Summary: Is your SD card/ USB partition not showing up in File Explorer? Chances are its partition is deleted. This post delves into deleted partition recovery on SD card and USB drives. It shares why you might have lost partition on your removable media and how to recover deleted partition on SD card/USB using different methods.
‘I accidentally deleted the partition of my camera microSD card. Now when I plug it to my laptop it asks me to format. But I have important photos and videos on it. How can I recover deleted partition on SD card now?’
Deletion or loss of partition on removable storage media can cost you dearly. It is the worst data loss situation where you lose all your photos, videos, and other files in one go. Fortunately, deleted partition recovery on SD cards, USB, etc., is achievable.
In this post, you will learn how to recover deleted partition on a USB drive/ SD card using different methods. It also shares the best-deleted partition recovery software for Windows and Mac systems.
Contents
Partitions on removable media are more likely to get deleted or lost than those on hard drives. This is because SD card, USB, or pen drives are offhandedly used with multiple devices.
Hence, besides accidental deletion, there are many other reasons for partition loss, such as improper use of removable media, virus attack, or system crash. Below are the common reasons for deleted partition on USB drive or SD card:
To recover lost partition of SD card on Windows, first go to the Disk Management of your system. If you see the unallocated space for the removable media, fix it.
Besides, there’s also a possibility that the drive letter is not assigned to your USB drive or memory card, due to which the removable media is not showing up in File Explorer. This, too can be confirmed from Disk Management. So assign the drive letter to access the lost partitions on SD card/ USB storage drive.
Alternatively, you have the choice to directly download the deleted partition recovery software and avoid manual techniques. The software can recover deleted partitions on SD card/ USB drives on Windows and Mac systems.
While you think the partition on SD card/ USB is deleted, the issue could be something else. The removable media might not be showing up in File Explorer because the drive letter is not assigned to it or the same letter is used by another drive.
Although Windows automatically assigns a drive letter, sometimes it fails to recognize the file system of the partition. You should then manually assign a drive letter to the SD card or USB media in Windows.
Here’s how to assign a drive letter to removable media in steps:
Click to know more Tips to recover missing or deleted files from SD card/USB drive.
The SD card lost partition error could be due to unallocated space. To confirm, connect the removable media to PC and open Disk Management. Does it show unallocated space for your removable media? The unallocated space indicates the storage drive has no partition and it’s not formatted. And, you cannot access the unallocated drives on the computer. Nonetheless, lost partition recovery is possible by fixing unallocated space in Disk Management.
Here are the steps to recover deleted partition on SD card/ USB:
Deleted partition recovery software is a solace for RAW or corrupt SD cards, USB, and other removable media. It is useful even when the partition is not visible, inaccessible, has unallocated space in Disk management, turned RAW or corrupt.
Software like Stellar Photo Recovery has a unique algorithm to recover media files from deleted or RAW partitions. Moreover, it can scan the complete ‘Physical Disk’ to retrieve media files from the deleted partitions. The software supports the recovery of FAT, NTFS, HFS, and other file systems on Windows 11/ 10/8.1/8/7 systems.
The software also provides Mac partition recovery. Just download its Mac version that supports the latest macOS Monterey, Catalina, and below.
Deleted partition recovery is not tough as it seems. You can easily recover partitions on SD card or USB drive using the methods shared in this post. However, if you feel the steps are tricky, simply get the software for effortless lost partition recovery of SD cards/ USB drives on Windows and Mac. The free trial of the software is available.
Nishat Paiker is an expert technical writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. She has deep knowledge about data recovery and loves to explore new technology and DIY tools. Nishat has keen interest in photography. You will often find her giving photography tips and hacks.
