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BenjaminBlaze's avatar
BenjaminBlaze
Bronze Contributor
Feb 21, 2025
Solved

Is it possible to recover files from corrupted sd card?

Has anyone encountered a similar situation? My SD card suddenly became unreadable. After inserting it into a Windows 11 computer, it prompted "needs to be formatted before use", but there are many im...
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  • Constanceoi's avatar
    Constanceoi
    Aug 23, 2025

    Before you recovering files from corrupted sd card, if you realize your SD card is corrupted, stop using it immediately! I made the mistake of trying to save new files on it, thinking that might "fix" things. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Instead, it made recovery way harder. Just take it out and don’t touch it until you’re ready to recover files.

    You’ll need some solid software to help you get your files back. I’ve tried a few programs, finally I recovered all my files with this tool, thank goodness.

    Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/recover-files-from-corrupted-sd-card

    Highly recommend you try it!

KevinRamirez's avatar
KevinRamirez
Bronze Contributor
Feb 21, 2025

Don't worry! There are still ways to recover files, photos from corrupted SD card on Windows 11. I have encountered this before and tried several methods. The following two methods have the highest success rate. You can try them.

Method 1: Use CMD to run chkdsk repair (suitable for minor damage)
If the SD card is only damaged in the file system, Windows may still be able to repair it.

  1. Insert the SD card and remember its drive letter (such as E:).
  2. Open the command prompt (administrator privileges) and enter:
chkdsk E: /f /r /x


Wait for repair. If the SD card is recoverable, it may be accessed normally after execution!

✅ Suitable for SD card with minor damage, such as suddenly unable to read but still with drive letter displayed.

❌ If the SD is converted to RAW format, it may not work.

 

Method 2: Use Windows File Recovery (suitable for RAW format) that comes with Windows 11
If chkdsk is useless and the SD becomes a RAW file system, you can only scan and try to recover the files directly.

Open the command prompt (administrator privileges) and run:

winfr E: C:\RecoveredFiles /extensive


E: is the SD card drive letter, and C:\RecoveredFiles is the save path for the recovered files.

  • The extensive mode is suitable for severely damaged SD cards, and the scanning time will be longer.
  • Wait for the recovery to complete, and then go to C:\RecoveredFiles to find the files!

✅ Suitable for severely damaged SD cards, even RAW format, and can also recover accidentally deleted files.

❌ 100% recovery success is not guaranteed, but it is safer than direct formatting.

If your SD card can still be recognized by Windows 11 but cannot be opened, try chkdsk first; if it becomes completely RAW, use Windows File Recovery to recover files from corrupted SD card. Don't rush to format it, there is still a chance to save the files!