
• exFAT: Default for SDXC cards (64GB+), widely supported.
• APFS / HFS+: Used if the SD card was formatted on macOS with encryption or Time Machine settings.

What Makes Formatted SD Card Recovery Workable

After learning the basic information about the SD card and the format option, you may want to know why formatted SD card recovery is possible on Windows and Mac computers.

Actually, when you quick format an SD card, the operating system deletes the file allocation table (FAT/exFAT), which maps where your files are. The file content still exists in the SD card sectors, and until those sectors are overwritten by new data, professional recovery tools can re-scan the raw sectors, rebuild the file system structure, and recover usable files. That's why it's possible to recover data from a formatted SD card.

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What Should You Do Before Recovering a Formatted SD Card

Are your files or data on SD cards formatted? Calm down, and we will help you recover your precious data. Before starting data recovery, there are a few more things you should notice to avoid further data loss.

1️⃣Stop Using the SD Card Immediately

You should know that the key to a successful SD card recovery is that the data is not overwritten. If the photos and videos are overwritten by new files, they are permanently gone and cannot be recovered with data recovery software.

2️⃣Create a Disk Image of Your Formatted SD Card

Creating a bit-by-bit image of your SD card allows you to recover files safely without risking further damage to the original data.

For Windows: It's recommended to use an open-source software to create an SD card image; you can try Win32 Disk Imager

For Mac: You can create an SD card disk image on a Mac with its built-in tool, Disk Utility. Enter the Disk Utility > "File" > "New Image" > "Image from SD Card", then you should choose the "DVD/CD master" format and save the image. You can also use software like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to create a disk image and recover data from the image. This software can help you create the SD card image automatically before data recovery.

With your SD card (or disk image) ready, continue to the next section to explore formatted SD card recovery options tailored for both Windows and Mac systems.

How to Recover a Formatted SD Card | Free Plans Included

In this section, you'll learn how to restore files from a formatted SD card with professional SD card recovery software, backups, and open-source data recovery software.

Method 1. Restore Data from the Formatted SD Card with Recovery Software

⭐Works for: Windows & Mac

Formatted SD card recovery Mac is not complex with a reliable SD card recovery tool. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard is safe and handy enough to fix all your SD card data loss problems, and this software supports the latest operating systems of Windows and Mac. You can download the Windows or Mac version by clicking the following buttons.

There are many reasons that you should choose this safe program:

• ✅Recovering SD card videos and photos on both Windows and Mac is a primary function of this recovery tool. You can recover documents, emails, audio, and other files from the formatted SD cards.
• ✅This tool makes fixing corrupted SD cards without losing data possible. If your photos or videos are damaged or corrupted, they can be repaired by EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard automatically.
• ✅With its file filter and preview features, you can quickly find the target files on formatted SD cards.
• ✅Support not only SD card recovery but also other memory card recovery, such as microSD cards, CF cards, SDHC cards, etc.

After all these introductions about EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, it is time to recover formatted SD cards on Windows and Mac step by step:

For Windows:

Step 1. Select the SD card to scan

• Download and install EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard on your Windows PC.
• Use the proper way to connect your SanDisk/Lexar/Transcend SD card to the computer. 
• Open EaseUS SD card recovery software and choose SD Card Recovery on the left panel. All connected drives will display here. Select your SD card and click "Scan for lost data".

Step 2. Check for scan results

• Wait for the scanning process to complete.
• Specify one or several file types to show up, like Pictures or Videos.
• Click "Preview" to check if they are the wanted files.

Step 3. Recover SD card data

• Preview the recovered files and click "Recover".
• Choose a different location to save the recovered files instead of the original SD card.

For Mac:

Step 1. Select the SD card

• Correctly connect your memory card to your Mac. Launch EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.
• Go to "SD Card Recovery", find your Canon/Nikon/Go Pro/DJI/Sony SD card, and click "Search for lost files".

Step 2. Filter lost SD card data

After the scan, all files will be presented in the left panel in the scan results. Find wanted photos, videos, and other files.

Step 3. Preview and recover data

Preview the SD card data and select the wanted files. Then, click the "Recover" button. Don't save the recoverable files to the SD card itself in case of data overwriting.

Many users have recovered data from the formatted SD card or other storage devices with EaseUS recovery software:

📒Reviews

I really appreciate how simple and intuitive the software is to use. It scanned my SD card very quickly and recovered a large number of deleted image files that I thought were gone forever. The preview feature is especially helpful so I could select only the photos I needed. The user interface is clean, and I didn’t need any technical knowledge to use it effectively. from Trustpilot I had somehow formatted a 125Gb SD card by mistake with heaps of video on it. This software found everything within 2 hours and let me recover it to my desktop! - from Trustpilot

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Method 2. Recover an Accidentally Formatted SD Card with File History

⭐Works for: Windows Only

File History is a Windows built-in backup and restore tool, and you can recover some photos and videos from File History if you have previously backed up your SD card's contents using File History on Windows.

Step 1. To use File History or restore data from it, you'll need to connect the backup disk you have used to save File History backups.

Step 2. You can easiy go to the  File History window with Windows search box by searching for "File History".

Step 3. Then, choose "Restore personal files" to verify the backups.

Step 4. Then, you can check the backup folder, and find something you want to recover.

