Quick Way | How to Recover Locked SD Card Pictures/Files

You're just back from a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, your SD card brimming with breathtaking photos. You insert the card into your computer, heart pounding with excitement, only to find that it's locked. Panic sets in. Those precious moments, seemingly trapped behind a digital lock, might be lost forever. How to recover photo from locked SD card? Fear not, for this guide is your key to unlocking the SD card and reovering deleted photos from SD card.

How to Unlock SD Card (5 Practical Ways)

Unlocking an SD card is crucial for accessing your data. Can a locked SD card be unlocked? Yes. Here are 5 effective ways on how to unlock SD cards so that you can read or access files again. 

Method 1. Unlock SD Card with the Lock Switch

Most SD cards and memory cards have a physical lock switch on the side or bottom. If your SD card is locked, check for this switch and flip it to unlock the card.

If the switch is loose or stays in the locked position, the card may be damaged.

Method 2. Unlock SD Card with a Password

How to unlock SD card without switch? If you use SD card on Android phone, you can unlock the memory card with password. Here we take Samsung phone as an example to show you how to unlock SD card with password:

Step 1. Open the “Settings” app, go to "Lock screen and Security", and choose "Decrypt SD card".

Step 2. Input your password, PIN or pattern, and wait for the decryption process to complete.

Method 3. Unlock SD Card Using CMD

How to unlock SD card write protected? If your SD card is write-protected and does not have a physical switch, you can unlock it using the Command Prompt (CMD) on Windows. It is a native application for Windows OS and you can use it to recover data from hard drives (both local disks and external drives).

Step 1. Connect the SD card to computer and ensure it is recognizable.

Step 2. Press Windows + X  and select “Windows PowerShell (Admin)” from the pop-up menu.

Step 3. Then, type the following command line in turn and press “Enter” .

• diskpart 
• list disk
• select disk # ( here # refer to the number of your SD card from the list disk command)
• attributes disk clear readonly

Step 4.  Once it says “Disk attributes cleared successfully”, check if the write protection has been removed.

Method 4. Unlock SD card with Disk Utility

If you are running on a Mac, don’t worry. You can change the read-only properties of your SD card data using Disk Utility. Read on and follow the details below to learn how to unlock SanDisk SD card on Mac devices:

Step 1. Plug in the SD card into your Mac.

Step 2. On the “Go” menu, click  “Utilities”, and then run the “Disk Utility”.

Step 3. Select the SD card, click on “First Aid”, and follow the on-screen instructions. 

Method 5. Unlock SD Card by Formatting

If none of the previous methods work, your SD card may be corrupted or infected with a virus. In this case, formatting the SD card can unlock it. Now, let's see how to fix a locked SD card by formatting.

​ Step 1. Insert the infected SD card into your computer. To be safe, it is better to run antivirus software to remove viruses or malware from the SD card to avoid infecting your computer.

Step 2. After that, open Windows File Explorer and find the SD card drive. Right-click on it and click on the "Format..." button.

Step 3. Then, select the “Quick” option and click OK.

How to Recover Lost Pictures/Files from SD Card 🔥

Losing data can be stressful, but here is the best way to help you recover lost pictures or files from an SD card. MyRecover is a robust tool designed for the recovery of data from various storage devices, including locked or corrupted SD cards. Its strengths lie in its user-friendly interface, powerful recovery algorithms, and the ability to recover a wide array of file types.

Now, download and run MyRecover on your PC. Follow the simple recovery steps below and start to  recover files from your SD card.

Step 1. Select the SD card to scan

Connect your SD card to your computer. Hover the mouse over the SD card saved deleted files before, and click Scan.

Step 2. Check for scan results

Subsequently, this tool will begin to scan your lost and missing files.

Step 3. Recover SD card data

Select the wanted files from the list and tap on “Recover x files”. Please note that it is preferable to recover files to another secure location instead of the SD card location.

When, How and Why Does an SD Card Get Locked?

SD cards can get locked in a number of ways:

• Most full-size SD cards come with a lock switch. Frequent use or simply carrying the card around can accidentally toggle this switch.
• If you're not careful, you might accidentally select the wrong option in your camera menu or Android app, which can write-protect or "lock" your SD card.
• You might have accidentally set your SD card to read-only or adjusted access permissions for certain files or folders on your computer.
• File system corruption can also render your SD card inaccessible.

Conclusion

Facing a locked SD card or the loss of precious files can be daunting, but it's often not the end of the story. By methodically following these steps, you can recover locked SD card pictures easily. Also, MyRecover is easy and efficient to recover files from formatted hard drive. So, you don't need to worry about SD card data loss. Remember, regular backups are your best defense against data loss.

FAQs

1.How do I remove protection from photos on my SD card?

Many SD cards have a small switch on the side that locks the card to prevent writing. Make sure this switch is set to the "unlock" position: Find the switch: The switch is usually located on the side of the SD card. It may be labeled with a padlock icon.

2. How do I remove the lock on my micro SD card?

SD cards have a write lock. This is a switch on the side of the card. The down position means write protection is on, and the up position means write protection is off.

3. How do I unlock locked photos on my SD card?

Right-click a file on the SD card to select "Get Info", then under "|Sharing & Permissions" you will find "Read Only" under Permissions. Click the lock icon and enter your admin password to unlock the settings, then click "Read Only" to change it to "Read and Write".

4. Can I recover photos from formatted SD card?

Yes, it's often possible to recover photos from formatted SD card using file recovery software, as long as new data hasn't overwritten the lost files.

5. How can I prevent my SD card from getting locked again?

Create a file backups regularly, keep the physical lock switch in the "Unlock" position, and use antivirus software to protect against malware.

6. Can I recover specific types of files, like RAW photos or 4K videos?

Yes, most recovery software supports a wide range of file types, including RAW photos and high-resolution video formats. Make sure to check the software's supported file types before proceeding.