Immediately stop using the formatted flash drive or SD card. Any new data written to the drive overwrites old sectors, reducing the probability of a successful recovery. You will need a computer running Windows and administrative rights to install and run the Recuva software. Prepare another physical drive or network storage with sufficient free space to save the recovered files. Never save recovered data back onto the same media you are recovering from.
Selecting File Type and Location
In the first window of the recovery wizard, specify the category of files to search for. For camera photos, select the Pictures option. This step helps narrow the scan area by filtering files based on header signatures. If the card contained other data, such as video files, consider running a separate recovery process for each type. For a comprehensive search without restrictions, select the All Files option.
Connect the drive directly to the computer, avoiding USB hubs. In the next window, choose the In a specific location option and specify the drive letter assigned to your flash drive or card reader with the SD card. Ensure the system has correctly detected the device and assigned it a letter.
Enabling Deep Scan Analysis
Before starting the scan, activating the Deep Scan option is critical. The standard mode only analyzes the file table, which is wiped clean after a format. The deep scan operates sector-by-sector, identifying files by their content (carving method). This analysis takes considerably more time but is essential for working with formatted or damaged storage media.
Analyzing Results and Recovering
After the scan completes, Recuva will display a list of found objects. Pay attention to the color indicators next to each filename:
- Green circle — The file is in good condition and should recover completely.
- Yellow circle — The file is partially overwritten or damaged; reconstruction may contain errors.
- Red circle — The file is unrecoverable; the data is permanently lost.
Enable the display of the file path via a right-click on the table header for sorting. Select the desired files with checkboxes. Use the built-in preview function to view the contents of graphic files before recovery.
Click the Recover button. In the dialog box, specify a path for saving on a different physical drive. The copying process may take some time, depending on the number and size of the files.
Additional Recommendations
If the deep scan yields no results, consider alternative software like TestDisk or R-Studio. These applications employ different analysis algorithms and might handle tasks beyond Recuva's capabilities. To prevent such situations in the future, configure automatic backup of photos to a cloud service or computer immediately after they are taken.