How to Repair a Corrupted SD Card on Mac?

Memory Cards
1

I have an SD card that got corrupted after an interrupted file transfer on my Mac. I really need the files back. How can I fix it? Any help or software recommendations would be appreciated.

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I had a similar issue with my SD card on Mac, and I managed to fix it without losing any data. Here’s what you can try:

  1. Use Disk Utility: Open Disk Utility on your Mac. Select your corrupted SD card from the sidebar, then click on ‘First Aid.’ This function checks the disk for errors and attempts to repair it. It might take a bit of time, but it’s often effective.

  2. If Disk Utility doesn’t solve the problem, try a recovery tool like Disk Drill for Mac. It’s designed to recover lost files from corrupted storage devices. I’ve found it incredibly user-friendly and effective in rescuing data that seemed lost forever. Here’s a quick guide:

    • Download and install Disk Drill for Mac.
    • Insert your SD card and open the software.
    • Select the SD card from the list of available drives.
    • Click ‘Recover’ and follow the on-screen instructions.

Disk Drill has a high success rate for recovering files from corrupted SD cards, and the best part is you can preview the files before actually recovering them, which ensures you’re getting the right data back.

  1. Terminal Commands: If you’re comfortable using Terminal, you can try out some commands to repair the SD card. Here’s a simple one:

    sudo diskutil repairDisk /dev/disk2

    Replace /dev/disk2 with the actual path of your SD card, which you can find in Disk Utility under the ‘Info’ tab.

  2. Professional Help: If these methods don’t work, consider consulting a professional data recovery service. It’s a bit more expensive, but you should rely on them for critical data.

For more detailed steps on using Disk Utility’s First Aid, you can refer to the official guide here: ‘First Aid guide’.

Hope these solutions help! Let us know how it goes, and feel free to ask more questions if you run into issues.

15 Likes
3

Hey @codecrafter, some great tips there! However, I have had a slightly different experience and found a few other methods useful that might save your data without getting too technical or reliant on a single software. Here’s what worked for me in the past:

  1. Reformat with ExFAT: Before jumping on recovery tools, sometimes a simple reformat solves the issue and then you can attempt data recovery. Use Disk Utility to reformat the SD card to ExFAT (make sure you’ve tried backing up what you can first). After reformatting, use recovery tools like Disk Drill for Mac to get your files back. You’d be surprised how many files it can recover even after reformatting.

  2. Check for Physical Damage: Sometimes, the problem might be a hardware issue rather than software corruption. Try using a different card reader or inserting the SD card into another device to rule out a faulty card reader on your Mac.

  3. File Salvage Tools: Besides Disk Drill, another solid tool is PhotoRec. It’s free and open-source, which can be a great alternative if you want to keep costs down. Although its interface is not as polished as Disk Drill, it’s effective in many cases.

  4. Using FSCK command in Terminal: For those who are more comfortable with Terminal (and if Disk Utility fails), the FSCK command can sometimes do wonders. Here’s a command you can run, make sure your SD card is unmounted first.

    sudo fsck_hfs -r -d /dev/disk2

    Again, replace /dev/disk2 with your actual disk identifier.

  5. Recovery Specialists: If none of these methods work, seeking help from professional recovery services like DriveSavers might be necessary. Yes, it’s expensive, but worth it for irreplaceable data.

Lastly, prevention is key. Always ensure you safely eject your SD card before removing it and consider regular backups to avoid such heart-stopping moments in the future.

For a more detailed walkthrough, you can check this article. It offers comprehensive steps on tackling these issues on a Mac.

Good luck, and I hope you get your data back soon! Feel free to reach out if you hit any other roadblocks.

4

Hey folks, been through the SF valley of corrupted SD cards myself numerous times. While @nachtdromer and @codecrafter shared some stellar tips, especially about Disk Drill for Mac, I’d like to toss in some additional suggestions and alternate approaches.

  • Try a Different Mac or Reader: Before diving into software solutions, test your SD card on a different Mac or an entirely different card reader. Tech quirks can sometimes be device-specific, and this simple step might save you loads of time and effort.

  • Backup Before Recovery: Guess this is the standard, but many users overlook it – try to create an image or backup of your corrupted SD card before attempting any repairs. Apple’s dd command in the Terminal is great for this:

    sudo dd if=/dev/[SOURCE_DISK] of=~/Desktop/sdcard_backup.img

  • DiskWarrior: I’ve found that besides Disk Drill for Mac, DiskWarrior can be quite the knight in shining armor for Mac users. However, it’s on the pricey side and might not be for everyone, but it’s worth a shot if other methods fail.

  • Reformatting: While @nachtdromer mentioned reformatting with ExFAT as a precursor, I have to stress: Always attempt data recovery first before reformatting. Reformatting, even to ExFAT, can sometimes lead to irreversible data loss for certain files, especially if the corruption is severe.

  • PhotoRec: While it’s not as polished and user-friendly as Disk Drill for Mac, its open-source nature and cost-free benefit (if you’re budget-conscious) can be a lifesaver. Just be prepared for a less streamlined experience.

Pros of Disk Drill for Mac:

  • Great User Interface: Easy to navigate.
  • Preview Feature: Allows you to see files before recovery.
  • High Success Rate: Reliable in many use cases.

Cons of Disk Drill for Mac:

  • Costly: Can be a bit expensive, especially for those on a tight budget.
  • Requires Installation: Some users prefer no-download solutions for quick fixes.

Remember, multiple tools can cover different needs. However, if you are to go with Disk Drill, @codecrafter’s guide is a solid starting point. On the more technical side, if both Disk Utility and fsck_hfs fail, creating a disk image and working from there can sometimes yield better outcomes than working directly on the corrupted SD card.

