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3 June 2024  Amanda J. Brook  Senior Product Manager
 

Summary
Find the reasons why pictures disappeared from SD card and recovery techniques. Enhance storage and data transfer for mobile phones, cameras, and tablets.



Table of contents

table iconI. Several reasons for the loss/disappearance of photos on the SD card
table iconII. Use Renee Undeleter to Recover Lost Photos from SD Card
pictures disappeared from sd card

I. Several reasons for the loss/disappearance of photos on the SD card

1. Photos are hidden

To solve SD card photo loss, first check if the photos are hidden due to a virus or other reasons. Modify options in Control Panel to view hidden files.
First, press the Windows icon + R key at the same time, then enter (Control Panel) in the run window, and press the (Enter) key to open the Control Panel. Then click (Appearance and Personalization).
appearance and personalization in control panel
Then click (Show hidden files and folders) under the File Explorer options. Find and click the (Show hidden files, folders, and drives) option, and then click (OK).
show hidden files and folders
After completing the above operations, if the photos on the SD card can be found, and they are hidden files, then you can back up these photos before doing other processing. If you still can’t find the photos, they may have been deleted.

2. There is a problem connecting the SD card to the device

If the SD card is not inserted correctly into the mobile device, it may not be recognized, causing photos to not display and creating the illusion of photo loss. Remove the SD card and reinsert it correctly without forcing it. If the card reader or SD card slot is damaged, try using another card reader to access the photos.
If the connection is loose while transferring photos between the SD card and the device, the transfer may be interrupted, potentially causing photo loss.

See also: Reasons why Android photo album does not display SD card photos

3. Accidental deletion or virus

Accidental deletion often leads to data loss. To prevent this, regularly back up your SD card. Viruses can also delete photos on the SD card. To address this, connect the SD card to a computer via a card reader and use anti-virus software to scan and remove the virus.

4. SD card failure

When the SD card fails, the photo files in it may also be lost. This phenomenon often occurs in those SD cards that have reached the end of their service life or are of low quality.
The common reasons for SD card photo loss are listed above. If the photos are not hidden or the SD card is not recognized, the photos may be deleted. Refer to the second part to recover lost photos from the SD card.

II. Use Renee Undeleter to Recover Lost Photos from SD Card

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is designed to restore system data files. Whether you accidentally delete important files, empty the recycle bin, or format the disk/storage, this tool can retrieve lost data. It includes four modules: Fast Partition Scan, Whole Partition Scan, Whole Disk Scan, and Image Creation, addressing all data loss issues comprehensively.
Hot Topic - ADsRenee Undeleter – Simple & Powerful Software for Data Recovery

Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition scan, whole partition scan and whole disk scan;

Supported file types Image, video, audio, text, email and so on;

Image creation Create a partition image to read and back up data;

Supported devices SD card, SDHC, SDXC, USB flash drive, hard disk and computer.

Easy to use Recover data by 3 steps;

Multiple scan modes Fast partition/whole partition/whole disk scan;

Supported devices SD card/USB/hard disk.

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2. How to recover lost photos from SD card with Renee Undeleter?

Step 1: Connect the SD card to the computer using a card reader. Download, install, and open Renee Undeleter, and select (Whole Partition Scan).
Note: Do not install Renee Undeleter in the disk where data is lost to avoid data overwriting.
select whole partition scan in renee undeleter to recover deleted video from sd card
Data Recovery Function:

  • Fast Partition Scan – Retrieve files lost from accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
  • Whole Partition Scan – Recover files from inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan – Analyze partition information and perform a full scan of the entire partition.
  • Image Creation  -  Create an image of a partition to back up its current state.
Step 2: Select the SD card partition where the photos are lost, and click (Next).
Renee Undeleter Whole Partition Scan
Step 3: After the scan is over, select the files you want to recover and click the (Recover) button.

Note: To prevent data overwriting, ensure to save the recovered files onto different disks rather than the original storage location (SD card).

preview and select the files to recover in renee undeleter
If your SD card photos were lost due to SD card failure rather than human error, then once the photos are recovered, the SD card can be repaired.