3 Ways to Recover LOST.DIR Files on Android SD Card

What Is LOST.DIR Folder on an Android SD Card

LOST.DIR is a file folder generated by the Android OS, performing like the Recycle Bin on Windows platforms, from which you are allowed to retrieve deleted Android files such as documents and photos.

what is lost.dir

Usually, an Android phone or tablet creates a LOST.DIR directory when the device suddenly shuts off or encounters the following issues:

Sudden flashback of running applications
Unexpected Android OS crash or freeze
Improper abrupt or ejection of Android SD card
Unplug the Android SD card while the read-write process is carrying on
Accidental interruption while downloading files or apps to Android devices

How to Recover Files from LOST.DIR on SD Card or Android (3 Ways)

When the Android system suddenly fails or shuts down, all the lost files will be collected into this folder. That is to say, if accidents happen, the Android system will recover files during the next system boot up and place these files into Android LOST.DIR directory. At the same time, the filename extension of files will be replaced by the numeric sequence name. So, you can't recognize these files. If you delete the LOST.DIR folder, it will be recreated automatically in the next boot up.

What happens if you delete the LOST.DIR folder from an SD card? Basically, nothing will happen when you delete that folder. But if you want to learn how to recover LOST.DIR files, you can read on to get LOST.DIR recovery methods. To restore LOST.DIR files on Android SD card, follow Method 1 to apply reliable SD card recovery software for help. To retrieve LOST.DIR files from Android internal storage, refer to Method 2 with practical Android file recovery software for help.

Method 1. How to Recover LOST.DIR Files on Android SD Card
Method 2. Restore LOST.DIR Files from Android Devices
Method 3. Recover LOST.DIR Files by Adding Filename Extension

Method 1. How to Recover LOST.DIR Files on Android SD Card

As the LOST.DIR folder will be generated again when Android devices reboot. Therefore, the more urgent task is to find the lost files from LOST.DIR folder. First,download and install reliable file recovery software on your PC. Here, we'd like to recommend you try Qiling data recovery software which simplifies the recovery process in 3 steps.

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Next, you need to connect the SD card of your Android phones or tablets to your PC and follow the tutorial steps below to bring back all missing files:

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

Download and install Deep Data Recovery on your Windows PC.
Use the proper way to connect your SanDisk/Lexar/Transcend SD card to the computer.
Launch Deep Data Recovery, select file types and click "Next" to start.

Select file types that you want to recover

Step 2. Select the SD card to scan

All connected drives will display here. Select your SD card and click "Scan".

Step 3. Check for scan results

Wait for the scanning process to complete.
Click "Filter" and specify one or several file types to show up, like Pictures, Word, Excel, PDF, Videos and so on.
Click "Preview" to check if they are the wanted files.

Step 4. Recover SD card data

Choose desired files and click "Recover".
Choose a different location to save the recovered files instead of the original SD card.

Method 2. Restore LOST.DIR Files from Android Devices

As you know that most Android devices no longer need to add an external SD card to extend the device storage capacity. About 90% of Android devices only contain one internal storage. So when you deleted or removed files on your Android devices or cleaned the LOST.DIR folder files, how to bring the lost files back? Reliable Android data recovery software is your best choice.

Qiling MobiSaver for Android enables you to bring the LOST.DIR files and other important lost data in only a few simple clicks. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Connect your Android phone to the computer

Install and run Qiling MobiSaver for Androidand connect your Android phone to the computer with a USB cable. Then click the "Start" button to make the software recognize and connect your device.

Step 2. Scan Android phone to find the lost data

After connected your Android phone, the software will quickly scan the device to find all the existing and lost data. You can easily find the lost files you want by choosing the correct file types.

Step 3. Preview and recover data from Android phone

Preview all the recoverable files and select the items you want to recover quickly. Then,click the "Recover" button to get the selected files back once.

If you don't want to use a computer, you can use theQiling MobiSaver app version.

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Step 1. Launch the app on your phone and start scanning the SD card by tapping the "START SCAN" button.

Step 2. Deleted files now appear on the screen.

Step 3. Tap on settings. You can set preferences to let the software scan and display certain file sizes, file formats, etc.

Step 4. After the scan, select displayed files and tap on "Recover". Tap on the eye icon. All the recovered files are kept there.

recover lost.dir on using android app

Method 3. Recover LOST.DIR Files by Adding Filename Extension

Another method to recover LOST.DIR files is to add a filename extension. The filename extension indicates the type of a file and can be opened by certain software. Follow the steps to add a filename extension.

Step 1. Find LOST.DIR folder on your Android phone.

Step 2. Check all LOST.DIR files to batch rename them.

Step 3. The common picture formats include jpg, png, jpeg, etc. The common video formats include mp4, mov, avi, etc.

rename file extension manually

Extra Tip - How to Copy Restored Files to the LOST.DIR Folder

After restoring the LOST.DIR files, you can save the restored filesto the LOST.DIR folder on your Android external SD card and reboot the device again. If you have further questions about the LOST.DIR or Android data recovery, you can use the Search option or browse to find answers on the Android Data Recovery page.

For those who want to make the existing files readable or recognizable in the LOST.DIR folder, you can try the below tips:

Step 1. Connect the Android SD card or Android device to your PC and copy the LOST.DIR folder to your desktop.

Step 2. Open the copied LOST.DIR folder and change the file extensions to recognizable ones.

For example, change a music file to .mp3, an audio file to .mp4, an image to .jpg, etc. You can repeat the steps one by one to try to make the files contained in the LOST.DIR recognizable and workable.

Conclusion

In this post, you have learned about what LOST.DIR is and how to recover files from LOST.DIR. If you still have questions, you can contact us. Besides, SD card recovery, Qiling data recovery software can help you recover hard drive files, restore data from formatted drives, and repair MP4/MOV/JPG/JPEG/GIF files with ease.

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Frequently Asked Questions to LOST.DIR on Android Devices

Many Android users may have experienced the same situation when they browse or check the Android storage, they find a strange folder named LOST.DIR? And some of you may have the same doubts about this folder as listed here:

Q 1. Is the LOST.DIR a virus?
Q 2. Can the LOST.DIR files are deleted?
Q 3. Can lost files be recovered?
Q 4. How do I prevent lost .dir?

If you are urgent to learn everything about the LOST.DIR or having the same doubts about this folder on your Android SD card or internal storage, relax. Read on and you'll get complete answers to all these questions.

1. Is the LOST.DIR a virus?

LOST.DIR is not a virus. It is a folder created by the Android system to collect files that are lost when the Android system fails accidentally. In this way, you can recover these files after the system boots up again.

2. Can the LOST.DIR files be deleted?

Yes! The LOSt.DIR folder is created while the Android device boots up. Once the device starts up, all caches will be retrieved from the device. As a result, the folder is usually empty in many scenarios.

Therefore, you can delete the folder. But the next time, when you reboot your Android device, the folder will show up again.

3. Can lost files be recovered?

Yes. But it's not an easy job to recover the lost files from LOST.DIR just like you do from Windows Recycle Bin. The reason is that all files are in LOST.DIR are named with random numbers instead of the original names they were given. You can directly identify them one by one. To resolve this issue, you'll need the help of a proficient data recovery solution - Qiling data recovery software.

If data has been physically overwritten on a hard disk drive, it is generally assumed that the previous data are no longer possible to recover.

4. How do I prevent LOST.DIR on Android Phone?

There are two ways to avoid LOST.DIR:

Flash phone or format the SD card
Manage the smartphone properly - before ejecting the SD card, you should close all programs and shut down your phone manually to end the read-write process.