Stay cool and good luck with your recovery journey!

5

Oh wow, I landed on this forum just in time. I recently bought myself a Mac (always used Windows before), and I decided to move all my photos from the SD card of my old Canon. But the Mac just won’t recognize the card at all. I tried reinserting it several times, still nothing.

Could this mean the SD card is corrupted? And if so, what should I do? There are so many different methods mentioned here that I honestly don’t know where to start. The photos aren’t super critical, but I also don’t want to lose them if there’s a way to save them.

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Based on my experience with SD cards, if you don’t feel like testing every single method suggested above, here’s a sequence that usually works best:

  • Create a full byte-to-byte backup of your SD card. Since the card isn’t accessible with basic tools, you’ll need recovery software for this. I’d recommend picking a program that can both make the backup and handle data recovery (something like Disk Drill or Stellar). This way you don’t have to juggle multiple utilities.

  • Recover your data from the backup, not directly from the card. Why? SD cards are fragile by nature, and once they’re corrupted, they become even more sensitive. Running deep scans directly on the card increases the chance it will fail completely. By working from the clone, you protect the original media.

  • Format the SD card. Do it either on your Mac or even in your Canon camera, whichever you find easier. In most cases, reformatting resolves 99% of corruption issues. If formatting doesn’t help, meaning the card still won’t show up or acts unstable, it’s time to replace it. At that point, the hardware itself is likely at fault.

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Thanks mate @Riley, it worked :raising_hands:. I followed the same sequence you described and used Disk Drill, and that’s what finally solved it. Seems like Disk Drill is the best macOS tool to recover data from a corrupted SD card. Everything came back without any issues, and I can finally get back to editing my footage.

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@Quinn, @Riley gave a really solid walkthrough, that’s exactly how I’d handle it too. I’d just throw in one more thing: you can also try TestDisk. It’s a free tool that sometimes works miracles when the SD card has a messed-up partition table or file system. Basically, it can repair a corrupted card or help you recover files if the structure’s still there. But fair warning that it’s not the prettiest app out there and it runs in Terminal, so you’ll need a bit of patience.

But TestDisk actually writes changes when you tell it to fix something. So if you pick the wrong option, you could make things worse instead of better. That’s why having a full byte-to-byte backup first is a lifesaver (better not to need it than to end up wishing you had no one).

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@Tom thanks for the tip! This time I managed to fix everything without using TestDisk, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind. If I ever run into the same issue again, I’ll give it a try for sure. Appreciate the advice

10

Hey everyone. Looks like I’m not the only one dealing with this kind of issue. Maybe someone can tell me what I did wrong? My SD card from my DJI dron seems to bacum corrupted while I was transferring files to my Mac. I saw a few recommendations here and decided to go with PhotoRec, like @SuenoDelBosque mentioned earlier. I ran the scan, it found a ton of files and I spent hours sorting them into folders. But when I started opening the videos, most of them were just black screens. No picture, no sound, nothing. Does anyone know what’s going on here?

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@Sarah, yeah, don’t stress over it too much. That’s just file fragmentation. Look it up online if you want the details, but basically, when video files get split across different parts of the SD card, recovery tools like PhotoRec can’t always stitch them back together correctly. Sadly, that’s just how it goes with most camera footage, once it’s fragmented, you’re lucky if even a few clips play normally. You’ll probably just have to live with it.

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Sorry, gotta disagree a bit here @Tom. You’re right that it’s a common issue with SD card video recovery, but I’ve seen Disk Drill handle this way better lately. They added a module that basically rebuilds fragmented videos piece by piece (kind of like a puzzle). I haven’t seen that feature in most other recovery apps people usually recommend. I actually found out about it from a Reddit thread (yeah, I know, I live on forums, judge me if you want) and tested it myself. The videos came back in one piece and fully playable.

!!! Of course, that’s assuming we’re talking about logical corruption, not physical damage. If the SD card itself is scratched or has broken memory cells, then you’ll still end up with unreadable or “black screen” videos (no software can fix that).

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Oh really? I didn’t even know Disk Drill had that kind of update. I don’t usually keep up with those things. Gotta test it out sometime when I have a free evening. Thanks for the heads-up

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Haha, reading through this thread feels like a support group for people who’ve lost their SD cards :sweat_smile:. Just a quick heads-up for anyone diving into recovery software, whether it’s Disk Drill, Stellar, PhotoRec, or R-Studio, be ready to wait. A scan can take ages if your card’s big or badly corrupted. Go grab coffee, binge a show, or take a walk while it does its thing :hot_beverage::television:.

And seriously, once you get your files back, learn from the pain:

  • Always eject the SD card properly before pulling it out of your Mac or camera.

  • Back up your files somewhere else right after transferring them.

  • Every few months, reformat the card in-camera to keep it healthy.

Do that and you won’t have to spend another weekend staring at a “scanning drive… 0%” screen. Been there, done that :joy:.

15

Looks like we make a pretty good team here, @Uma.

So, for anyone who lands on this thread trying to figure out how to recover data from a corrupted SD card and fix it afterward - follow everything I wrote earlier, and also pay attention to what @Uma said. The guy clearly knows what he’s talking about. And remember that first comes recovery, then formatting. That order saves lives (well, at least your files). And hey, keeping a spare SD card around never hurts either.

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Thanks a lot, everyone! I’m gonna test Disk Drill now and see how it goes. Appreciate all the tips and patience here

Upd: tried Disk Drill, and wow, the videos actually work this time! Thanks again to everyone who helped out