{"id":34000,"date":"2021-04-09T19:04:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T19:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=34000"},"modified":"2025-07-15T14:58:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T14:58:28","slug":"raw-sd-card-file-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/raw-sd-card-recovery.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Recover Files from a RAW SD Card"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You&#8217;ve tried to access an SD card filled with irreplaceable photos and videos, but it appears as RAW for some reason. Have your files vanished? Is there any way to get them back?<\/p>\r\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll go over the potential causes of such issues and the best methods you can use to recover data from a RAW SD card.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"is_it_possible_to_recover_data_if_your_sd_card_is_raw\"><\/span>Is it Possible to Recover Data If Your SD Card Is RAW?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter wp-image-54857 size-full\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-sd-card.jpg\" alt=\"RAW SD card in Disk Management\" width=\"1847\" height=\"1196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-sd-card.jpg 1847w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-sd-card-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-sd-card-500x324.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-sd-card-768x497.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-sd-card-1536x995.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1847px) 100vw, 1847px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>In most cases, it&#8217;s possible to get your files out of a RAW SD card and fix it to render it usable again.<\/p>\r\n<p>Storage devices <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rawdisk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">appear as RAW<\/a> when the operating system doesn&#8217;t recognize their <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File_system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">file system<\/a>. This can happen when the file system is somehow damaged or corrupted, like after an interrupted format process or an abrupt removal of an SD card. The issue might often be a simple incompatibility, like formatting an SD card on Android using a Linux-friendly file system and then trying to access it on a Windows-based PC.<\/p>\r\n<p>It&#8217;s important to note that even when an SD card is showing up as RAW, your files still exist on it but are inaccessible because, to put it simply, &#8220;the operating system doesn&#8217;t know how to find them&#8221;. That&#8217;s where data recovery apps can help since they specialize in recovering files from RAW SD cards by locating their fragments and reconstructing them into usable files.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"recover_your_files_from_a_raw_sd_card_with_recovery_software\"><\/span>Recover Your Files From A RAW SD Card With Recovery Software<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Recovering your files can be relatively effortless if you use specialized <a href=\"\/memory-card-data-recovery.html\">RAW SD card recovery software<\/a> that&#8217;s user-friendly and can produce usable results. However, there are some caveats to consider.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-warning\" role=\"alert\">&#x26a0;&#xfe0f; You shouldn&#8217;t attempt a &#8220;fix&#8221; when your SD card is RAW before recovering your files. Such a process would affect the data stored on it or entirely overwrite it, rendering the recovery process harder, if not impossible. That includes any offers by your computer&#8217;s operating system or another device (like a smartphone or camera) &#8220;to fix it automatically (so that you can use it)&#8221;.<\/div>\r\n<p>Out of <a href=\"\/howto\/best-sd-recovery-software.html\">dozens of data recovery solutions<\/a>, we consider Disk Drill one of the best RAW SD card recovery apps. Even if an SD card\u2019s file system is RAW or entirely absent, Disk Drill can directly analyze it, locating remnants of a file system, identifying folder structures, and reconstructing fragmented files while preserving their original names.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>There are many reasons an SD card may &#8220;turn RAW&#8221;, but the worst scenario is that the card&#8217;s hardware, its memory chips or controller, might be on the brink of failure. In such a scenario, the more you use an SD card, the closer it gets to the point of no return.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-success\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f530; Thus, instead of trying to recover your files from it directly or attempting to fix a RAW SD card, it&#8217;s best to first take a complete and pristine <a href=\"\/help\/dmg-iso-backup.html\">byte-to-byte copy<\/a> of its contents. Then, recover your files from that backup instead of directly off the potentially failing SD card.<\/div>\r\n<p>Finally, when you&#8217;ve checked that all your files are safe and intact, you can try to fix and keep using your RAW SD card. However, note that for simplicity&#8217;s sake, we&#8217;ll work directly with an SD card instead of backup images in this article.<\/p>\r\n<p><b>To recover data from a RAW SD card follow these steps:<\/b><\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_download_install_disk_drill\"><\/span>1. Download &amp; Install Disk Drill<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/download.html\">Download<\/a> Disk Drill on your Windows or macOS, install, and run it.