A lot of the time, when a camera or computer reports that the card needs to be formatted, that does not mean the photos are lost. It simply means the camera or computer cannot read the card's index (the file system). Usually those photos are still stored, intact, in the card's memory, one layer below the broken index. This is why this particular error is so hazardous: the fix the message suggests is the one action that starts destroying the evidence.
Formatting rebuilds the index by wiping it. A quick format on a corrupted card removes exactly the structures a recovery lab would use to locate and organise your photos, along with their names, folder locations and dates. So whenever the photos matter, the correct response to 'format now?' is always no.
Remove the card from the camera and try it in a different card reader. Card readers tend to fail far more often than cards do, and built-in SD card slots on laptops are usually inferior to a quality USB card reader. Try a second computer as well. Also check whether the small sliding lock switch on full-size SD cards has slipped into the locked position, as a locked card behaves strangely: it may refuse to format, and it may refuse to let any new files be written.
If the card shows up but photos seem to be missing, stop using it immediately: do not take test shots, and do not let your phone or camera write anything else to the card. Every new file written to the card can overwrite deleted or orphaned photos. If the card doesn't appear anywhere at all, or appears as the wrong size (a 64GB card showing as 30MB is a classic sign of a failed controller), then no software you could possibly run will help, and that card needs chip-level work.
Many people who run into a misbehaving memory card try to fix it by formatting it, and more often than not they find that even the format fails. Cards that refuse to format are usually either write-protected (the lock slider, or a failing controller that has switched itself to read-only) or failing electrically. Surprisingly enough, this type of failure can often be good news for recovering your data, because controllers that fail into read-only mode will typically leave all of your data readable.
Do not keep running format operations on a card in this state, do not run check disk (chkdsk) cycles against it, and do not run 'repair' utilities on it either. A failing controller should be given fewer instructions rather than more. If this card contained something important to you, treat it like a recovery project rather than a repair project.
For corrupted cards we copy each sector of the memory card and then rebuild your photos and video from this copy, and beyond that first read the original card is never worked on. If the card is dead, shows up as the wrong size, or has physical damage (such as a snapped microSD), we read the memory chip directly and reassemble your images and data from it. Whichever way we proceed, you will know what is recoverable before you spend anything: our diagnostic is free, and in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
A card is very small (it fits in an envelope), so sending it in is easy. Get a quote first by calling us on 0800 689 0668 or completing the free online diagnostic, then tape the card inside a folded piece of card and post it with tracked delivery. All the details are on the memory card recovery page, or begin the free online diagnostic today.
The one rule: if the photos matter, never format a card that wants to be formatted. That message simply means the card's index has broken, and your photos most likely still sit beneath that broken index.
Free diagnostic, fixed quote and, in most cases, you only pay if we recover your data. Start now or call the freephone.