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

Overview of FAT32 File Recovery The FAT32 file system is an old yet widely used file system developed by Microsoft for storing and managing data on computers. Although it has been succeeded by more modern systems like NTFS and exFAT, FAT32 remains a preferred choice for certain devices and scenarios, such as USB drives, SD cards, and older operating systems. However, FAT32 files can be lost due to various reasons, including accidental deletion, formatting, virus attacks, or hardware failures. In such cases, FAT32 file recovery becomes crucial. The process of FAT32 file recovery typically involves the following steps: 1. **Cease Device Usage**: As soon as you notice file loss, immediately stop all write operations on the device. New data might overwrite the lost files, making recovery more challenging. 2. **Backup Data**: If feasible, create a full backup of the device. This safeguards against further data damage during the recovery process. 3. **Select a Recovery Tool**: There are numerous professional data recovery software options available, such as Recuva or tools Data Recovery Wizard, which support FAT32 file system recovery. 4. **Scan the Device**: Run the chosen data recovery software, select the FAT32 drive to scan, and initiate a deep scan to locate lost files. 5. **Preview and Recover Files**: The software will display found files, allowing you to preview the content of certain types. Select the files you wish to recover and save them to a secure location. 6. **Check Recovered Files**: After recovery, verify that the files are complete and readable. If some files cannot be recovered, professional data recovery services might be needed. Keep in mind that while these steps provide a general guideline, the success rate of FAT32 file recovery depends on multiple factors, such as how long the files have been deleted, the health of the disk, and whether backups were in place. Therefore, regularly backing up your data is always the best strategy to prevent file loss.

Brands like Samsung, SanDisk, PNY, Transcend, Sony, Kingston, Lexar, and Toshiba make our lives and work easier by providing extra storage capacity (usually from 2GB to 64GB) through SD cards. The FAT32 file system used by SD cards makes them compatible with devices such as PCs, cameras, smartphones, gaming consoles, and more.

Be careful with the FAT32 SD card, as mentioned above. The memory card might become corrupt or damaged. The FAT32 file system can become RAW. When your SD card turns RAW, it means that there is no file system on it. To recover, you must reformat it to FAT32 on a Windows-based computer. In this case, you will lose all data on the memory card.

How to recover data from FAT32 SD card/hard drive on Windows 10

If you're a Windows 11/10/8/7 user, there are two ways to recover data from a FAT32 SD card or hard drive. One is by using a Windows data recovery tool, and the other is to check your backups. Follow these steps to restore data from a FAT32 SD card/USB/HDD: 1. **Use a Windows Data Recovery Tool:** - Download and install a reliable recovery software like tools Data Recovery Wizard or Recuva. - Connect your FAT32 SD card or hard drive to your computer. - Launch the data recovery software and select the SD card or hard drive as the scanning target. - Start a full scan to locate lost files. - Preview recoverable files and choose the ones you need to restore. - Click the "Recover" button to save the files to a safe location. 2. **Check Your Backups:** - If you have the habit of backing up your data regularly, you can recover files from the backup. - For system backups (like System Image), look for the recovery option in Control Panel > Backup and Restore. - For file backups, ensure the backup is stored elsewhere, then copy the files back to the FAT32 drive or another secure location. Keep in mind that recovering data might require purchasing the full version of the software, as free trials often have limitations. Additionally, avoid saving the recovered files in the same location where the data was lost to prevent overwriting other lost data.

Method 1: Recover Data from a FAT32 Hard Drive with Data Recovery Software

Moreover, accidental deletion, formatting, virus attacks, and other threats can put the content on your SD card at risk. In most cases, an immediate FAT32 SD Card Data Recovery solution is required. Here, you need to know how to restore data files from a FAT32 SD card using free memory card recovery software after the incident happens. Among all, Data Recovery Wizard by Tools stands out with the following highlights:

• 0:00 Introduction to SD Card Recovery
• 0:30 What to do when you lose files from your SD card:
• 2:58 Insert the SD card
• 3:43 Step 1. Launch the Data Recovery Wizard.
• 4:15 Step 2. Wait for the scanning process to complete.
• 4:40 Step 3. Select the files and click "Preview" to check lost files.

