MicroSD Card Recovery: How to Recover Data from MicroSD Cards

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What Is the Difference Between MicroSD Card & Standard SD Card

The SD card standard was introduced in August 1999 by SanDisk, Panasonic, and Toshiba. The goal of the standard was to provide a better alternative to MultiMediaCards (MMCs), whose maximum data transfer rate is capped at 20 Mbit/s.

The standard SD card, which was first available in 2000, measures 32.0 × 24.0 × 2.1 mm (1.260 × 0.945 × 0.083 in) and is still used in many digital cameras, camcorders, car radios, and other electronic devices that don’t deal with major space constraints.

However, there are many small electronic devices, such as portable media players and smartphones, for which the standard SD card is simply too large. That’s why the MicroSD card standard was born in 2005. MicroSD cards measure 15.0 × 11.0 × 1.0 mm (0.591 × 0.433 × 0.039 in), making them far more suitable for the aforementioned space-constrained applications.

Logically Versus Physically Damaged MicroSD Cards: What’s the Difference?

When recovering lost files from any storage device, it’s important to know the difference between logical and physical damage to determine the most suitable recovery method.

• Logical damage: The term logical damage refers to all causes of corruption and data loss that have something to do with software. Such causes include everything from power outages to system crashes to software bugs to user errors.
• Physical damage: The term physical damage describes all causes of corruption and data loss that have something to do with hardware. For example, when you break your MicroSD card in half and loss access to all data, that’s one example of physical damage. Other examples include pin corrosion, exposure to water or extremely high temperatures.

If you want to recover data from a logically damaged MicroSD card, then you’re in luck because there are multiple effective ways to fix logical issues and regain access to important files, and we describe the most effective ones below.

As far as the recovery of physically damaged MicroSD cards goes, your chances of success are, unfortunately, much slimmer. Why? Because you need specialized equipment to recover data from a broken MicroSD whose flash memory chip is still in one place, and even the best tools available won’t help you if the chip is split in half. That’s why it’s generally best to leave the recovery of physically damaged SD cards to professionals.

Step-by-Step MicroSD Card Data Recovery Process

This section is intended for those who have no previous experience with MicroSD card recovery as well as those who just want some guidance on recover deleted files from a MicroSD card.

We have decided to split it into three sub-sections, each covering a different stage of the MicroSD card data recovery process. If your MicroSD card is accessible but corrupted, then you can skip to the second sub-section. If your MicroSD card is accessible and not corrupted in any way, then you can skip straight to the third sub-section.

Step 1: Make Your MicroSD Card Readable, Mountable, or Accessible

Fix 1: Check if the MicroSD card is inserted properly

The simplest thing that you can do to make your MicroSD card readable is to check if it’s been inserted properly into your memory card reader. Some MicroSD card readers don’t click when a card is inserted fully, so it’s easy for it to lose connection and become unreadable.

If you’re using an external memory card reader (i.e., one that’s not part of your laptop or computer), then you should also check its connection. After all, it doesn’t take much for USB cables to come loose or get chewed to pieces by a hungry pet.

Fix 2: Use a different memory card reader/computer

Just like all hardware devices, even memory card readers may fail unexpectedly. The most straightforward way to verify that your memory card reader is working as it should is to use a different one. If the issue with your MicroSD card not being detected persists, then it’s likely caused by the card itself—not your reader.

Ideally, you want the second memory card reader to be connected to a different operating system to rule out OS-related issues. Should you come to the conclusion that your operating system is to blame, then the third fix should be able to help you.

Fix 3: Repair your operating system

The Windows operating system is so smart that it can detect the corruption of important system files and repair them. You can use this feature to solve various drive-related issues that are preventing you from accessing your MicroSD card.

1. Open the Start menu and type “command prompt.”
2. Launch Command Prompt as administrator.
3. Enter the following command:
   sfc /scannow

The command will invoke the built-in system file checker, which will then scan and verify all protected system files, repairing them if necessary.