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"relative bottom download__block\">\r\n            <div class=\"d-flex align-center download__block__inner\">\r\n                <div class=\"download__block__image-wrapper\">\r\n                <div class=\"download__block__image\">\r\n                    <img src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/sidebar-ban-96.png\" srcset=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/sidebar-ban-2x-1.png 2x\" alt=\"Disk Drill\" width=\"96\" height=\"96\">        \r\n                <\/div>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"download__block__announce\">\r\n                    <b>download-block-title<\/b><br>\r\n                    download-block-text\r\n                <\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"download__block__action\">\r\n                    <a href=\"\/\/download.html\" data-href-mac=\/\/disk-drill-mac.html data-href-win=\/\/disk-drill-win.html class=\"button button-green btn-md osreplace\">\r\n<svg width=\"16\" height=\"16\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\r\n<path d=\"M11.9546 7.293C11.8736 7.114 11.6956 7 11.4996 7H9.49957V0.5C9.49957 0.224 9.27557 0 8.99957 0H6.99957C6.72357 0 6.49957 0.224 6.49957 0.5V7H4.49957C4.30357 7 4.12557 7.115 4.04457 7.293C3.96257 7.472 3.99457 7.681 4.12357 7.829L7.62357 11.829C7.71857 11.938 7.85557 12 7.99957 12C8.14357 12 8.28057 11.937 8.37557 11.829L11.8756 7.829C12.0056 7.682 12.0356 7.472 11.9546 7.293Z\" fill=\"white\"\/>\r\n<path d=\"M13.5 11V14H2.5V11H0.5V15C0.5 15.553 0.948 16 1.5 16H14.5C15.053 16 15.5 15.553 15.5 15V11H13.5Z\" fill=\"white\"\/>\r\n<\/svg>\r\ndownload-block-button-text\r\n<\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_select_and_scan_your_raw_sd_card\"><\/span>2. Select and Scan your RAW SD card<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Select your RAW SD card from Disk Drill&#8217;s <b>Device\/Disk<\/b> list. Note that you might see your card reader instead of the actual RAW SD card. Click <b>Search for Lost Data<\/b>, and wait for the scan process to complete. When done, click <b>Review Found Items<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54802\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-RAW-SD-Card-Scan-Complete-Review-Found-Items.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Drill RAW SD Card Scan Complete Review Found Items\" width=\"1342\" height=\"764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-RAW-SD-Card-Scan-Complete-Review-Found-Items.jpg 1342w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-RAW-SD-Card-Scan-Complete-Review-Found-Items-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-RAW-SD-Card-Scan-Complete-Review-Found-Items-500x285.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-RAW-SD-Card-Scan-Complete-Review-Found-Items-768x437.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1342px) 100vw, 1342px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_locate_files_on_your_sd_card_using_categories_filters_previews\"><\/span>3. Locate files on your SD card using categories, filters, &amp; previews<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Use the app&#8217;s <b>Categories<\/b> (left) and <b>Filters<\/b> (above the results list) to locate the files you want to get back, based on properties like their file size, last modification date, type, etc. Right-click on each of them and select <b>Preview<\/b> to verify that you found the correct ones.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54803\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Previews.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Drill Results List Previews\" width=\"1342\" height=\"764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Previews.jpg 1342w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Previews-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Previews-500x285.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Previews-768x437.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1342px) 100vw, 1342px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_prioritize_files_by_recoverability_chances\"><\/span>4. Prioritize files by recoverability chances<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>In case of a failing SD card, it&#8217;s best to <b>prioritize<\/b> the files you recover by their <b>recovery chances<\/b>. That\u2019s crucial especially when dealing with a rapidly failing device, since files with higher chances or recovery require less time to \u201cpull them out\u201d of the SD card and in working condition before it fails.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54804\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Recovery-Chances.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Drill Results List Recovery Chances\" width=\"1356\" height=\"767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Recovery-Chances.jpg 1356w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Recovery-Chances-300x170.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Recovery-Chances-500x283.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Results-List-Recovery-Chances-768x434.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1356px) 100vw, 1356px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_select_files_for_recovery_from_your_raw_memory_card\"><\/span>5. Select files for recovery from your RAW memory card<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p><b>Mark<\/b> the files you want to recover by placing a check mark on their left. Then, click <b>Recover<\/b>. &#8220;Tell&#8221; Disk Drill <b>where<\/b> you prefer to store the recovered files. Click <b>Next<\/b> to start the recovery.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54805\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Marking-Files-For-Recovery.