Regarding formatting an SD card on a Mac

An SD card is a handy storage device that users often format to keep it in good condition. Photographers, for instance, prefer formatting their SD cards frequently after every shooting assignment. Sometimes, your SD card might get accidentally formatted on your Mac, resulting in data loss:

    - You accidentally formatted the wrong SD card when having multiple SD cards. - You incorrectly formatted the SD card on your Mac without knowing how to format it properly. - You improperly ejected the SD card from your Mac. - Your Mac suddenly shut down while you were handling files on the SD card. - A computer virus or malware attacked your Mac and the SD card.

Has your SD card been formatted and you need to get your files back? Don't worry, we'll help you recover your precious data. Keep reading, and you'll find 3 simple methods below on how to recover formatted SD card on Mac.

How to Restore Formatted SD Card on Mac with Previous Backup

Users may frequently back up their SD cards on a Mac using Time Machine, iCloud, or backup software. Once your SD card is formatted, you can use these previous backups to restore the formatted SD card on your Mac. Time Machine is the built-in backup and recovery tool for Mac. Let's look at how to recover a formatted SD card from a Mac Time Machine Backup.

Step 1: Launch Time Machine via MacSpotlight

Step 2: Choose a timeline to restore from.

Select the backup timeline

Step 3. Preview the files and click “Recover”.

Restore Formatted SD Card with Time Machine

How to Recover Formatted SD Card on Mac with Recovery Software

Using a professional SD card recovery tool, like SD Card Recovery for Mac, is not complicated. The Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is a reliable and user-friendly solution to all your formatted SD card issues.

There are many reasons why you should choose this security program:

    • Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is primarily designed for retrieving photos from an SD card on Mac. It can restore documents, emails, videos, audio files, and more from formatted SD cards.
    • This tool also enables you to recover a corrupted SD card on Mac. If your photos or videos are damaged or corrupted, the software can fix them.
    • With its file filter and preview feature, you can quickly locate the target files on a formatted SD card.
    • It not only supports SD card recovery but also handles Mac USB recovery, external hard drive recovery, local Mac recovery, memory card recovery, and more.

After the introduction of Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, it's time to walk through the steps to recover formatted SD card on Mac:

Step 1: Select the SD card

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

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

Select the location to scan lost SD card data

Step 2: Filter out lost data from the SD card

When the scan is finished, all the files will be displayed on the left side of the Scan Results screen. Find the photos, videos, and other files you want.

Filter lost data on the SD card

Step 3: Preview and recover the data

Preview the SD card data and select the files you need, then click the "Recover" button. To avoid overwriting your data, do not save the recoverable files back to the SD card itself.

Recover Data from SD Card on Mac

How to Use PhotoRec to Recover a Formatted SD Card on Mac

PhotoRec is a free and open-source recovery tool that can help you retrieve pictures from a formatted SD card on your Mac. The software relies on the Mac Terminal, and we can walk you through how to use this tool to recover your data from a formatted SD card:

Step 1. Open the Terminal app in your Utilities folder.

Open Terminal on Mac 

Step 2: Type sudo photorec and press Enter.

Running PhotoRec in the Terminal

Step 3: Select the target SD card and press Enter to proceed.

Select your SD card in PhotoRec

Step 4: Choose an appropriate file system.

Step 5: Select a location to save the recovered files from formatted SD card.

Select the location to save the recovered files

Step 6. Press Return to begin the restore process.

Recover Formatted SD Card with PhotoRec

In summary,

You have formatted the SD card, or you are going to format SD card on Mac. Some important files got accidentally formatted on the SD card. What would you do then? There is no need to rush to the local store for manually retrieving the lost data, just use Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool to recover formatted SD card.

"Frequently Asked Questions on Formatting SD Card Recovery on Mac"

This section comprises four frequent questions and answers regarding how to recover formatted SD card on Mac.

How to recover undetected SD card on Mac?

What to do if your Mac doesn't detect the SD card? First, check whether the card is damaged or locked. If the SD card looks fine, try these solutions to fix the issue and recover data from the SD card with a Mac Data Recovery Wizard:

    1. Reload your SD card. 2. Use Disk Utility to repair the SD card. 3. Format your SD card.

What is the best SD card recovery tool for Mac?

Here is the list of the best SD card recovery software for Mac:

    1. Mac Data Recovery Wizard. 2. Disk Drill for Mac. 3. TestDisk for Mac. 4. PhotoRec for Mac. 5. Stellar Data Recovery for Mac.

How to Recover Files from a Formatted SD Card on Mac?

The easiest way to recover files from a formatted SD card on a Mac is by using the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac tool.

    < li > 1. Run the software and scan your SD card. < li > 2. Select and preview the lost files on the SD card. < li > 3. Recover the selected files from the SD card.

How do I recover SanDisk SD card on my Mac?

You can download a professional SD card recovery tool to recover SanDisk SD card on Mac. We highly recommend using Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

    1. Run this software and scan your SanDisk SD card. 2. Preview the lost files on the SanDisk SD card. 3. Recover files from the SanDisk SD card.