How to Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card/Hard Drive/USB (Windows & Mac)

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Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card/Hard Drive on Windows 11/10/8/7
Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card/Hard Drive on Mac

Overview of FAT32 File Recovery

SD cards of many popular brands, such as Samsung, SanDisk, PNY, Transcend, Sony, Kingston, Lexar, and Toshiba, facilitate our life and work by adding extra storage capacity, universally from 2GB to 64GB. SD cards are using the FAT32 file system, and we can use them on PCs, cameras, smartphones, game consoles, etc.

I have a 4GB FAT32 SD card with some family pictures on it. When I double-click the SD card in Windows, an error occurs. It says the card needs to be formatted. Before I could figure out what's going on there, abruptly, I click yes, and everything now gets removed. I need to recover files from a FAT32 SD card, do you have any suggestions?

Be careful while using FAT32 SD cards. As the scenario presented above, the memory card can turn bad or corrupted. The FAT32 file system may become RAW. Once the SD card becomes RAW, it indicates there is no file system on it. To bring it back to normal, it has to be reformatted to FAT32 on a Windows-based computer. In this case, you'll lose all data on the memory card.

How to Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card/Hard Drive on Windows 10

If you are a Windows 11/10/8/7 user, you can get two ways to recover data from a FAT32 SD card and hard drive. One is using Windows data recovery software. And the other is checking your backup. Follow the steps below to recover data from FAT32 SD card/USB/HDD.

Method 1. Recover Data from FAT32 Hard Drive with Data Recovery Software

Besides, accidental deletion, formatting, virus infection and other threats attack will risk contents on the SD card. Most of the cases require an instant FAT32 SD card recovery solution. Here you need to learn how to recover data files on a FAT32 SD card after accidents with free memory card recovery software. Deep Data Recovery ranks at the top list for the following highlights:

Easy Operation:

It only takes three steps to recover lost data. You do not need to have the technical background

Wide Compatibility:

Fully supports FAT32/16/12, NTFS, EXT2/3, HFS+, ReFS.

High Quality:

Deep Data Recovery promises high-quality data recovery. It can fully scan the drive and will not bring any damage to the original data.

Supports 250+ Files:

Recover all types of lost files: photos, documents, videos, audio, emails, compressed files, etc.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

If you prefer a step-by-step guide, follow the steps below to recover FAT32 SD card data all by yourself now:

Step 1. Connect the SD card, memory card, or CF Card to your computer and launch Qiling memory card recovery software on your PC. Choose file types and click "Next" to start.

Select file types that you want to recover

Step 2. The SD card will be listed under the Devices section. Choose the SD card and click "Scan" to start looking for your lost data.

Step 3. The software will start a scan automatically. The scan is powerful enough to find all lost files that even lost file names. After the scanning process, you can find deleted items from the tree-view panel on the left. Then, click "Filter" if you are looking for a specific file type, like photos, documents, videos or emails.

Step 4. You can directly double-click the files to preview the content. After this, you can choose wanted files and click "Recover" to restore them to a secure location on your PC or other external storage devices.

Method 2. Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card/Hard Drive with File History

Windows 11/10/8.1 users have a built-in backup feature called File History. It backs up files in the Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Desktop folders, and OneDrive files to wanted drives. If you have turned on this feature, you can recover FAT32 data with File History.

Step 1. Click the Search box and type file history.

Step 2. Click "Restore personal files" from the search results.

Step 3. Choose the files you need to restore and preview them.

Step 4. Click the green "Restore" button.

recover FAT32 data from SD card with File History

How to Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card/Hard Drive on Mac

The operations to recover a FAT32 SD card or hard drive could be a little bit different if you are a Mac user. There are still two ways to restore macOS data. One is using Deep Data Recovery for Mac. The other is to restore data with Time Machine. Keep reading to get more information.

Method 1. Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card with Mac Data Recovery Software

Qiling provides a Mac version of the data recovery tool. With it, you can recover deleted files on macOS Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, and more. Besides, it supports data recovery from a hard drive, SSD, USB flash drive, pen drive, SD card, memory card, and more. Download this reliable tool and restore SD card data now.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Step 1. Select file types and click "Next" to start

Correctly connect your memory card to your Mac. Launch Deep Data Recovery for Mac.
Choose file types and click "Next" to start.

Step 2. Select the SD card

Go to "SD Card Recovery", find your Canon/Nikon/Go Pro/DJI/Sony SD card, and click "Search for lost files".

select a location and scan for lost SD card data

Step 3. Filter lost SD card data

After the scan, all files will be presented in the left panel in the scan results. Find wanted photos, videos, and other files.

Step 4. Preview and recover data

Preview the SD card data and select the wanted files. Then, click the "Recover" button. Don't save the recoverable files to the SD card itself in case of data overwriting.

Method 2. Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card with Time Machine

Mac users also have a built-in backup and recovery tool, which is called Time Machine. It helps users to back up apps, music, photos, email, and documents. Follow the steps below to run a Time Machine Data Recovery.

Step 1. Plug in the drive that contains the Time Machine Backup.

Step 2. You'll see the Time Machine Backup drive. Open it and click on the database file to view the backup.

Step 3. Copy the files you want to restore and paste it to the new drive.

recover FAT32 data with Time Machine

Conclusion

No matter you are using a Windows system or macOS, you can find a way to recover data from a FAT32 SD card/hard drive/USB flash drive. Using data recovery software is recommended because the operations are easy and fast. Even if you don't have a backup, you can still get the SD card data back.

Recover Data from FAT32 SD Card FAQs

If you still have problems, you can read the questions and answers below to get additional help.

1. How do I recover data from FAT32?

You can recover data from the FAT32 drive with the steps below:

Download and install Deep Data Recovery
Select the FAT32 partition and click Scan
After the scan, find lost data through the file type
Select wanted files and click Recover to retrieve lost data from the FAT32 drive

2. Can I recover data from a formatted SD card?

Is SD card formatted recovery possible? Yes. Although SD card formatting will cause file loss on the device, it doesn't mean the data is totally erased. Formatting only breaks the data structure on the card. But in fact, the data is still there.

3. How do I fix a corrupted SD card?

You can repair a corrupted SD card and run a corrupted SD card recovery with the solutions below:

Change the SD Card Drive Letter
Repair Corrupted File System
Update SD Card Driver
Format Corrupted SD Card

4. What is the best FAT32 Recovery tool?

There are many reliable data recovery tools available for free. For Mac and Windows, Qiling data recovery software is your best bet. While for Linux, PhotoRec is your best choice.