Step 2: Fix Logical Issues with Your MicroSD Card

Fix 1: Fix file system issues using CHKDSK

All SD cards require a file system to store files. You can think of a file system as a specific method for organizing data on a storage device. Only when your SD card uses a file system recognized by your computer can you actually access its content. And when the file system becomes corrupted, you have a problem. To fix it, use the CHKDSK utility:

1. Open the Start menu and type “command prompt.”
2. Launch Command Prompt as administrator.
3. Enter the following command:
   chkdsk X: /f (replace X with the letter assigned to your MicroSD card)

Now you just have to wait a while for CHKDSK to finish doing its job, which may take up to several hours if your MicroSD has a large storage capacity.

Fix 2: Make hidden files visible

Files can be hidden from view to protect them against deletion. As useful as this feature is, it can quickly become a source of confusion when used by accident or triggered by malware. Fortunately, making hidden files visible could hardly be any simpler:

1. Open the Start menu and type “command prompt.”
2. Launch Command Prompt as administrator.
3. Enter the following command:
   attrib -h /s /d X:\*.* (replace X with the letter assigned to your MicroSD card)

Fix 3: Scan the card using antivirus software

File system issues can be caused by nasty malware, so it’s always a good idea to scan your MicroSD card using antivirus software just to be safe. As a Windows user, you already have a reliable antivirus solution installed on your computer, Windows Defender, and you can tell it to scan your card with a few simple clicks:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Go to Update & Security.
3. Switch to the Windows and Security tab.
4. Click Open Windows Security.
5. Click Virus & threat protection.
6. Click Scan option and choose Full scan.
7. Click the Scan now button.

Alternatively, you can also use the Microsoft Defender Offline scan, which is designed to remove even the most difficult malware.

Step 3: Recover Deleted or Lost Data from Your MicroSD Card

Fix 1: Recover your MicroSD card using a memory card reader

If you’re reading this part of our MicroSD card recovery guide, we assume that the card is fully readable and inserted into your memory card reader. That means you can now use a data recovery application to restore lost data from it.

Since it would be beyond the scope of this article to describe multiple applications, we’ve decided to focus only on Disk Drill. Why Disk Drill? Because it’s one of the best-rated applications of its kind, as our in-depth review confirms. Disk Drill includes a tone of useful features wrapped in an intuitive user interface, always delivering excellent performance.

To recover your MicroSD card using Disk Drill:

1. Download Disk Drill to your computer and install it.
2. Make sure the MicroSD card has been inserted into your memory card reader.
3. Launch Disk Drill and scan the card.
4. Preview & select lost files.
5. Click the Recover button and specify your recovery destination.

Fix 2: Recover your MicroSD card via USB

Don’t have a memory card reader? That’s not a problem. In many cases, you can connect a device with an SD card to your computer via a USB cable and recover lost data directly from it.

This recovery method works with all USB mass storage devices, including digital cameras, digital audio, and portable media players, PDAs, and others. As long as you use Disk Drill to perform the recovery, the actual steps are the same as when recovering your MicroSD card using a memory card reader (as described above).

Fix 3: Use Android data recovery software to recover your MicroSD without a computer

Some Android apps are capable of restoring data directly on the device. A great example of a popular data recovery app for Android is DiskDigger Photo Recovery. With this app, you can recover some data even without root permissions, making it great for quick & simple data recovery jobs where not much is at stake.

Here’s how data recovery with DiskDigger works:

1. Download DiskDigger for Android.
2. Insert the SD card into your smartphone.
3. Launch DiskDigger and tap Start basic photo scan.
4. Give DiskDigger permission to access your device’s storage.
5. Select the videos you want to recover.
6. Tap the Recover button.

To recover other files types besides photos and videos, you need to purchase the PRO version of the app.

Bonus fix: Send the MicroSD card to a data recovery service

Some cases of MicroSD card data loss are best handled by professionals, especially when it comes to those caused by mechanical damage. Fortunately, some of the best data recovery services are far more affordable than many people assume, often offering a free evaluation and a “no data, no charge” policy.