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Drill Marking Files For Recovery\" width=\"1342\" height=\"764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Marking-Files-For-Recovery.jpg 1342w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Marking-Files-For-Recovery-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Marking-Files-For-Recovery-500x285.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Marking-Files-For-Recovery-768x437.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1342px) 100vw, 1342px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_check_recovered_files\"><\/span>6. Check recovered files<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Check out the recovered files using the default file manager with a click on <b>Show recovered data in Explorer<\/b>.<\/p>\r\n<p><img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54806\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Recovery-Successful.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Drill Recovery Successful\" width=\"1342\" height=\"764\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Recovery-Successful.jpg 1342w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Recovery-Successful-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Recovery-Successful-500x285.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Drill-Recovery-Successful-768x437.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1342px) 100vw, 1342px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">&#x2139;&#xfe0f; When dealing with a damaged SD card, one that your PC cannot detect, or you cannot access in any way, there is not much you can do. In such scenarios, delegating the task of salvaging your data off the problematic SD card to data recovery specialists like <a href=\"\/data-recovery-center.html\">CleverFiles Data Recovery Center<\/a> is the only viable course of action.<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_fix_a_raw_sd_card_without_formatting\"><\/span>How to Fix a RAW SD Card Without Formatting<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Sometimes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgsecurity.org\/wiki\/TestDisk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TestDisk<\/a> can help if your SD card file system is RAW. An established and powerful open-source solution, TestDisk specializes in dealing with corrupted storage devices.<\/p>\r\n<p>The app can analyze a &#8220;misbehaving&#8221; storage device to recover lost partitions, rebuild its partition table, or repair (some) file system problems.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-secondary\" role=\"alert\">&#x1f4ac; We should stress that a) TestDisk is not the most user-friendly app, and b) its attempts to fix a problematic storage device also mean it will have to write some data on it or modify its existing &#8220;data structures&#8221;.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\nAs a result, instead of managing to fix a RAW SD card without formatting to regain access to your data, it&#8217;s easy to lose it all. Thus, it&#8217;s best to completely back up a storage device before you &#8220;unleash&#8221; TestDisk on it.<\/div>\r\n<p>You can download TestDisk for free and use it without limitations to fix your raw SD card by following these steps:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cgsecurity.org\/wiki\/TestDisk_Download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Download<\/a> TestDisk from its official website and <b>extract<\/b> the downloaded archive somewhere on your computer.<\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Launch<\/b> the application.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Select <b>Create<\/b> to create a new log file.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54807\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Create-New-Log-File.jpg\" alt=\"TestDisk Create New Log File\" width=\"1073\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Create-New-Log-File.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Create-New-Log-File-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Create-New-Log-File-500x274.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Create-New-Log-File-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1073px) 100vw, 1073px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Select your SD card<\/b>. Make sure the SD card is unmounted first otherwise you won\u2019t be able to select it.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54808\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Select-RAW-SD-Card.jpg\" alt=\"TestDisk Select RAW SD Card\" width=\"1073\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Select-RAW-SD-Card.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Select-RAW-SD-Card-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Select-RAW-SD-Card-500x274.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Select-RAW-SD-Card-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1073px) 100vw, 1073px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>TestDisk tries to identify the <b>partition table type<\/b> and suggests the best possible option &#8211; in my case, it was a typical &#8220;<b>Intel<\/b>&#8221; structure. However, you can manually select the correct one if it &#8220;guesses&#8221; the wrong type.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54809\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Choosing-Partition-Table-Type.jpg\" alt=\"TestDisk Choosing Partition Table Type\" width=\"1073\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Choosing-Partition-Table-Type.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Choosing-Partition-Table-Type-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Choosing-Partition-Table-Type-500x274.