How to Recover Deleted Photos from Nikon Camera SD Card

You unintentionally deleted some photos from your Nikon camera and are now seeking a way to recover them without exacerbating the situation? Thankfully, that’s what we’ll see here.

Your first step should be to immediately stop using your SD card to eliminate any chance of worsening data loss. Then, go through our Nikon photo recovery guide, which will take you step-by-step from the initial preparation phase up to any necessary post-recovery procedures.

All the information, recommendations, and processes we’ll cover here result from numerous in-house recreations of common real user mistakes and typical memory card “behaviors”. We’ve checked and validated all recovery methods and tools through multiple thorough tests. Our goal? To provide you with the optimal combination of “the three E’s”: the most effortless, efficient, and effective solutions for getting back your seemingly lost photos out of your Nikon’s SD card.

Can You Recover Lost Photos from a Nikon Camera SD Card?

It’s possible to recover deleted photos from a Nikon camera, as their deletion removes them from the list of files available on its storage device but doesn’t actually erase their data. By using the proper tools, you can locate that data and recover deleted photos from an SD card, as long as they’re intact and haven’t been overwritten. However, there’s a catch: since cameras don’t come with a Recycle Bin, or offer other methods of data recovery, you have to enlist a computer’s help.

It’s possible to recover files from corrupted SD cards, as long as their data remains intact. The only ways all files on an SD card may be rendered unrecoverable are:

• 📄 When they’ve been overwritten by newer files.
• 🧹 When the SD card has been full/securely formatted (not to be confused with regular formatting, which is used by default by both PCs and Nikon cameras, and is recoverable).
• 🚫 When there is extensive file system corruption that prevents a data recovery app from detecting any files on the SD card.
• 💥 When the SD card has been physically damaged.

How to Get Back Your Lost Photos Using Nikon Photo Recovery Software

Recovering your files from your Nikon camera’s SD card that were deleted or seem lost due to data corruption or a format can be quick and easy with photo recovery software like Disk Drill. All you need to do is download the software, scan your SD card, and select which of the files it located you’d like to recover.

To recover your photos and videos from your Nikon’s SD card using Disk Drill:

1. Connect your Nikon camera’s SD card directly to your computer — if it doesn’t have an SD slot, you can use a standalone SD card reader. Download Disk Drill from the site, install it, and run it.
   

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   If not already there, move to the Storage Devices page (you can find it under Data Recovery on the left panel of Disk Drill’s window). Select your SD card from the Device/Disk list, and click the blue Search for lost data button.
   
2. If you only care about recovering the photos and videos you’ve grabbed with your Nikon camera on its SD card, you can choose the Advanced Camera Recovery specialized mode that’s available in the latest versions of Disk Drill. If you would like to recover more types of non-media files from your SD card, select Universal Scan instead.
   
3. Disk Drill will begin scanning your Nikon’s SD card. The process can take a while, depending on the SD card’s size, speed, condition, and the number of files on it.
   
4. When the process completes, the app will report “Data carving complete” or “All recovery methods (are) complete“, depending on the scanning mode you selected (1). If you picked the Advanced Camera Recovery mode but Disk Drill detected additional non-media files on the SD card, it will suggest switching to a different mode to find more data and run all recovery methods. Similarly, if you went for a Universal Scan, but only on one out of many partitions on the SD card, Disk Drill may recommend you Scan (the) entire disk to locate even more files (2). When done, click Review found items to see all the files Disk Drill located on your Nikon’s SD card.
   
5. Disk Drill’s powerful scanning engine can usually find every single file on a storage device, and that can often translate to tens of thousands of files. That proves especially true if you were using a capacious SD card not only with your Nikon camera, but also for storing more types of files from other devices. Thankfully, Disk Drill lets you narrow down its scan results by file type using the Categories on the left, or by characteristics like last modification date using the Filters above the results list.
   
6. You can use Disk Drill’s Preview functionality to make sure you’ve found the correct files for recovery, but also as a preliminary test of their “recoverability” (since if you can preview a file’s contents, they’re probably intact, and thus, “recoverable”). Doesn’t the preview pane show up on the right of Disk Drill’s window when you click on a file? Click the little eye icon that appears next to a filename when you point at a file in the results list, or right-click and select Preview to enable it.
   
