Almost all the contemporary models of video cameras use SD cards as storage devices. Due to various reasons, errors on SD cards are frequently encountered. Cameras by default can recognize these errors and ask you to format the SD card. As a human error, you might instinctively select ‘yes’ to the format SD card pop-up on the camera resulting in the loss of videos and photos saved on the SD card.
Fortunately, when you format your SD card on camera, the videos or photos are not permanently erased. If you want to know what happens to your photos or videos and how to recover videos from the formatted SD card refer to the next section.
What Happens When you Format the SD card?
When you format an SD card actually it won’t erase the video files. Rather, it will overwrite the file system with a newer file system. The new file system will mark the storage space on the SD card as free and ready to be overwritten.
The good thing is that you can recover data from SD card even though it is formatted or corrupted unless the files are not overwritten with new ones. That is why it is very important to stop using the SD card once you lost data from it.
Make sure to check if you have got any backup of your videos like on cloud storage or in an external drive and the bin of the computer or any other folder on your computer.
Below we have mentioned 3 effective methods using which you can recover video files from your formatted SD/Memory card.
Method 1: Recover Video files from a Formatted SD card with CMD (Windows)
Since Check disk is a readily available command function on your Windows PC that helps you fix corrupt files from your SD cards, you can try this to fix the formatting errors on your SD card.
- Access the command prompt by typing cmd in the Windows search box.
- Select Run as Administrator.
- Type command: chkdsk C: /f/x/r. Replace G with the drive letter of the formatted SD card.
- Hit Enter and let the process complete.
- Check if the video files have been recovered
Method 2: Restore Video files from Formatted SD with Mac Terminal (macOS)
- Open the Terminal application, which is located in your Mac’s utility folder.
- Navigate to the SD card using the cd command in Terminal.
- Enter this command mv filename ../ replacing filename with the name of the file you wish to recover. Then hit Return.
- Type Quit exiting the Terminal.
- Go to the previous folder and see if your file has been restored.
This means you can recover videos from a formatted SD card. However, you will need Memory Card Recovery software that is capable of accessing low-level storage sectors of the card and scavenging recoverable videos.
Integrated with a Deep scan algorithm, Remo Recover can locate and easily recover files even after formatting storage devices. Download Remo Recover now and start recovering video files from the SD card.
The “Format SD card” error is as common on a camera as it is on any other device. To be prepared for data loss disasters, take a step back and back up the contents of the SD card. Nevertheless, if you have performed formatting, you can still recover formatted SD card on Mac or Windows with the help of Remo Recover.
Method 3: Recover Videos from a Formatted SD card using Remo Recover
Follow the below simple steps to recover video files from a formatted sd card:
Step 1: Download and install Remo Recover on your computer and connect your formatted SD card to it.
Step 2: From the main screen select your drive from where you want to recover the video files and click on the Scan button.
Step 3: The software will initiate Quick Scan; after its completion, the tool automatically starts Deep Scan. Once the deep scan starts you can click on the Dynamic Recovery View to recover the lost files during the scanning process itself.
Step 4: After completion of the scanning process, a list of recovered files is displayed under the Lost and Found folder or Lost Partition folder.
Step 5: Now go to Filter and select Advanced filter from the drop-down. In Advanced Filter, choose the file type as videos and click on Apply button to view all the recovered videos in one place.
Step 6: You can preview all the recovered videos using the Preview feature for free.
Step 7: If you are satisfied with the recovery results, select the video files which you want to restore and hit the Recover button to save them at your desired location.
Suggestions to Avoid Data Loss on SD Cards
- Eject your SD card safely when done transferring the video as abrupt removal will cause data corruption
- Make sure the battery of your device isn't running low when shooting or transferring videos.
- Do back up your SD card data either to a cloud storage or to an external hard disk.
- Avoid using an SD card in extreme temperatures to avoid physical damage.
- Scan the SD card regularly using updated antivirus tools to avoid virus and malware attacks.
Note: Your file may be damaged after recovery depending on the scenario. However, you can always repair your PST file after the recovery process.
Wrapping it up
The “Format SD card” error is as common on a camera as it is on any other device. To be prepared for data loss disasters, take a step back and back up the contents of the SD card. Nevertheless, if you have performed formatting, you can still recover formatted SD card on Mac or Windows with the help of Remo Recover.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are various reasons why you might get an error saying the SD card needs to be formatted on your camera. The scenarios are mentioned as follows:
1. When you insert a brand-new SD card
2. Switching SD card between two different cameras
3. SD card is corrupt or damaged
4. Forcibly ejecting memory cards
Yes, you can recover video files from a formatted SD card of an Android phone. To start the recovery process follow the below simple steps:
Step 1: Download and install Remo Recover software on your PC
Step 2: Remove your SD card from the Android phone and connect it to the computer via a card reader or USB Port.
Step 3: Now, Launch the software on your system, select the memory card and click on Scan.
Step 4: After completion of the scanning process, a list of recovered files is displayed under the Lost and Found folder or Lost Partition folder.
Step 5: You can preview all the recovered video files using the Preview feature for free.
Step 6: If you are satisfied with the recovery results, select the video files which you want to restore and hit the Recover button to save them at your desired location.
Yes. You can unformat your SD card with the help of a professional data recovery tool like Remo Recover. When you format or delete an SD Card, the operating system can't reference the data that was on the memory card anymore. So, if the specific sectors are not overwritten, you can recover your SD card.
Therefore, retrieving lost files from a formatted SD card is possible as long as your data is not overwritten. That’s why it is important to stop using your SD card once you lose your files and try recovering them as soon as possible.
