How to recover data from an SD card for free on Mac?

Data Recovery
1

I accidentally deleted important photos and videos from my SD card and I’m using a Mac. Are there any free tools or methods to recover the lost data? Any help would be greatly appreciated as these files are very valuable to me!

4

For anyone who’s accidentally deleted important photos and videos from an SD card on a Mac, there are indeed free tools or methods you can try out.

First up, if you haven’t written any new data to the card since deleting the files, your chances of recovery are pretty good. Writing new data can overwrite what’s already there, making recovery harder, if not impossible.

A beginner-friendly option you might want to try is TestDisk/PhotoRec. These tools aren’t flashy, but they’re pretty effective. TestDisk can recover lost partitions and repair your file system, while PhotoRec specifically dives into recovery of lost files. You’ll need to install them and they’re command-line tools, so you may need a bit of patience if you’re not comfortable with terminal commands.

Another solid choice is Disk Drill.

Disk Drill Screenshot
Disk Drill Soft1536×902 241 KB
While the full version comes at a cost, the free version allows you to preview and recover up to 500MB of data, which might be enough depending on how much you need to recover. Plus, its user interface is very beginner-friendly. You can download it from here: Download Disk Drill.

Also, don’t forget about Mac’s built-in tool, Time Machine. If you had backups set up, you might be in luck to restore your deleted files from there.

Remember, the key is to stop using your SD card as soon as you notice the deletion to maximize your recovery chances. Good luck, and hope you get your valuable photos and videos back!

3

Hey there! I feel your pain—losing important photos and videos can be really tough. Luckily, there are free ways to recover data from an SD card on a Mac. Let’s dive into some methods and tools that can help you get your files back.

First thing’s first: Stop using the SD card. Continued use can overwrite the data you want to recover. Unmount it from your Mac if you haven’t already.

Method 1: Using macOS Built-In Features

  1. Check the Trash: Deleted files sometimes end up in the Trash. Open the Trash bin on your Mac and see if your photos and videos are there. If they are, simply drag them to the desktop or right-click and select “Put Back.”

  2. Time Machine Backup: If you have Time Machine set up, you might be able to recover your deleted files from a previous backup. Connect your Time Machine drive, navigate to the folder where your files were stored, and use the Time Machine interface to go back in time to before the files were deleted. Restore them from there.

Method 2: Using Free Data Recovery Software

There are several free data recovery tools you can try. Here are a few:

  1. PhotoRec:

    • Open Terminal on your Mac.
    • Install Homebrew if you don’t have it already (you can find the guide online).
    • Once Homebrew is installed, type: brew install testdisk
    • After the installation, type: sudo photorec
    • Select your SD card and follow the prompts to recover your files.

  2. TestDisk:

    • This is another powerful tool, though it’s a bit more complex compared to others.
    • Open Terminal again and use Homebrew to install TestDisk (if not done separately).
    • Run TestDisk by typing testdisk into Terminal and follow the prompts to recover lost partitions and files.

  3. Disk Drill:

    • Although not completely free, Disk Drill offers a basic version with limited functionality for free. It’s pretty user-friendly and has a high success rate.
    • Download it from https://www.disk-drill.com, install it, and launch the application.
    • Select your SD card from the list of drives and click on ‘Recover’. Follow the instructions to get your files back. The free version lets you scan and preview files but may be limited in the number of files you can recover without upgrading.

Method 3: Terminal Commands (for advanced users)

  1. Using Terminal: If you’re comfortable using the command line, you can use certain UNIX commands to try to recover data.

    • Open Terminal.
    • Use the diskutil list command to identify your SD card’s disk identifier.
    • Use the sudo dd command to create an image of the SD card. For example:
      sudo dd if=/dev/disk2 of=~/Desktop/recover.img bs=512
      (Replace /dev/disk2 with your SD card’s disk identifier)

  2. Recover Files from Image:

    • Use tools like foremost or scalpel on this image for file carving. Here’s how you can use foremost:
      brew install foremost
foremost -i ~/Desktop/recover.img -o ~/Desktop/output
      The recovered files will be available in the specified output directory.

Method 4: DIY Methods

  • Disk Utility: Sometimes repairing the SD card using Disk Utility can help:

    • Open Disk Utility from Applications > Utilities.
    • Select your SD card and click on “First Aid”. It won’t recover files directly but can fix minor errors that might help other recovery tools work better.

  • File Carving with a Hex Editor: For those who are more tech-savvy:

    • Use a hex editor like HxD on Windows or Hex Fiend on Mac.
    • Manually carve out file headers and footers to retrieve lost data.

While these methods can be helpful, they’re not guaranteed to work in all situations. If you really need those files back, professional data recovery services might be the next step. They can be pricey, but worth it for irreplaceable memories.

Best of luck with your recovery!

2

You’re probably out of luck. Free tools for Mac data recovery are either extremely limited or downright useless. Most of them just give you a preview and then demand money, so don’t get your hopes too high. Disk Drill, for example, claims to offer a free version but only lets you recover a pitiful amount of data unless you pony up. It’s like being shown the door but you still can’t walk through it.

Yeah, it can recover data, but it comes with a laundry list of issues. It’s clunky, slow, and clogs your Mac with unnecessary files. Other competitors like PhotoRec or TestDisk have their own set of problems too. Lack of an intuitive interface or requiring advanced knowledge to even attempt to use them. Good luck trying to navigate command-line tools if you’re not tech-savvy.

Honestly, you might just be better off biting the bullet and paying for a reliable recovery service. Or, better yet, stop being careless with your files in the first place. Harsh, but true.