How can I retrieve or recover deleted photos from sd card with computer?

Before recovering deleted photos from SD card, pls use diskpart to verify if your SD card is still recognized or has unallocated space, which sometimes indicates deleted partitions.

Windows 11 doesn't come with built-in GUI photo recovery tools, but it does support a few command-line utilities that can help retrieve deleted photos from an SD card. One good option is Windows File Recovery.

Windows File Recovery is a free command-line utility from Microsoft that helps you recover deleted files from storage devices like hard drives, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards. It’s especially useful when files are permanently deleted (e.g., emptied from the Recycle Bin), and traditional undelete options no longer work.

1. Download Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store.

2. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

3. Run this command to recover deleted photos from SD card:

winfr E: D:\RecoveredPhotos /regular /n *.jpg /n *.png

• E: is your SD card drive letter.
• D:\RecoveredPhotos is the folder where recovered files will be saved.
• /regular is good for recently deleted files; use /extensive for formatted cards.

Pros:

Free and officially supported.

Can filter by file type like .jpg, .png, .raw.

Cons:

Command-line interface only.

Doesn’t support recovery from network drives or corrupted SD cards.

Data Recovery Wizard is a well-regarded SD card recovery tool due to its user-friendly interface and guided recovery process, making it ideal for both beginners and non-technical users. When you connect your SD card, the software automatically detects it and offers a one-click scan option to help you recover deleted photos from SD card. It also organizes scan results into categories like deleted, lost, or existing files, making it easier to find and preview what you want to recover—even if you're dealing with a formatted or corrupted SD card.

Another key strength is its strong file type and device compatibility. It supports recovery of photos, videos, audio files, and documents from all types of SD cards, including SDHC, SDXC, microSD, and even damaged or RAW-formatted cards. Whether the SD card was used in a digital camera, Android device, or other portable electronics, this SD card recovery tool can typically recognize and recover the data. It supports FAT32, exFAT, and NTFS file systems, covering nearly all storage scenarios for SD cards.

By the way, it offers a free version with up to 2GB of data recovery, which is often sufficient for retrieving deleted photos from sd card with computer. The free edition includes a preview feature, so you can verify files before recovering them, helping you avoid wasted time and storage space.

Disadvantages of Using Windows'built-in "Restore previous versions" feature to recover deleted photos from SD card on Windows computer:

• This feature only works if you had File History or System Protection enabled beforehand. If you never set that up, there won’t be previous versions to restore. It’s mainly for restoring files on your internal drives, not external devices like SD cards, unless you had copied the files to your PC first.
• If the photos were stored directly on the SD card and you never backed them up or saved them on your PC beforehand, you won’t find previous versions of those files.
• Restoring previous versions can sometimes overwrite current files or create confusion, especially if you try to restore the entire folder or drive. If you restore to a different location, it might not be an issue, but it can complicate things.
• It doesn't recover deleted files from the SD card itself. Instead, it restores files from Windows’ backup or shadow copies — which may not exist in your case.
• Even if previous versions are available, they might not include all your photos, especially if the backup was incomplete or not recent. 
• Restoring previous versions might inadvertently overwrite newer files or lead to confusion if multiple versions exist, especially if multiple restore points are present.

In your case, since the photos were on the SD card and you didn’t have backup or previous versions, relying on this method probably won’t help much, and attempting it might cause more confusion or issues.

Unfortunately, there's no foolproof, guaranteed free software that can perfectly recover deleted photos from SD card.  Recovery success depends heavily on several factors:

• How the photos were deleted: A simple "delete" might leave the data in a recoverable state, while a format or overwriting operation will make recovery much harder or impossible.
• What happened after deletion: Writing new data to the SD card will overwrite the deleted data, rapidly reducing the chances of recovery.
• The SD card's health: Physical damage to the SD card can make recovery impossible.

Steps to recover deleted photos from SD card on computer

1. Backup your SD card:  Crucially, if you haven't already, try to back up the SD card to another drive or cloud storage.  Any recovery attempt risks further data loss if you're not careful.
2. Connect the SD card:  Ensure the SD card is properly connected to your computer via a card reader or a compatible slot.
3. Run the recovery software:  Follow the software's instructions to select the SD card and start the scan.  Be patient, as it can take a considerable amount of time, especially with large cards.
4. Preview and Recover:  The software should allow you to preview the recovered files.  Carefully select only the files you need and avoid overwriting anything.

Key Considerations:

• Do not copy or move files to or from the SD card during the recovery process. This can damage the chances of recovering deleted files.
• Some software has different scan modes (quick scan, deep scan).  A deep scan will take longer but has a better chance of recovering deleted files.
• Recovery success can vary depending on the file type.  Photos might be easier to recover than other file types.
• If the SD card was formatted, it's harder to recover data.

Ah, that’s a tough spot — losing photos after accidentally agreeing to format the SD card. Unfortunately, Windows 10 doesn’t have a built-in tool for deep data recovery of deleted files or photos from an SD card, especially if the files aren’t in the Recycle Bin. But don’t worry, there are still options!

How to recover deleted photos from SD card:

1. Stop Using the SD Card Immediately
To maximize chances of recovery, avoid writing new data to the SD card. Every new file or even the system’s attempt to access it could overwrite the deleted photos.

2. Use Windows Built-in Tools
To recover deleted photos from SD card. Windows doesn’t have a dedicated photo recovery feature, but it can sometimes restore previous versions if you have File History enabled. 
To check:
- Right-click the folder where your photos were stored (if still accessible).
- Choose Restore previous versions.
- If available, restore the folder to a point before the deletion.

Note: Since your photos are deleted from the SD card and not in Recycle Bin, this method likely won’t help unless you had previously stored those photos on your PC and had backups.

3. Professional Data Recovery Services
If the photos are very important, consider professional data recovery services. They have specialized tools and clean room environments to recover data from damaged or formatted storage devices.