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If you prefer a step-by-step guide, follow the instructions below to perform the FAT32 SD card data recovery by yourself:

Step 1. Connect your SD card, memory card or CF card to the computer and launch the Memory Card Recovery tool on the PC. The SD card will be shown under "Devices". Select it and click "Scan" to start searching for lost data.

Step 2: The software will automatically start scanning. This scan is very powerful and can find all lost files, even those that have lost their file names. When the scan is finished, you'll be able to find your deleted items in the tree view on the left panel. If you're looking for a specific type of file, such as photos, documents, videos, or emails, click on the "Filter" button to narrow down the search.

Step 3. You can preview the content of the files by double-clicking on them. After that, select the files you need and click “Recover” to save them to a secure location on your computer or any other external storage device.

Method 2: Retrieve FAT32 SD Card/Hard Drive Data with File History

Users on Windows 11/10/8.1 have a built-in backup feature called File History. It backs up the Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Desktop folders, and OneDrive files to a designated drive. If you had enabled this feature, you can use File History to restore FAT32 data.

Step 1: Click in the search box and type File History.

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

Step 3: Select the files you need to recover and preview them.

Step 4. Click the green "Restore" button.

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

If you're a Mac user, the process of recovering from a FAT32 SD card or hard drive might be slightly different. You still have two options for macOS data recovery. One is to use the tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. The other is to recover your data with Time Machine. Keep reading for more information.

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

Tools offers data recovery solutions for Mac. With it, you can recover deleted files on macOS Ventura, Monterey, Big Sur, Catalina, and more. It also supports recovery from hard drives, SSDs, USB flash drives, thumb drives, SD cards, memory cards, and more. Download this reliable tool now to recover data from your SD card.

Step 1: Choose your SD card

Connect your memory card to the Mac correctly. Launch the tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. Go to "SD Card Recovery", find your Canon/Nikon/GoPro/DJI/Sony SD card, and then click "Search for lost files".

Note: Before you proceed with data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” from the left sidebar and create a backup of your SD card to prevent further data loss. After backing up your SD card, the software can recover data from the SD card backup, and you can then safely remove the SD card and use it again.

Select the location and scan the lost SD card data

Step 2: Filter Lost SD Card Data

When the scan is finished, all the files will be displayed in the left pane of the scan results. Find the photos, videos, and other files you want.

Step 3: Preview and recover the data

Preview the SD card data and select the files you need. Then, click on the “Recover” button. To prevent data overwriting, avoid saving the recoverable files to the SD card itself.

Method 2: Recover Data from a FAT32 SD Card Using Time Machine

Mac users also have a built-in backup and recovery tool called Time Machine. It backs up applications, music, photos, email, and documents. You can do a Time Machine data recovery by following these steps: Restore from Time Machine.

Step 1: Connect the hard drive with the Time Machine backup.

Step 2: You'll see the “Time Machine” backup drive. Open it, and then click on the database file to see its contents.

Step 3. Copy the files you want to recover to the new drive.

Conclusions

There are methods to recover data from a FAT32 formatted SD card, hard drive, or USB flash drive whether you're using Windows or macOS. It's recommended that you use data recovery software because it's quick and easy. You can even recover files from an SD card without a backup.

Frequently Asked Questions on Recovering Data from FAT32 SD Card

If you still have questions, you can get more help from the Frequently Asked Questions below.

**1. How to recover data from a FAT32 formatted drive?**

You can retrieve data from a FAT32 drive by following these steps:

1. Download and install the tools Data Recovery Wizard software
2. Select the FAT32 partition and click "Scan"
3. After scanning, search for lost data by file type
4. Select the required 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 format recovery possible? Yes. While formatting an SD card leads to the loss of files on the device, it doesn't mean that the data is completely gone. Formatting only ruins the data structure on the card. Actually, the data still exists.

How do I fix a corrupted SD card?

You can fix a corrupted SD card and perform a corrupted SD card recovery with the solutions below:

• Change the SD card drive letter
• Fix a corrupted file system
• Update the SD card driver
• Format the damaged SD card

4. What is the best FAT32 Recovery Tool?

There are plenty of reliable free data recovery tools to choose from. For Mac and Windows, tools Data Recovery Wizard is your best bet. For Linux, PhotoRec is the way to go.