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Choosing-Partition-Table-Type-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1073px) 100vw, 1073px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Select <b>Analyse<\/b> to see the disk structure.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54810\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Analyse-Current-Partition-Structure-And-Search-For-Lost-Partitions.jpg\" alt=\"TestDisk Analyse Current Partition Structure And Search For Lost Partitions\" width=\"1073\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Analyse-Current-Partition-Structure-And-Search-For-Lost-Partitions.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Analyse-Current-Partition-Structure-And-Search-For-Lost-Partitions-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Analyse-Current-Partition-Structure-And-Search-For-Lost-Partitions-500x274.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Analyse-Current-Partition-Structure-And-Search-For-Lost-Partitions-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1073px) 100vw, 1073px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>When the disk analysis finishes, perform a <b>Quick Search<\/b> for missing partitions.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54811\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Quick-Search.jpg\" alt=\"TestDisk Quick Search\" width=\"1073\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Quick-Search.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Quick-Search-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Quick-Search-500x274.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Quick-Search-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1073px) 100vw, 1073px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>When TestDisk presents you with the partition it found, press <kbd>Enter<\/kbd> to continue. If it didn\u2019t find any, you can try performing a Deeper Search.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54812\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Found-Press-Enter-To-Continue.jpg\" alt=\"TestDisk Partition Found Press Enter To Continue\" width=\"1073\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Found-Press-Enter-To-Continue.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Found-Press-Enter-To-Continue-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Found-Press-Enter-To-Continue-500x274.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Found-Press-Enter-To-Continue-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1073px) 100vw, 1073px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>With the RAW SD card\u2019s lost partition(s) found, select <b>Write<\/b> to update your RAW SD card with the reconstructed partition structure.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54813\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Table-Write.jpg\" alt=\"TestDisk Partition Table Write\" width=\"1073\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Table-Write.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Table-Write-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Table-Write-500x274.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TestDisk-Partition-Table-Write-768x422.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1073px) 100vw, 1073px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Proceed with the recovery by following the prompts. After that, you should be able to access your SD card again using your favorite file browser.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_format_a_raw_sd_card\"><\/span>How to Format a RAW SD Card<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>After successfully recovering your files off a RAW SD card, there&#8217;s no reason to throw it away as useless. There are many ways you can <a href=\"\/howto\/fix-corrupted-sd-card.html\">fix a corrupted SD card<\/a> to render it usable again. One of the easiest is to format it.<\/p>\r\n<p>Let&#8217;s see how you can format your RAW SD card.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">&#x2139;&#xfe0f; If, no matter what you try, your RAW SD card &#8220;won&#8217;t format&#8221;, the process fails, or your SD card becomes unusable or &#8220;turns RAW again&#8221; soon after, those are (usually) signs of hardware-related issues. In scenarios where, for example, it proves impossible to format a RAW SD card successfully, there&#8217;s not much one can do with DIY repair methods, and it&#8217;s best to seek the assistance of <a href=\"\/howto\/best-data-recovery-services.html\">data recovery professionals<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_1_how_to_fix_a_raw_sd_card_using_cmd\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 1: <\/span> <span id=\"formatcmd\">How to Fix a RAW SD Card Using CMD<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>It&#8217;s easy to format a RAW SD card with a more &#8220;hands-on&#8221; approach using the Windows Terminal (either the classic Command Prompt\/CMD or the new PowerShell). First, note down the letter Windows assigned to your RAW SD card (you can see it by checking out the contents of the My Computer system folder, using Windows Explorer or another file manager).<\/p>\r\n<p><b>With its letter noted down, do the following to format and fix your RAW SD card using CMD:<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Press <kbd>Windows Key<\/kbd> + <kbd>X<\/kbd> and choose the <b>Admin<\/b> version of the <b>Windows Terminal<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54815\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Power-User-Menu-Selecting-Windows-Terminal-Admin-Entry.jpg\" alt=\"Windows11 Power User Menu Selecting Windows Terminal Admin Entry\" width=\"1156\" height=\"658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Power-User-Menu-Selecting-Windows-Terminal-Admin-Entry.jpg 1156w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Power-User-Menu-Selecting-Windows-Terminal-Admin-Entry-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Power-User-Menu-Selecting-Windows-Terminal-Admin-Entry-500x285.