Method 3. Recover Files from Formatted SD Cards with Windows File Recovery

⭐Works for: Windows Only

Windows File Recovery is a command-line tool provided by Microsoft that helps users recover deleted or formatted files from various storage devices, including SD cards. If you didn't have backups and your SD card was formatted recently, this utility may still help retrieve lost files, especially photos, videos, or documents.

Step 1. First, download and install Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store. Launch it via the Start menu.

Step 2. Connect your formatted SD card to your PC and note the drive letter assigned to it.

Step 3. Open Windows File Recovery after installation. Use the following syntax to scan the SD card: winfr E: D: /extensive /n *.* You should replace E: with your SD card's letter, and D: with the recovery destination.

Both method 1 and method 3 are applying data recovery tools, what are the differences between them? Check the following table to learn more:

You can download and share this comparison table with more friends on social media!

Method 4. Restore the Formatted SD Card with Time Machine

⭐Works for: macOS Only

Users may frequently back up their SD cards on Mac with Time Machine, iCloud, or backup software. Once your SD card is formatted, you can recover formatted SD cards on Mac with these previous backups. Time Machine is a Mac built-in backup and recovery tool. Let us check how to restore formatted SD cards on Mac with Mac Time Machine backups.

Step 1. Run Time Machine with Mac Spotlight.

Step 2. You can select the timeline to choose the backup.

Step 3. Preview the files and click "Restore".

Method 5. Perform Formatted SD Card Recovery with PhotoRec

⭐Works for: Windows, macOS, Linux

PhotoRec is a free open-source recovery tool that can help you recover images from a formatted SD card on Mac. This software relies on Mac Terminal, and we can discuss how to use this tool to recover deleted photos from the SD card on Mac.

Step 1. Launch Mac Terminal under the "Utilities" folder.

 

Step 2. Type in sudo photorec and press the Return button.

Step 3. Choose the target SD card and press Return to proceed.

Step 4. Select the proper file system.

Step 5. Select a destination to store your files recovered from formatted SD cards.

Step 6. Then you can start the recovery by pressing the Return button to proceed.

Here's a comparison table that can help you check the differences of EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Mac version and PhotoRecwhat are the differences between them.

If you think this recovery guide is helful, don't heisitate to share it with more friends!

Best Try: Contact Formatted SD Card Data Recovery Services

What if all the mentioned recovery methods failed on your Windows or Mac computer? The final try is contacting professional data recovery services; and letting the experts handle your problem. The professionals can deal with multiple SD card issues without losing data. Just click the following contact link to start a free diagnosis.

Tips: How to Use SD Card Properly to Avoid Data Loss

In this part, you'll learn multiple tips that can help you use your SD card properly and prevent data loss in the future.

• ✅ Use "Safely Remove" Before Ejecting. Always eject your SD card using the "Safely Remove Hardware" option on Windows or "Eject" on macOS to avoid SD card corruption.
• ✅ Avoid Using One Card Across Multiple OSs. Switching between Windows and macOS can lead to formatting prompts or file system errors. Try to dedicate each SD card to one device.
• ✅ Back Up Regularly. Make it a habit to back up your SD card contents to your computer or cloud storage after every important shoot or usage session.
• ✅ Don't Force Format Prompts. If a device asks you to format the card unexpectedly, stop and check it on a computer first—this may indicate file system issues, not a real need to format.
• ✅ Choose Quality SD Cards. Invest in reliable, brand-name SD cards with good read/write speeds and error correction features. Cheap or counterfeit cards fail more often.

By following these tips, you can extend the life of your SD card and protect your precious data from loss or corruption.

To Wrap Up

You have already formatted your SD card, or you will format your SD card on Mac. Finding some critical files on the SD card that are formatted accidentally. At that time, what will you do? You don't have to rush to local stores to recover lost data manually, and you just need to recover a formatted SD card on Mac with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

Recover Formatted SD Card Mac FAQs

This section contains four questions and answers about recovering a formatted SD card on a Mac.

How do I recover an undetected SD card on a Mac?

What can you do if the SD card is not detected on Mac? You should check whether your SD card is damaged or not check whether your SD card is locked or not. If your SD card looks great physically, you can try the following methods to fix the problem and recover SD card data on Mac with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac:

1. 1. Remount your SD card.
2. 2. Use Disk Utility to repair the SD card.
3. 3. Format your SD card.

What is the best SD card recovery tool for Mac?

Here is a list of the best SD card recovery software for Mac we organized:

1. 1. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Ma.
2. 2. Disk Drill for Mac.
3. 3. TestDisk for Mac.
4. 4. PhotoRec for Mac.
5. 5. Stellar Data Recovery for Mac.

How can I recover files from a formatted SD card on a Mac?

The simplest way to recover files from a formatted SD card on Mac is by applying EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

1. 1. Run this software and scan your SD card.
2. 2. Select and preview lost files on the SD card.
3. 3. Recover the selected files on your SD card.

How do I restore my SanDisk SD card to my Mac?

You can download a professional SD card recovery tool to restore your SanDisk SD card to your Mac. We highly recommend EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

1. 1. Run this software and scan your SanDisk SD card.
2. 2. Preview lost files on your SanDisk SD card.
3. 3. Recover the files on your SanDisk SD card.