7. When you find the files you want to recover, mark them for recovery with a check mark on the left of their filename. When you’ve “enabled for recovery” all the files you want to get back, click Recover, on the bottom right of Disk Drill’s window. Disk Drill can recover up to 100MBs without requiring a license, allowing you to recover many deleted photos from a Nikon camera for free.
   
8. Disk Drill will present a list of potential “destinations” where it can store the recovered files. If you used Disk Drill before, you’ll see one or more of the folders used as destinations in past “runs” among those suggestions (1). Would you prefer a destination not on this list? Click Choose destination (2), then select a folder from the requester that appears. When done, click Next (3).
   
9. Soon after, depending on your SD card’s speed, condition, and the number and size of the files you’ve marked for recovery, Disk Drill will report “Data recovery complete” and show some basic information about the outcome of the recovery process. Click on Show recovered data in Explorer to visit the destination folder you selected and check out the recovered files using the OS’s default file manager.
   

Of course, Disk Drill isn’t the only data recovery solution you can use. In fact, apps like UFS Explorer can be more customizable, and others, like Recuva, trade some flexibility to offer an even more straightforward experience. When looking at the whole picture, though, Disk Drill proves to be one of the top (if not the very best) Nikon camera deleted photo recovery software. How come?

• 👁️ Disk Drill doesn’t “care” about the type or brand or even capabilities of a storage device: as long as your SD card can be detected by your computer and its OS, Disk Drill can work with it. In fact, it’s often possible to even fix SD cards that don’t show up on any device.
• 💾 If the SD card is normally accessible, Disk Drill, compatible with all major file systems, can perform a typical scan and recover any type of file from it, no questions asked.
• 🔍 For SD cards with corrupted file systems, or those that show up as empty or RAW, Disk Drill can skip that little no-accessible-file-system problem with its deep scan mode. This mode allows the app to locate and recover deleted photos from a Nikon camera’s SD card based on their “signatures”, the unique “fingerprints” that define their type and contents. The app is intimately familiar with Nikon’s own as well as most other popular image and video format signatures, from classic JPEG to NEF and NRW, and from MOV to MP4.
• 🗃️ Although Disk Drill comes with powerful data analysis and file recovery engines, it hides them behind a modern and user-friendly GUI.
• 🪞 In the case of failing SD cards, more use (and, in some cases, the mere passage of time) brings them closer to the point of no return. Instead of directly trying to recover data from them, Disk Drill comes with an extra tool for taking a pristine byte-to-byte backup image of all their contents. You can then recover your photos from this image instead, whenever you like, even if that’s years after you’ve replaced the original SD cards.

Best of all, the latest versions of Disk Drill come with a spanking-new Advanced Camera Recovery mode. This feature uses cutting-edge algorithms to locate media fragments scattered across a storage device and can get photos off a Nikon camera’s SD card by reconstructing the dispersed bits and pieces into solid, usable files.

And that’s why when looking for the best Nikon photo recovery software that’s free, Disk Drill is one of a handful that fit the bill.

Are There Any Nikon Photo Recovery Alternatives?

There are many ways to recover deleted photos on different devices, but data recovery applications remain the most powerful and reliable solution. However, if you’ve been using one of the alternatives we cover in this section, as we’ll see next, they can prove just as effective, or quicker, or more user-friendly in bringing your deleted photos back. And if you weren’t (using them), we’ll explain how to use them to save your media going forward.

Alternative 1: SnapBridge: The Official Backup Solution

If you were backing up your photos with Nikon’s own SnapBridge app, it can help you get back your deleted files. That is, if it doesn’t behave erratically as described by this DPReview user, and it can maintain a connection to your camera, in contrast to this Redditor’s experience.

For those who are using it:

1. If you had SnapBridge auto-transfer enabled, your photos should show up in your smartphone’s default gallery app.
2. If your media doesn’t appear in the gallery app, check whether SnapBridge is configured to store them elsewhere as follows.
3. Run the app, and tap the icon with the three lines on the top left.
4. Select App Options, then tap Destination to see where SnapBridge stores media.
5. Visit that folder using a file manager app to check if your files are there.

