Recover Data from RAW SD Card on MacBook Air/Pro [4 Workable Solutions]

An SD card is a common portable storage device used to save photos, videos, documents, etc., especially for Mac users with limited storage space. However, many users encounter an error message that their Mac refuses to access the SD card because it has become RAW, meaning you can't access data saved on the SD card in RAW format. Hence, the SD card might not show up in Finder or Disk Utility.

Don't worry! In this article, we will show you 4 practical solutions to recover data from RAW SD card on Mac.

Before we proceed to the recovery of RAW format SD card, we will first explain what is a RAW formatted SD card and why your SD card becomes RAW in the first place, so you can better understand how to recover all your data without losing anything.

"RAW SD card" refers to a state of a memory card, usually indicating that the file system on the card is not recognized or has become corrupted by the operating system. When you attempt to access an SD card on a computer and it appears as RAW format, it means that no file system has been assigned to it, or the file system is damaged. In this situation, you cannot read from or write to the SD card, and it needs to be formatted to be usable again. However, before formatting, it's crucial to back up any important data, as this process will result in the loss of all data on the card.

When your SD card turns RAW, it doesn't mean that it's a real file system type; rather, it indicates there's a problem with the card. A RAW SD card implies that the card has no file system without formatting.

Or its file system might be corrupted, making it unreadable to your Mac. In that case, you need to take measures to convert the inaccessible RAW SD card to a Mac-readable format like HFS+, APFS, or NTFS, etc.

Why Does SD Card Become RAW?

If your SD card suddenly becomes RAW and you're unable to read or access data on the RAW SD card, you might wonder what caused it. Here are some primary reasons that can lead to an SD card turning RAW:

• The file system is corrupted, damaged, or missing.
• There are bad sectors on the SD card.
• Its file system is incompatible with your Mac.
• You accidentally formatted the SD card on your Mac.

Once the SD card turns RAW, macOS will prompt you to format it so you can use it again. Formatting the RAW SD card will make it readable again, but unfortunately, you'll lose all data on the RAW SD card.

The good news is that this post was created to solve this problem! In this article, you will learn four methods to recover data from a RAW SD card and then format the RAW SD card to make it work normally.

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How to Recover Data from a Bad Sector SD Card on Mac

This article offers detailed advice on how to recover data from an SD card with bad sectors on your Mac. Read More >>

Recover Data from RAW SD Card on Mac: 4 Proven Ways

Here are four verified methods to recover data from a RAW SD card on your Mac. Before you attempt data recovery from a RAW SD card, back it up first to safeguard your important data. This way, you won't risk losing your data twice in case the recovery doesn't go as expected.

Method 1: Recover RAW SD Card Data on Mac with Software

As mentioned above, a RAW SD card is not readable, so attempting to recover data from it sounds like a tough job. But that's only if you haven't found the right way. In this part, we'll introduce the best SD card recovery software for Mac:

A professional data recovery tool like Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can easily read and recover data from RAW SD card!

Moreover, the Mac data recovery tool also offers a free Mac RAW recovery version. It not only supports data recovery from RAW partitions on Mac but also allows you to recover data from formatted Mac hard drives and SD cards, even if you formatted them by mistake according to the instructions.

Follow the steps below to recover data from RAW SD card with just a few clicks:

Step 1: Choose an SD card

• Connect your memory card to your Mac correctly. Launch the Disk Drill for Mac data recovery software.
• Select "SD Card Recovery," find your Canon/Nikon/GoPro/DJI/Sony SD card, and click "Search for lost files."

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

Step 2: Filter out lost SD card data

When the scan is finished, all 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 want, then click the “Recover” button. To prevent overwriting data, do not save recoverable files back to the SD card.

After recovering data from RAW SD card, you can format it with peace of mind to fix the issue without the fear of data loss.

Please share this article on social media to help others learn how to recover data from a RAW format SD card.

Method 2: Recover Data from RAW SD Card Using iCloud

A simple way to recover data from an unreadable RAW SD card is through iCloud. iCloud is a cloud storage service developed by Apple that supports storing and synchronizing your photos, videos, music, documents, and more.

You can recover deleted photos from iCloud, as well as restore files from other devices, but only if you had iCloud Backup enabled or previously manually backed up the data on your RAW SD card to iCloud.

To view your iCloud files on a Mac, follow these steps:

Step 1. Click the Apple menu and select “System Preferences.” Then, click your name at the top of the sidebar.

Step 2: Tap “iCloud > iCloud Drive” to see your files and folders.

Step 3: Find the needed data from the RAW SD card and manually restore them to your Mac.

Method 3: Recover RAW SD Card Data with Time Machine

If you backed up the data on your RAW SD card with a Mac Time Machine, you can restore from the Time Machine backup:

Step 1: Click the Apple icon and choose “System Preferences.”

Step Two: Click on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar.

Step 3: Choose Enter Time Machine.

Click “Enter Time Machine mode.”

Step 4. Select the data you wish to recover from your RAW SD card and click “Recover”.

Method 4: Repair RAW SD Card on Mac with Disk Utility

Files on a RAW SD card might appear deleted due to a corrupted file system, which can be caused by improper ejection and random write errors. In this case, you can use the powerful file system repair tool called "First Aid," built into macOS and located within "Disk Utility."

Running First Aid on the RAW SD card can fix errors and get it working again. For example, you might see an error that says "First Aid found damaged items that need to be repaired," then you'll need to follow the on-screen instructions to fix the errors.

Follow the steps below to check your RAW SD card on a Mac:

Step 1: Click on “Applications” -> “Utilities” -> “Disk Utility.”

Step 2. Select your RAW SD card from the list of storage devices.

Step 3: Tap the “First Aid” button.

Click “OK” and “Run” to fix the errors on your RAW SD card.

Conclusions

This article outlines four effective methods to recover data from a RAW SD card on a Mac: using the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool, iCloud, Time Machine backup, and the First Aid feature in Disk Utility. The optimal solution is to use Mac data recovery software to swiftly and securely retrieve your data.

Frequently Asked Questions on Recovering Data from RAW SD Card on Mac

Here are some questions people also ask when searching for how to recover data from a RAW SD card on a Mac. Check them out for more information on recovering RAW SD card data on a Mac:

**How to Format USB to Fat32 on Mac?**

To format a USB flash drive to FAT32 using Disk Utility on your Mac, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open “Applications” > “Utilities” > “Disk Utility.”

Step 2: Select your USB flash drive from the sidebar, then click “Erase.”

Step 3: Select the MS-DOS (FAT) format and Master Boot Record (Scheme).

Step 4: Tap “Erase.”

2. How to fix disk errors when macOS can't?

If you see the "macOS can't repair this disk" error, you can restart your Mac and run First Aid again to fix the disk, use the fsck command to repair the disk, or back up your data and format the disk with Disk Utility.

3. How can I recover RAW SD card on Mac without formatting?

You can use professional data recovery software, such as the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, to retrieve the data from the RAW SD card and then use the “First Aid” feature in Disk Utility to fix it and make it usable again.

How to fix an unreadable SD card on a Mac?

You should investigate the reasons why your Mac can't read the SD card: whether it's due to physical damage on the SD card itself or incompatibility with your Mac. The most likely cause is that your SD card is in RAW format, thus requiring formatting before use. Before formatting, you can attempt to recover the inaccessible data from the SD card using professional SD card recovery software tools, such as Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.