Fix: SD Card Deleting Files by Itself

Why does my SD card keep deleting my files?

Considerable people are using SD cards to do file transferring/storing due to their tiny size and portability.

But to everyone’s confusion, the SD card seems to delete users’ files. Questions like “SD card deleting files by itself, how could I fix it?” can be found on forums.

That’s pretty abnormal and stressful at the same time. But don’t panic, this post will walk you through possible causes and feasible fixes to this issue.

Possible reasons for SD card files disappeared

♦ Virus. If your SD card has been infected with malware and viruses, they could deliberately delete/hide/encrypt your files.

♦ Corruption. When getting physically or logically damaged, SD cards can lose info on it due to bad sectors. Thus you might need to perform corrupted SD card recovery.

♦ Improper ejection. It is unsafe to unplug your SD card without “Safe to Move Hardware”, which can interrupt the data writing process and cause data loss.

Then some corresponding methods to the causes will be introduced in the next part.

Troubleshoot: SD card deleting files by itself

SD card deleted files by itself, what to do? To perform SD card recovery and bring it back to normal, as well as to recover missing files from SD cards, this part is worth reading.

Before the solutions of SD card files disappeared issue

Right before carrying out the fixes, some notable tips are necessary.

• Unplug the SD card (if you haven’t ejected it) properly by checking “Safe to Remove Hardware”.

• Clean the SD card and its interface with a tidy and dry towel or tissue.
• Re-plug the SD card carefully.
• Use antivirus software to scan and kill viruses on the SD card and your machine.

After all is set, now please check the solutions below.

Fix 1. Unhide files disappeared from the SD card

Viruses might hide your files, if so, you could just unhide them to regain access to your missing files.

Step 1. Connect your SD card to your computer > start This PC.

Step 2. Open the SD card > click View > Options > View> Show hidden files, folders, and drives.

Check if there are lost files back or shown. If it failed, move on to the next method.

Fix 2. Fix a corrupted SD card using the CHKDSK command

Physical damage and logical damage can bring errors to SD cards, and in this way lead to data loss. The CHKDSK command in CMD could help you check and fix logical/physical file system errors.

Step 1. Connect your SD card to your device > start Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. Input chkdsk e: /r. replace the e here with the exact drive letter of the SD card.

Step 3. Then cmd.exe will try to look for bad sectors and fix possible errors on your drive.

The /r parameter contains the function of the Recovery command in CMD, thus it can recover readable info from the drive. But the effectiveness won’t be that satisfying.

Fix 3. Backup and format to bring it back to normal

If error fixing still cannot work, you need to get all the data on it as soon as possible, and then reformat it to dress all issues.

Instead of copying files manually, you might as well utilize a professional backup tool for Windows to save your labor and time.

AOMEI Backupper is a useful data backup utility that has many effective features, e.g., Disk Backup, System Backup, Disk Restore, etc.

Now download this freeware to fix the SD card files disappeared issue.

Step 1. Back up SD card data before formatting using AOMEI Backupper easily.

Step 2. Then start Disk Management > right-click the SD card drive > choose Format > specify the Volume label/File system > check Perform a quick format to save your time.

Step 3. Use AOMEI Backupper to perform a Disk Restore – restoring the disk backup image you made.

Now your SD card can work normally as usual.

How to recover missing files from SD cards?

The data left on the SD card has been backed up. How about the SD card files disappeared from it? Is there any way to get it back?

Of course yes. With the help of a professional Windows data recovery tool - MyRecover, you could effortlessly and safely recover missing files from SD cards - no possible further damage would be made to the data in it.

As an efficient tool, it scans deleted and missing files from all storage devices, including external/internal SD card/HDD/SSD/USB flash drive, etc.

Apart from that, you could get helped by its other awesome features.

Now just follow the instructions to fix the SD card deleting files by itself via an easy data recovery.

Step 1. Install and run the software > connect SD card to the PC > hover the mouse over the drive and click Scan to scan.

Step 2. Quick Scan only applies to NTFS drives. If you are using a non-NTFS SD card, please find your files in Other missing files.

Step 3. Go to Other missing files and select the files you need, e.g., Images > click Recover x files.

Thus you could easily recover missing files from SD cards.

FAQ

In this post, potential causes and fixes of the issue of SD card deleting files by itself could be of some help. And when you need to recover missing files from SD cards, the Windows data recovery tool is a good option as well.

In order to help you figure out what is going on in your SD card, some related Q&A are listed.

How do I know if my SD card is corrupted?

There are multiple symptoms to notice when an SD card is corrupted.

• SD card failed to be recognized by the computer.
• Files disappear from the SD card.
• Files cannot be read.
• Warning: “A read/write error occurs on SD card”.
• Warning: “SD card is not accessible. The file or directory is corrupted and unreadable.”

Can a corrupted SD card be fixed?

Yes. You could either use error checking, CHKDSK command, repair tool, and disk formatting to fix it.

But please note that disk formatting will wipe all the contents on your SD card. It would be better to back up or extract data on it first.

Why does my SD card keep getting corrupted?

If your SD card goes corrupted all the time, it might be coming to the end of its lifespan. It is suggested to stop using it and back up or transfer all the data on it to avoid a sudden “shutdown” and losing data.