When your camera or PC says that your memory card needs to be formatted, this does not mean that your photos have been erased. It means the camera or PC can't read the index (the file system) where your files are catalogued. That index sits just one level above the actual files, so the pictures almost always still exist, intact, in the card's memory. That is exactly what makes the format prompt a trap: the 'fix' it offers is the very action that starts wiping the evidence away.
A format rebuilds the index by wiping it away. Run a quick format on a damaged card and you will destroy the very information a recovery lab uses to put your lost photos back together with their original names, folders and dates. So if these pictures are important to you, the answer to 'should I format?' is always no.
Remove the card from your camera and try reading it through another card reader: readers fail far more often than cards, and laptop slots are less reliable than a good external USB card reader. Try the card in a second computer too. Also check that the little lock slider on the edge of a full-size SD card hasn't slipped down to locked, as that triggers all kinds of odd behaviour, including a refusal to format or write.
If the card appears but images are missing from it, do not use the card again: take no test shots, and do not allow a phone or camera to write anything to it. Every new file risks overwriting deleted or orphaned images. Additionally, if the card cannot be found anywhere, or its reported size is wrong (a 64GB card that displays 30MB is the classic sign of a failed controller), then no software will fix it: that card needs chip-level work.
Most people's first reaction when their memory card starts to malfunction is to try to 'fix' it by reformatting, only to have the reformat fail. A card that will not reformat is typically write-protected, either because the lock slider has been moved or because the failing controller has switched itself to read-only mode, or else it is dying electrically. Ironically, this can be good news for recovery, since a controller that drops into read-only mode frequently leaves all of the data intact and readable.
Do not keep attempting to reformat the card, loop chkdsk or run 'repair' utilities while it is in this condition, as a struggling controller needs fewer commands, not more. If the card held anything you would miss, treat it as a recovery job rather than an attempt to repair it.
For a corrupted SD card we create a sector-by-sector image and rebuild your photos and videos from that copy, without touching the card again beyond that first read. Dead, wrong-capacity or physically broken cards (snapped microSDs included) are recovered by reading the memory chip directly and rebuilding the files from there. Either way, you'll know exactly how much can be recovered before spending any money: our diagnostic is free and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
An SD card fits nicely in an envelope. Get a quote by phone (0800 689 0668) or through the free online diagnostic, then tape the card inside a folded piece of card and post it to us tracked and insured. More information can be found on the memory card recovery page, or begin your free online diagnostic today.
The one rule: if the photos matter, don't format a card that is begging to be formatted. The error message means the directory has been lost; the photographs are almost always still stored beneath it.
Free diagnostic, fixed quote, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data. Start now or call the freephone.