Recover Deleted Files from SD Cards on Mac with Such Ways

We found many users are discussing the free software to recover deleted files from an SD card on Mac on Reddit.com. Apart from using the SD card recovery software, other ways are also available to recover videos, photos, and other data on SD cards.

Here are all the ways we summarized to help you recover deleted files from SD cards on Mac for free. Take a quick look first and find more details about each method in this post.

Quick Takeaways on SD card recovery on Mac:

How to recover deleted files from an SD card on a Mac?

It is simple to use SD card recovery software to perform a data recovery from a memory card.  Professional data recovery software usually has a graphical user interface to help us non-computer experts know where to start and how to proceed. 

Step 1: Download and Install iBoysoft SD recovery software for Mac

Download the installer of the best recovery software for SD cards on your Mac. Drag the software to the Application folder and follow the onscreen wizard to install it. An admin password may be required for the installation. This recovery tool runs on Mac OS X 10.11 and up and it is safe to install on your Mac computer's internal hard disk since you will be recovering data from an external/portable SD card.

Step 2: Connect the SD card to your Mac

You'll need to correctly connect the SD card to your Mac by using the built-in SD card reader, an SD card adapter, or an external card reader. You can also directly connect the device, such as a digital camera or PlayStation, that contains the SD card itself to the Mac.

Step 3: Launch the iBoysoft recovery software application

This SD card recovery software will be launched automatically after the complete installation. You can find it in your Finder's Applications folder and launch it from there as well. It will detect your SD card and list it, including all other recognized partitions, if any.

Step 4: Scan your SD card

Select the memory card where you accidentally deleted files (or the camera/device containing it) and click Search for Lost Data. iBoysoft recovery software for Mac provides two scan modes - Quick Scan for finding deleted files and Deep Scan for finding lost files, and this software will operate two modes automatically to find more lost files maximumly.

Step 5: Preview lost files

After scanning your memory card, all found files will be categorized by Path and Type on the left bar. You can preview the SD card files you want to restore by clicking the Preview button. You can determine if the files are recoverable and which files should be restored by previewing them.

Step 6: Recover files from the SD card

Select the deleted files you want to recover and click Recover. Do not save recoverable files to the original SD card but to another location to avoid overwriting or corrupting recoverable data. Check the recovered files to make sure you have completed the entire recovery process and then quit the iBoysoft Mac data recovery software.

Video tutorial for SD card recovery on Mac:

If you are a video tutorial lover, follow our short video. It shows you how to recover data from an SD card with iBoysoft Data Recovery for Mac:

How to recover deleted files from SD Cards on a Mac without the software?

It is possible to attempt free file recovery from an SD card on a Mac computer without data recovery software. The methods involve either recovering files from the Mac Trash or using an already-running data backup solution as outlined below.

Method 1: Recover deleted data from Mac Trash

All deleted files will be temporarily moved to the Mac Trash folder before being permanently removed after 30 days, or beforehand if the Trash has been emptied manually. You can go to the Trash to restore the deleted files from the SD card on Mac for free.

The method to recover deleted photos or videos from the Mac Trash for free:

1. Open the Trash bin from Mac Dock. 
2. Find the deleted photos or other files from the SD card you want to recover. 
3. Right-click on the selected files and click Put Back.

The deleted photos or videos from the SD card will be restored to the original folder so remember to connect the SD card to your Mac for recovery.

Method 2: Recover the SD card data on Mac with Terminal 

Your SD may have a few little issues that prevent it from functioning properly and make all data stored on it inaccessible. To recover the data, you don't need to perform an SD card file recovery but conduct an SD card repair. Your SD card will become functional once the problems are fixed, making all files more accessible.

Here are our steps to recover an SD card on Mac using the Terminal application:

1. Open Disk Utility located in the Other folder in Launchpad.

2. Highlight the SD card and write down the device identifier on the right pane in the Device section.

4. Open the Terminal app located in the Other folder in Launchpad.

5. Run the following commands and press Return. Replace the disk3s1 with your SD card's identifier. 

diskutil verifyVolume disk3s1

6. Wait for the command to execute and inform you if the SD card is corrupt.

7. Run the following command to repair the SD card.

diskutil repairVolume disk3s1

Method 3: Recover data from the SD card with Time Machine backups

Time Machine is a built-in backup and recovery tool on your Mac computer. It can back up your system, applications, files on the Mac's main disk, and data on external drives connected to the Mac. You can use Time Machine backup to restore the lost data if you have backed it up.

