Recover lost files

Finding your precious lost pictures

Download file recovery software

If you have accidentally deleted precious photographs from a memory card, don't despair. 

It's quite straightforward to get the pictures back and there's plenty of software on the web that can help.

Here, we’ve used CardRecovery for Windows (there is also an alternative for Apple Macs available, called Card Rescue). First, you click on the download link. 

Click Download Now and save the file to your Desktop. Double-click to install.

Insert memory card

The next step is to insert the memory card from which you have deleted your pictures. 

You can put it into your computer if there’s a compatible slot, or you can use a USB memory card reader. 

Ignore any messages that may appear onscreen. 

To start the recovery software, click the Start button > All Programs > Card Recovery > Card Recovery.

Find the lost files

To find out where those lost files are, click Next and select the drive letter of the memory card or device using the drop-down menu. 

Similarly, select your camera type. Click Next again and CardRecovery will begin searching for your lost files. Click Next.

You’ll now be able to look at the pictures the software has recovered a few at a time using the drop-down menu to select, then hitting the Preview button.

Recover the lost files

Assuming the file or files you are looking for have appeared, you will now be able to recover them. First, you will need to buy the software.

Click Next to be redirected back to the Card Recovery website. Enter your payment details (the software costs £30). 

Check your email for a message containing a licence key to copy into the Card Recovery screen. 

Click Next and the recovered files will be saved to your computer.