Recover Files from Formatted SD Cards of the Android Devices [Fixes and Tips]

The majority of auxiliary storage devices, particularly Android smartphones and tablets, employ SD cards. The SD card allows you to keep more music, photos, videos, and other content on your device. In addition, it allows your device to access data from the SD card more quickly than it can access data from the device’s internal storage.

Sometimes, when the SD card has become corrupted or is not working properly, you will see the error message “Format Error” (the card has to be formatted) on the screen of your Android device. Formatting it can help fix the issue and make the card usable again, but this operation will also cause all the data stored on it to get lost. 

In this article, you will learn how to recover files from the formatted SD card on Android mobile devices.

Part 1. What are the odds of recovering files from a formatted SD card on Android?

It is possible to recover files from a formatted SD card, but the success rate can vary depending on a number of factors. Some of the key factors that can affect the chances of successful recovery include how the SD card was formatted, how much it has been used since the formatting, and whether any new data has been saved to the card.

When you format an SD card, the data on the card is not immediately erased, it is marked as “deleted.” If the old data has not been overwritten, it still exists on the card. That means you have a chance to recover files from a formatted SD card with the proper tools.

Part 2. How to recover a formatted SD card on Windows PC [Two Methods]

Method 1. Use third-party data recovery software for Windows to recover files

To recover the files on the SD card for an Android device, the most effective technique is a data recovery tool that is capable of scanning the card and finding the lost files. We did a test and found iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows to be highly recommended.

iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows is a reputable and skilled SD card data recovery solution that can help you recover your deleted files from a formatted SD card with no hassle. Almost every kind of file is supported, including Office documents, music, pictures, emails, and video files. This Android data recovery tool is also capable of handling other data recovery scenarios brought on by SD card issues and failures, including when the SD card is not showing up and SD card becomes read-only. 

Here are the steps to recover files from a formatted SD card with iBoysoft Data Recovery:

1. Download and install the Windows version of iBoysoft Data Recovery on your PC.

2. Connect the formatted SD card to your PC using a card reader.

3. Launch iBoysoft Data Recovery, choose the first Data Recovery module, and then select the formatted SD card from the list of available drives.

4. Click on the “Next” button to begin the scan.

5. Wait for the scan to complete. This may take some time, depending on the size of the SD card and the number of files it contains. Once the scan is finished, the software will display a list of the files that were found. You can preview the files to check their quality and make sure they are the ones you want to recover.

6. Select the files you want to recover and click on the “Recover” button. Choose a location to save the recovered files and click on “OK” to begin the recovery process.

Method 2. Recover SD card files from old backups on PC

Things are easier you have a practice of frequently backing up your SD card data.  You may restore your formatted SD card for Android without utilizing any third-party data recovery software.

You may simply recover your data after unintentionally formatting an SD card, whether you utilize cloud-based backup options like Google Drive or establish a folder on a Windows PC to store the important files on your SD card. You only need to connect the formatted SD to your computer, then drag and drop SD card backups to it.

Part 3. How can I recover a formatted SD card without a computer?

If you do not have access to a PC, you can still recover files from a formatted SD card Android using a data recovery app on your Android device. One option is DiskDigger, which is available on the Google Play Store. Here are the steps to recover a formatted SD card without a PC using DiskDigger:

1. Download and install DiskDigger on your Android device.

2. Connect the formatted SD card to your Android device using a card reader.

3. Launch DiskDigger and select the formatted SD card from the list of available drives.

4. Click on the “Scan” button to begin the recovery process.

5. Wait for the scan to complete. This may take some time, depending on the size of the SD card and the number of files it contains.

6. Once the scan is finished, the app will display a list of the files that were found. You can preview the files to check their quality and make sure they are the ones you want to recover.

7. Select the files you want to recover and click on the “Recover” button.

8. Choose a location to save the recovered files and click on “OK” to begin the recovery process.

Part 4. Is it feasible to recover data from formatted SD card using CMD?

You can use CMD to fix corrupted hard drives that have a damaged file system. If CMD can successfully fix the file system, it is likely to find some lost files back. Some technical articles claim that you can also use the Command Prompt (CMD) on your PC to recover data from a formatted SD card. That’s not true. 

Formatting a storage device typically involves deleting the file system information that is necessary for the operating system to access the files on the device. CMD does not have the ability to recover data from a formatted storage device at all. If you do not have backup files for your formatted SD card, the best option is to recover SD card files using professional data recovery software.

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