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22 December 2023  Jennifer Thatcher  Technology Manager of Test Dept.
 

Summary
Learn about the purpose of the LOST.DIR folder on Android phones and discover how to perform the lost dir recovery if accidentally deleted. Find answers here.



Table of contents

table iconI. What is the LOST.DIR folder?
table iconII. How to restore the LOST.DIR file in the Android SD card?
table iconIII. Extended information about the LOST.DIR file
lost dir recovery

I. What is the LOST.DIR folder?

The LOST.DIR folder is a creation of the Android system that serves to retrieve accidentally deleted files, including photos and videos. It acts as a safety net for files lost due to various reasons, such as app crashes, sudden ejection of the SD card during reading or writing, or unexpected freezing or shutdown of the Android device. Similar to the Recycle Bin on Windows, the LOST.DIR folder on an Android device allows you to recover important files like documents and photos. In case of any sudden interruptions during reading or writing, you can easily restore them from the LOST.DIR folder.
While the LOST.DIR folder may contain damaged data, it can also serve as a source for restoring important data when needed. As such, it is advised to not delete the data in this folder without caution. In the event that the LOST.DIR file is accidentally deleted, there are several methods that can be used to resolve the issue.

II. How to restore the LOST.DIR file in the Android SD card?

1. Use Renee Undeleter

Renee Undeleter It is a software specially used to restore system data files. When you accidentally delete important files, empty the recycle bin, or format the disk/storage, you can use this tool to retrieve the lost data. The software covers four functional modules, including file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery and image creation. Therefore, it can help you solve all possible data loss problems that may occur during system use in an all-round way, which is very convenient.
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Supported devices SD card, SDHC, SDXC, USB flash drive, hard disk and computer.

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How to use Renee Undeleter?
As a professional data recovery software, Renee Undeleter not only has comprehensive functions, but also is very simple to operate. The steps are as follows:
Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer through a card reader, download and install Renee Undeleter on the computer and run it, and select the (Fast Partition Scan) function in the main interface.

Note: If you cannot find the lost files, please try (Whole Partition Scan) and (Whole Disk Scan). )

Notice: Do not install Renee Undeleter in the disk where data is lost to avoid data overwriting.
Data recovery function introduction:
Fast Partition Scan – Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
Whole Partition Scan – Quickly recover files lost due to inaccessible or formatted partitions.
Whole Disk Scan – Analyze and get partition information and perform a full scan of the entire partition.
Image Creation – You can create a mirror image for a partition to back up the current partition state.
fast partition scan with Renee Undeleter
Step 2: Next select the SD card to be scanned and click (Next).
scan disk with Renee Undeleter
Step 3: After that, select (Fast Scan) mode and (Deep Scan) mode.
fast scan lost data
Step 4: After that, you can select the type of files you need to recover, if you are not sure, you can choose (default setting). After checking, click (Next).
select the file types in fast partition scan
Step 5: Next, you can preview and select the target files to be recovered, and click the (Recover) button.
recover files with Renee Undeleter
Step 6: Finally, choose a location to save the recovered data file. It is recommended to save it in other disks, not in the SD card, and finally click the (Recover) button.

2. Restoring with the help of cloud backup

The rise of cloud computing has led to a common practice among users of storing and backing up files both locally and on cloud or network software. Popular examples include cloud services like Baidu Cloud or OneDrive on Android phones. In the event of data loss on the SD card, these cloud backups can be used to restore the lost data. On Android phones, the cloud backup service can typically be found under (Settings)-(Cloud Service).
Back up Android

III. Extended information about the LOST.DIR file

1. Is it safe to delete the LOST.DIR file?

It is safe to delete the LOST.DIR file. The contents of this folder are mainly memory data, cache files, and other documents. If you do not have any important files in the LOST.DIR folder, you can delete it to free up storage space on your SD card. However, please note that the LOST.DIR folder will be recreated when you restart your Android phone.

2. How to reduce the generation of LOST.DIR files on Android phones?

You can try the following operations to reduce the generation of LOST.DIR files.
  • Avoid turning off your Android phone suddenly.
  • Clear junk and cache files from your device frequently.
  • Pull out the SD card correctly.
  • Clear unused apps running in the background.
  • Format the SD card or refresh the Android phone.

3. How to make the LOST.DIR file readable or identifiable?

To make the LOST.DIR file readable or recognizable, you can try the following:
Step 1: Connect the Android SD card or Android device to the PC computer, then copy the LOST.DIR folder to the computer desktop.
Step 2: Open the copied LOST.DIR folder, and then change the file extension inside to a recognizable extension. For example, you can change the extension of music files to .mp3, video files to .mp4, images to .jpg, and more. Repeat the above steps in turn until the files in LOST.DIR can be recognized and used.