"Sorry to hear that you're experiencing this issue. Unfortunately, if the DCIM folder is not visible on your SD card, it's likely that the data has been deleted or corrupted. However, you can try using a data recovery software to scan the SD card and recover any remaining data. Be sure to stop using the SD card immediately to prevent overwriting any remaining data."
Although many smartphones come with built-in storage, some still rely on SD cards for storage, including camera photos and videos stored in the DCIM folder. However, users may experience issues where the DCIM folder suddenly disappears, prompting questions on how to recover it from an SD card on either a Mac or Windows computer.
If you stop using the SD card and quickly try to recover the DCIM folder, you might be able to recover it. However, if you miss this opportunity and the SD card is used again, the DCIM folder might be overwritten and become unrecoverable, resulting in permanent data loss.
If your DCIM folder is missing from your SD card, you can't see it or recover it manually. In this case, you'll need a professional data recovery software to help you retrieve your lost data. You can search for such software online, and I recommend trying Deep Data Recovery, which is specifically designed for recovering data from SD cards, computers, and external hard drives.
To recover your DCIM folder, click the DOWNLOAD button to get the latest version of the recovery software. Install it on your computer, either Windows or Mac, and connect your SD card to your computer. Ensure your computer recognizes the SD card as an external hard drive and displays it on your computer.
Launch the best SD card recovery software on your computer, selecting the desired file types from the start-up window and customizing the file types you want to recover from the SD card, before clicking "Next".
In the next window, you can see all hard drives on the computer, including connected SD cards, displayed. To recover the DCIM folder from the SD card, select the SD card as the target hard drive to scan. Click "Scan" to let the software scan the content in your DCIM folder, noting that the tool only scans for files within the DCIM folder, not the DCIM folder itself.
After initiating the software to scan the SD card for the DCIM folder, it may take some time for the software to stop the scanning process, especially if the file size is large. Be patient and you can even take a break, like having a cup of coffee, as the software will automatically stop once the scanning is complete. Once finished, you can filter files by extension and preview them on the right side. When you find the target files, select them and click "Recover" to save them on your computer. To avoid losing the recovered files again, it's recommended to save them in a folder on your computer, rather than the SD card.
If you're not finding all the files you're looking for, you can try the more powerful "Deep Scan" option in the result window to scan your SD card again and potentially find more files.
To avoid losing precious photos or videos, it's essential to back up the SD card DCIM folder regularly, especially since accidents can happen unexpectedly. You can utilize a tool like QILING Disk Master to schedule backups and ensure your memories are safely stored.