{"id":36620,"date":"2019-03-14T07:10:28","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T07:10:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/?p=36620"},"modified":"2025-11-07T09:50:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T09:50:16","slug":"recover-photos-from-formatted-sd-card","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/recover-photos-from-formatted-sd-card\/","title":{"rendered":"Recover Photos from Formatted SD Card"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formatting an SD card or any other storage drive means quickly deleting all the files from the drive. However, you should always be cautions when running it. The risk associated with the Format process is that it removes all the files and folder from your storage device directly without putting them in the Recycle Bin or Trash. As a result, if you don’t have the backup, you risk permanently losing the data.<\/p>

Fortunately, even if you Format the SD card, the deletion is reversible until the data is overwritten. Let’s learn more about how you can recover photos from formatted SD card.<\/p>

What ‘Formatting an SD Card’ Really Means?<\/strong><\/h2>

SD card formatting resets the storage to its original factory configuration. It creates a new data storage environment through system file to make the card ready for new data, while removing all existing data, files and partitions.<\/p>

When formatting an SD card, operating systems like Windows or iOS offer two options: Quick or Full format. The type of format you choose will ascertain whether recovery of files\/photos is possible from a formatted SD card or not. But what’s the difference between the two?<\/p>

 <\/td>Quick Format<\/strong><\/td>Full Format<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Best For<\/strong><\/td>When you need to reuse the drive quickly without completely erasing the data.<\/td>When you need to use the card in different device; when discarding or selling the card; to resolve performance issue or errors caused by corruption.<\/td><\/tr>
Process<\/strong><\/td>Removes the File Allocation Table (FAT), rebuilds the root directory, and replaces the file system.<\/td>Deletes the FAT, rebuilds the root directory, replaces the file system, and checks the drive for faulty sectors.<\/td><\/tr>
Speed<\/strong><\/td>Takes a few seconds<\/td>Can take several hours<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>

The most important thing to remember is that before formatting, users must back up their important data since this permanently removes all stored files.<\/p>

Can You Recover Data from Formatted SD Card?<\/strong><\/h2>

 Yes, it’s possible, but it depends on how<\/strong> SD card was formatted.<\/p>

If you just Quick format your SD card, it only erases the FAT (the index that tells your device where files are located) without erasing the data. So, stop using your card as soon as possible and use specialized SD card recovery<\/a> featured software to recover photos from formatted SD Card. But, if you keep using your card, the deleted data will be overwritten by new files, which makes the recovery impossible.<\/p>

Conversely, if you use full formatting, it deletes both the file system table and the stored data too, making data recovery becomes significantly more difficult, but professional recovery software can recover it unless overwritten.<\/p>

Ways to Recover Photos from Formatted SD Card on Windows<\/strong><\/h2>

There are three methods to recover photos from formatted SD card on Windows. They include:<\/p>