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Power-User-Menu-Selecting-Windows-Terminal-Admin-Entry-768x437.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1156px) 100vw, 1156px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Use the command <kbd>format E: \/FS:FAT32 \/V:GoProSD \/Q<\/kbd> to a) <b>quick format<\/b> your RAW SD card that&#8217;s b) mounted &#8220;behind&#8221; the letter <b>E<\/b>, c) using the <b>FAT32<\/b> file system, and d) assigning it the name &#8220;<b>GoProSD<\/b>&#8220;. Make sure to adjust those values according to how your PC detected your SD card (it might be using a different letter), and the file system and name you&#8217;d prefer to use. Lose the &#8220;<b>\/Q<\/b>&#8221; switch if you&#8217;d prefer to perform a <b>full<\/b> instead of a quick format.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54816\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command.jpg\" alt=\"Windows11 CMD Format Command\" width=\"1221\" height=\"718\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command.jpg 1221w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command-500x294.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1221px) 100vw, 1221px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Press <kbd>Enter<\/kbd> when prompted to perform the format.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54817\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command-Insert-Disk-And-Press-Enter-Prompt.jpg\" alt=\"Windows11 CMD Format Command Insert Disk And Press Enter Prompt\" width=\"1221\" height=\"718\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command-Insert-Disk-And-Press-Enter-Prompt.jpg 1221w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command-Insert-Disk-And-Press-Enter-Prompt-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command-Insert-Disk-And-Press-Enter-Prompt-500x294.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-CMD-Format-Command-Insert-Disk-And-Press-Enter-Prompt-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1221px) 100vw, 1221px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_2_format_sd_card_with_disk_management\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 2:<\/span> <span id=\"formatdiskman\">Format SD Card with Disk Management<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>If you prefer using your mouse instead of typing commands, you can use the Disk Management app to format your currently-raw SD card.<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Press <kbd>Windows Key<\/kbd> + <kbd>X<\/kbd> to access Windows 10\u2019s quick menu of administrative tools. This time choose <b>Disk Management<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54818\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Entry-In-Windows-11-Power-User-Menu.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Management Entry In Windows 11 Power User Menu\" width=\"969\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Entry-In-Windows-11-Power-User-Menu.jpg 969w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Entry-In-Windows-11-Power-User-Menu-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Entry-In-Windows-11-Power-User-Menu-500x338.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Entry-In-Windows-11-Power-User-Menu-768x520.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Right-click<\/b> on your SD card\u2019s RAW partition (don\u2019t mind it being recognized as \u201ca disk\u201d) and choose <b>Format<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54819\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-RAW-Partition.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Management Format RAW Partition\" width=\"1201\" height=\"793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-RAW-Partition.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-RAW-Partition-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-RAW-Partition-500x330.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-RAW-Partition-768x507.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Customize<\/b> the Format options as you prefer, defining a <b>name<\/b> for the SD card, choosing the <b>file system<\/b> that will be used, and if you\u2019d like to perform a <b>quick<\/b> or <b>full<\/b> format. We suggest you leave the Allocation size option as is. Then, click <b>OK<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54820\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Perform-a-Quick-Format.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Management Format Perform a Quick Format\" width=\"1201\" height=\"793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Perform-a-Quick-Format.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Perform-a-Quick-Format-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Perform-a-Quick-Format-500x330.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Perform-a-Quick-Format-768x507.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Acknowledge the final warning that the existing contents of the SD card will be gone after the format process with a click on <b>OK<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54821\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Warning.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Management Format Warning\" width=\"1201\" height=\"793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Warning.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Warning-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Warning-500x330.