Practical solutions are shared here to help you show the hidden images, videos, audio, PDFs, FLV files, MTS files, Presentations, Word documents, Excel files, etc on your SD card. Moreover, how to recover deleted or lost hidden files on an SD card is also included.
Before you go, check the quick diagnosis table below to see which scenario you're in:
| Case | Solution(s) |
| Files are hidden | File Explorer or Google Chrome |
| File attribute changed by malware or virus | “attrib” command lines |
| SD card reader didn't recognize SD card | Keep reading on how to fix SD card reader not working issue |
| Raw/corrupted SD card | Recover data from RAW/corrupted SD card before repair |
| Files are deleted or lost | Use iBoysoft Data Recovery for Windows to recover files |
| Android .nomedia | Take out the SD card from Android and use an SD card reader instead. Then try CMD command |
Launch Command Prompt to Unhide SD Card's Files
In some cases, the files on the SD card are hidden caused by malware or virus, which might change the files' attributes. Run Command Prompt and use “attrib" command lines to remove hidden attribute, as well as read-only/system file attribute. Here's how:
- Connect the memory card to your Windows computer and leave seconds for your PC to recognize the storage device.
- Press the Win + R keys and enter CMD in the dialogue box.
- Click OK to launch Command Prompt on your computer.
- Copy the command lines below and paste them into the Command Prompt window. Please note that there is space after every letter. Change the letter E with the drive letter of your SD card and then hit Enter/Return to proceed. attrib -h -r -s /s /d E:\*.*
- Now, you can see all the hidden files on your SD card.
Explanation of the command:
-h: Removes the hidden attribute.
-r: Removes the read-only attribute.
-s: Removes the system file attribute.
/s: Applies changes to all files in all subdirectories.
/d: Applies changes to directories as well as files.
Note: If the SD card is connected to an Android phone via MTP, CMD may not be able to access it directly. It is recommended to unplug the SD card and use an SD card reader instead.
When Recovery Software is Needed?
If all of the methods listed above fail to bring the hidden documents on your SD card to light, it is highly likely that your SD card files were deleted or lost accidentally. As a result, I truly think you should consider SD card hidden file recovery.
Solution 1: Recover SD card files directly from the Recycle Bin
If you have deleted files on the SD card on your PC and you have not emptied your Recycle Bin yet, you can perform a restoration from the Recycle Bin with this procedure.
- Connect your SD card to your computer.
- Open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking it on your computer.
- Locate the files you wish to restore. The files will be recovered to their original location.
- Click the Restore button to recover the SD card files.
Solution 2: Recover deleted/lost hidden files with iBoysoft Data Recovery Software
The files don't show on your SD card because of deleted files, lost files, RAW SD card, or corrupted SD card. In such case, turn to the professional data recovery software. iBoysoft Data Recovery Software is a capable app equipped with advanced disk scanning and recovery algorithms that offers you the best SD card recovery service.
It can recover deleted photos, Office documents, videos, audio, and much more successfully on Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP and Windows servers. You can utilize it to recover files and documents from inaccessible, unreadable, corrupted, failed, RAW, formatted external hard drives to safeguard your data.
iBoysoft data recovery software's intuitive interface makes the data recovery task very simple for inexperienced users. With only a few clicks, you can restore permanently deleted files quickly.
- Free download, install and open iBoysoft Data Recovery on your computer.
- Connect the SD card to your computer.
- Select the Data recovery mode in the main interface.
- Select the SD card from the drive list and click Next to start scanning.
- Filter unnecessary files with the file name or file format in the search box.
- Right-click the file and select Preview or double-click the file to preview it.
- Select the checkbox in front of the files you want to restore and click the Recover button.
You should not use the same drive or partition where you lost data as any changes on the original drive might cause corrupt files and permanent data loss.
Note: Files affected by physical damage, an unrecognized card, abnormal capacity, severe bad sectors, or overwritten data are not guaranteed to be recoverable.
Verdict
You can see no files absolutely if you have set them as hidden on your SD card. This article offers you numerous ways to make your hidden files show up. If you fail to unhide them, it's possible that the files are deleted or lost. Do not worry yet, 2 ways to recover your accidentally deleted or lost hidden files are presented here.
If you have shown or recovered your hidden files on the SD card, please share your happiness with more people!
FAQ about unhiding files on an SD card
- QHow do I unhide a file that is hidden on my SD card?
-
A
You have 4 ways to unhide the hidden files on your SD card: check the hidden files in File Explorer, change File Explorer settings to show the hidden items, launch Command Prompt to unhide your SD card's hidden files, and utilize Google Chrome to show the hidden files.
- QCan hidden files be recovered on my SD card?
-
A
The hidden files may be recovered if they are not overwritten. You can launch iBoysoft Data Recovery Software to recover the hidden files by downloading and installing iBoysoft Data Recovery Software on your computer > connecting your SD card to your laptop> selecting the Data Recovery mode > selecting your SD card > clicking Next to start disk scanning > clicking Preview to check your files > clicking Recover to restore your files > saving the recovery results to another location.