For those who are not using it:

1. Download SnapBridge for your Android or iOS smartphone.
2. Run the app and pair it with your Nikon camera. You’ll need to enable the pairing feature on both the camera (seek an entry in its menu like “Connect to Smart Device”) and the app on your smartphone (by accepting a Bluetooth pairing request/selecting the correct camera you’re trying to connect to).
3. Follow the on-screen steps to finish pairing.
4. Check the Autolink setting to configure automatic photo transfers.
5. If connected through Wi-Fi, you can also manually download photos from your Nikon camera using the Download pictures feature. That’s extra useful when you’ve configured Autolink to automatically transfer lower-quality JPEG-compressed versions of your photos, since it lets you manually transfer some of them to your smartphone at their original resolution, to keep pristine backups of the originals.

Alternative 2: Dual Slot Cameras: Virtually Zero Chances to Lose Photos

Were you using a modern camera with dual SD card slots, like the Nikon Z 5 Mirrorless, with the second SD card configured in Backup mode? Then, you may still find backups of the photos you lost on the first SD card on the second one. For convenience, instead of relying on your camera’s limited interface, check if your files are still on your second SD card using your computer.

For those who are using it:

1. Take out the second SD card from your dual-slot camera and connect it to your computer. If it doesn’t have an SD card slot, you can use a standalone SD card reader.
2. When your computer recognizes it, use a file manager to check out its contents.
3. Usually, you should find all your snaps, including the deleted ones, in the DCIM folder.

For those who are not using it:

1. If you are using two SD cards with your Nikon camera, they are likely configured in the camera’s default Overflow mode. In that mode, the SD cards are used in sequence, and when the first card fills up, your Nikon camera starts using the second. To check which mode you are using, navigate to your camera’s Photo Shooting Menu, and from there select the Secondary Slot Function option.
2. If your camera was indeed using Overflow mode, don’t swap modes yet. Instead, remove your second SD card from your camera and plug it into your computer.
3. Use a file manager to copy all your photos and videos from your second SD card to another storage device.
4. Return your SD card to the second slot of your camera, then visit the Secondary Slot Function menu entry again.
5. Change the Secondary Slot Function mode to Backup.

Alternative 3: Recovery Pros: For When Nothing Else Worked (or Time Is of the Essence)

If nothing you’ve tried has brought your lost photos and videos back, or you don’t want to waste your time trying to recover your media yourself, it’s time to turn to the pros.

They have intimate knowledge of everything related to data storage and access to professional equipment, along with many years of experience and countless success stories under their belts. That’s why data recovery specialists like CleverFiles Data Recovery Center offer the highest chances of getting your lost photos and videos back.

Still, this option comes with its own cons: time and cost. It demands some initial back-and-forth to explain your data loss situation, then to send your SD cards over, then to have them analyzed and your files recovered, and then some more time until you receive them. And all this time and effort invested by experts in their field doesn’t come free. However, if you don’t mind the wait for all those “thens” and the associated costs, delegating data recovery to specialists is the best option by far.

Something Went Wrong? Here Are a few Nikon Deleted Photo Recovery Troubleshooting Tips

Do your files refuse to open even after a seemingly successful recovery? The following solutions could help.

Option 1: Access Media with NX Studio

It’s possible the reason you can’t access your files isn’t an issue with the files themselves, your SD card, your camera, or an unsuccessful recovery, but with the software you’re using. The best way to eliminate that chance is by using the only piece of software that’s guaranteed to work with Nikon’s file formats: Nikon’s own NX Studio.

1. If your files are still on your Nikon camera, connect it to your computer.
2. Download NX Studio from Nikon’s Download Center, install it, and run it.
3. Sign in with your Nikon ID when asked.
4. If your photos and videos are on your Nikon camera, use the Nikon Transfer 2 app that’s installed with NX Studio to transfer them to your computer. If they’re already on your computer, skip that step.
5. Nikon Transfer 2 should have copied your media to NX Studio’s default media folder, rendering them accessible through the app. If your photos and videos are in another folder, navigate to it using the Folders menu on the Browse tab. Your files should be accessible through NX Studio’s various view modes (the icons on the top left of the app).

Option 2: Recreate Photos’ and Videos’ Metadata with ExifTool

It’s rare but possible for your files to be inaccessible due to corrupt metadata. Even if the “content” of your files remains accessible, missing or corrupt metadata may severely hinder how you work, interact with, and even organize them, by stripping them of details like capture time, location data, resolution, and more.

The good news is that not only is there a tool that can help check, reconstruct, or even recreate your media files’ metadata, but it’s also free and open source. The bad news, though, is that Phil Harvey’s ExifTool is a terminal-based solution, which means that you have to type commands to use it.