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Format-Warning-768x507.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Soon after, your RAW SD card should be formatted and accessible again.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54822\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Formatted-SD-Card-Healthy-And-Accessible.jpg\" alt=\"Disk Management Formatted SD Card Healthy And Accessible\" width=\"1201\" height=\"793\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Formatted-SD-Card-Healthy-And-Accessible.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Formatted-SD-Card-Healthy-And-Accessible-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Formatted-SD-Card-Healthy-And-Accessible-500x330.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Disk-Management-Formatted-SD-Card-Healthy-And-Accessible-768x507.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1201px) 100vw, 1201px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h3 class=\"title_sc_bg\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"method_3_format_raw_sd_card_with_file_explorer\"><\/span><span class=\"title_shortcode_bg\">Method 3:<\/span> <span id=\"formatexplorer\">Format RAW SD Card With File Explorer<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>We left the File Explorer approach for last because many users manage to format the wrong device this way. However, if you don\u2019t misidentify your devices and double-check what you\u2019re doing, it\u2019s the quickest and easiest Micro SD RAW fix.<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li><b>Run File Explorer<\/b> \u2013 the quickest way is with the <kbd>Windows Key<\/kbd> + <kbd>E<\/kbd> shortcut. Choose \u201c<b>This PC<\/b>\u201d from the menu on the left, and turn your attention to the <b>Devices and drives<\/b> section. Among them, you\u2019ll find your SD card. In our case, thanks to our card reader, it appeared as a USB drive. <b>Right-click<\/b> on it and choose <b>Format<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54823\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Right-Click-Format.jpg\" alt=\"Windows11 Explorer Right Click Format\" width=\"1243\" height=\"731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Right-Click-Format.jpg 1243w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Right-Click-Format-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Right-Click-Format-500x294.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Right-Click-Format-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1243px) 100vw, 1243px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Alternatively, if you try to access an inaccessible storage device, File Explorer will <b>nudge you to format it<\/b> before you can use it.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54824\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Prompting-User-To-Format-RAW-SD-Card.jpg\" alt=\"Windows11 Explorer Prompting User To Format RAW SD Card\" width=\"1243\" height=\"731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Prompting-User-To-Format-RAW-SD-Card.jpg 1243w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Prompting-User-To-Format-RAW-SD-Card-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Prompting-User-To-Format-RAW-SD-Card-500x294.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Prompting-User-To-Format-RAW-SD-Card-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1243px) 100vw, 1243px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Both options lead to the <b>same dialog<\/b>, a new floating window, where you can set the formatting process parameters. We won\u2019t go over them again since they\u2019re the same as what we saw with Disk Management. Set them up as you wish and click on <b>Start<\/b> to begin the formatting process.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54825\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Dialog.jpg\" alt=\"Windows11 Explorer RAW SD Card Format Dialog\" width=\"1243\" height=\"731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Dialog.jpg 1243w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Dialog-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Dialog-500x294.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Dialog-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1243px) 100vw, 1243px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Acknowledge that all data will be erased on your SD card. Double-check that you\u2019re acting on the correct storage device and click <b>OK<\/b> to start formatting your raw SD card.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54826\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Warning.jpg\" alt=\"Windows11 Explorer RAW SD Card Format Warning\" width=\"1243\" height=\"731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Warning.jpg 1243w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Warning-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Warning-500x294.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-RAW-SD-Card-Format-Warning-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1243px) 100vw, 1243px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>Soon after, you\u2019ll see a new window pop-up informing you that the format\u2019s complete. Click on <b>OK<\/b>, and when you return to File Explorer, you\u2019ll have your SD card back.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54827\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Format-Complete.jpg\" alt=\"Windows11 Explorer Format Complete\" width=\"1243\" height=\"731\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Format-Complete.jpg 1243w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Format-Complete-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Format-Complete-500x294.