How to restore lost files from an SD card using Time Machine backup:

1. Connect the external hard drive containing the Time Machine backup to your Mac.

2. Click on the Time Machine clock icon in the menu bar and select Enter Time Machine. If you don't see the Time Machine icon, you go to the Apple logo > System Preferences > Time Machine and tick the checkbox Show Time Machine in Menu bar.

3. Select the folder in the Finder window which last contained the deleted files. The desktop folder will be displayed by default if you don't open any Finder folder before entering Time Machine.

4. Find the items you want to restore using the onscreen up and down arrows or timeline at the right edge of your screen for older versions.

5. Select the item to recover and press the Spacebar to preview.

6. Click Restore to complete the recovery.

Method 4: Recover SD card data from other backup solutions

If you have taken the time to back up your SD card data with another external storage medium or sync it to cloud storage, you can utilize these backups to restore deleted data from an SD card. Different backup solutions may require different steps to perform the file recovery.

SD card recovery tips

As soon as you realize you have accidentally deleted a file, formatted the wrong SD card, or that the SD card itself seems to be malfunctioning, you should stop using it to avoid data overwriting and corrupted files. Turn off the digital device with the SD card inserted as soon as possible.

1. Stop using the memory card immediately

As soon as you realize you accidentally deleted a file, formatted the wrong SD card or the SD card is malfunctioning, you should stop using it to avoid data overwriting and corrupted files. Turn off the digital device with the SD card inserted as soon as possible.

2. Don't reformat your SD card

If your SD card is failing and reports errors, do NOT try to format it because formatting the SD card on Mac will not bring back your data but rather delete all files by creating a new file system. In addition, the newly formatted file system of an SD card on a Mac may cause compatibility issues between the card and the digital device it is inside.

3. Use a high-quality SD card

An SD card is prone to logical corruption or physical damage since it is used in multiple devices and taken in and out numerous times. Using a high-quality SD card from a reliable SD card manufacturer is greatly recommended to reduce the risk of physical failures and data loss.

4. Back up your data

Having a recent copy of valuable data is the best way to deal with any type of data loss. All data recovery service providers suggest users have at least one backup tool to create data backups regularly. Individual, smaller files (less than 10MB in size) that are nevertheless important can even be emailed to yourself as an attachment as a means of backing them up.

5. Ensure a virus-free environment

Since a memory card can be used with various digital devices, the risk of virus infection and corrupting the SD card goes up. You need to run antivirus software on your Mac and please do not use the SD card with unknown devices to keep your SD card free of viruses.

6. Void violent handling

An SD card is a tiny, flat solid-state circuit board and its plastic and metal parts can be easily damaged by improper handling. Abrupt ejection, excessive heat or force, splashing or immersion in water, or even scratches can cause your SD card to fail and compromise the safety of your data. You need to take good care of your SD card and keep it in a case when not mounted inside a device.

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Common reasons for data loss on SD card

Different causes can make videos miss from an Andriod memory card or another. Apart from the most common accidental deletion or formatting, we have collected other reasons below. Look at them and attempt to protect data on your SD card better in the future.

1. File system corruption

Unexpected power failure, removal of the SD card while data transferring, system or software crashes, and virus infection can damage the file system of a mounted SD card and result in data loss.

2. Malware and viruses

Using an SD card with suspicious devices and computers increases the possibility of picking up malware or viruses. A malware or virus infection can erase your files, overwrite your data, or even cause SD card corruption. Then, you may find the pictures disappeared from SD card.

3. Physical damage

Physical damages are the worst case in all data loss scenarios because they can result in large and permanent data loss. Sending media to data recovery labs is often the only available option when there are physical damages present. Data recovery experts will open the card up, perform physical layer remediation(s), image the device with professional equipment, and then finally scan the created image to glean recoverable data.