The quick and easy way to check a file’s metadata with ExifTool is:

1. Download ExifTool’s compressed archive from the app’s official site and extract it to a folder on your computer. Search for CMD using the Start menu, and launch the classic Windows terminal. Then, visit the folder where you extracted ExifTool’s files with the command cd COMPLETE_PATH_TO_FOLDER. If you prefer the newer PowerShell, note that it’s stricter with syntax, and “doesn’t like” the (-k) in the ExifTool executable’s name. Thus, to avoid fighting with filenames in the commands we’ll see next, it would be best to rename the file to “exiftool.exe” beforehand.
   
2. Use the command exiftool(-k) COMPLETE_PATH_TO_MEDIA_FILE to read a file’s metadata descriptions.
   
3. If instead of descriptions you’d like to check its actual tags, add the flag -s to the command, like: exiftool(-k) -s COMPLETE_PATH_TO_MEDIA_FILE.
   
4. To perform some validation checks on JPEG and TIFF images, use the command exiftool(-k) -validate -warning -error -a COMPLETE_PATH_TO_MEDIA_FILE.
   
5. To replace a comment of a media file with the content of a text file, use exiftool(-k) "-comment<=COMPLETE_PATH_TO_TEXT_FILE.TXT" COMPLETE_PATH_TO_MEDIA_FILE.
   

Unfortunately, ExifTool’s versatile features translate to increased complexity, and we’d need significantly more space to cover all its aspects – but that’s what ExifTool’s FAQ is for.

Option 3: Fix “Broken” Videos with Clever Online Video Repair

Video files are much larger and more complex than photos, increasing the risk of playback-preventing issues. So, although you can use solutions on your own computer to try to “fix” them, it’s much easier to delegate their repair to an online service like Clever Online Video Repair.

To revive your video files using Clever Online Video Repair:

1. Visit the Clever Online Video Repair site with your web browser. Click on the friendly Choose File icon and select your corrupted video file from the requester that pops up, or drag and drop the file on that spot from Windows File Explorer, or another file manager.
   
2. After your file is uploaded and the Clever Online Video Repair Service analyzes it, it will offer you two paths. The best option, if available, is to also upload the last working file recorded before the corrupted one. This way, CleverFiles Video Repair can compare the two files and use the working one as a guide for reconstructing your corrupted video. Note, though, that a timer will be driving you towards the second option, Auto Repair, which tries to restore your video file without further input.
   
3. Clever Online Video Repair will perform more extended scans of your uploaded file to recover its moov index and try to reconstruct other missing bits and pieces. This can take a while, depending on the file’s size and resolution.
   
4. When the process completes, Clever Online Video Repair will ask for a small payment to provide a link from where you can download the repaired file. Unfortunately, the development and hosting of such a service comes with attached costs, and cannot be provided for free. Thankfully, the required payment should be quite affordable, since Clever Online Video Repair uses dynamic pricing based primarily on the size of the uploaded file.
   

Option 4: Ask AI Image Generators to Fix Your Broken Photos

AI image generators can also prove a useful tool when used ethically to reconstruct your own problematic image files. The success of such an approach isn’t guaranteed, since such solutions aren’t actually image repair or data recovery tools. Even more importantly, you should keep in mind that:

• You should never upload personal, “sensitive”, or copyrighted images to any site, or generally share them with third parties.
• Anything uploaded to any AI-related service may be used to further train said AI.
• The produced results won’t be an accurate recreation of the original image, but a “hallucinated” version of it. There’s a given you’ll see minor or major differences, which you might either deem acceptable or a nightmarish trip into uncanny valley.

Since this is the most experimental and untested solution, note that some AI image generators might outright fail. You can try any AI image generator you like, but for this article, we’re using the ImgToImg.ai service with a slightly corrupted JPG file that’s missing part of its data.

To try to fix your photos with AI photo recovery using the ImgToImg.ai service:

1. Visit the ImgToImg.ai site, and click on Upload Image or drag and drop your problematic photo file from a file manager to the rectangular area around that button, under Image Upload.
   
2. AI Image Generators require guidance on “what to do”, so you’ll have to type at least a simple but not too-destructive command, like “increase the image’s contrast by 0.001%”. For files with missing data that remain somewhat accessible, it’s worth trying a command like “recreate the missing part of the image”.
   

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