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Windows11-Explorer-Format-Complete-768x452.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1243px) 100vw, 1243px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_to_fix_raw_sd_card_when_other_methods_fail\"><\/span>How to Fix RAW SD Card When Other Methods Fail<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Was it impossible to format a RAW SD card with the usual approaches? Then, maybe you could &#8220;revitalize&#8221; and render it usable again with the more drastic approach for RAW memory card repair: wiping it clean.<\/p>\r\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hddguru.com\/software\/HDD-LLF-Low-Level-Format-Tool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HDD Guru&#8217;s Low Level Format Tool<\/a> may be able to help with that.<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Download the tool, and <b>run<\/b> it.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54828\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Download-Links.jpg\" alt=\"HDDGuru Low Level Format Tool Download Links\" width=\"1346\" height=\"829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Download-Links.jpg 1346w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Download-Links-300x185.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Download-Links-500x308.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Download-Links-768x473.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1346px) 100vw, 1346px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Select<\/b> your RAW SD card that won\u2019t format normally.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54829\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Select-RAW-SD-Card-And-Continue.jpg\" alt=\"HDDGuru Low Level Format Tool Select RAW SD Card And Continue\" width=\"982\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Select-RAW-SD-Card-And-Continue.jpg 982w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Select-RAW-SD-Card-And-Continue-300x149.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Select-RAW-SD-Card-And-Continue-500x248.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Select-RAW-SD-Card-And-Continue-768x381.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 982px) 100vw, 982px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li><b>Perform a quick wipe (just remove partitions and MBR)<\/b>.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54830\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Perform-a-Quick-Wipe-And-Format-This-Device.jpg\" alt=\"HDDGuru Low Level Format Tool Perform a Quick Wipe And Format This Device\" width=\"930\" height=\"601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Perform-a-Quick-Wipe-And-Format-This-Device.jpg 930w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Perform-a-Quick-Wipe-And-Format-This-Device-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Perform-a-Quick-Wipe-And-Format-This-Device-500x323.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Perform-a-Quick-Wipe-And-Format-This-Device-768x496.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px\" \/><\/li>\r\n\t<li>When the process completes, try to <b>format it again<\/b> with your file system of choice as if it were brand new.<br \/>\r\n<img class=\"border-blue border-radius-10 aligncenter size-full wp-image-54831\" src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Format-Complete.jpg\" alt=\"HDDGuru Low Level Format Tool Format Complete\" width=\"930\" height=\"601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Format-Complete.jpg 930w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Format-Complete-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Format-Complete-500x323.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/HDDGuru-Low-Level-Format-Tool-Format-Complete-768x496.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 930px) 100vw, 930px\" \/><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p>If that doesn&#8217;t help, try a <b>complete low-level format<\/b> as a last resort.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"alert alert-info\" role=\"alert\">Unfortunately, if the issue persists, it&#8217;s likely because of a faulty SD card controller or failing memory chips. The only options remaining are to send the SD card to a professional data recovery service to get your files out of it and replace it with a new one.<\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"why_do_sd_cards_become_raw_and_how_to_prevent_it\"><\/span>Why Do SD Cards Become RAW and How to Prevent It<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>There are many ways an SD card you were using without issues may &#8220;become RAW&#8221;. However, with SD cards being quite affordable today, you should first ask yourself if it would be worth your extra time and effort to try fixing it after recovering your files.<\/p>\r\n<p>If there was seemingly no rational reason your SD card became RAW, that could be a sign of impending hardware failure. In such a case, if you fix and keep using your SD card, you might be betting your files on it, for it could &#8220;turn RAW&#8221; again in the future, and it would be better to replace it.<\/p>\r\n<p>Unfortunately, most SD cards don&#8217;t support something like <a href=\"\/help\/monitor-smart-status-disk-health\/\">S.M.A.R.T.<\/a>, as found on Solid State Drives (SSDs) and Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), so there&#8217;s no easy and foolproof way to analyze them to check their &#8220;health&#8221; status. Still, if you know why your SD card became RAW, you can also safely guess if it would be relatively safe to try repairing it and keep trusting your files on it.<\/p>\r\n<p>For example, consider the following scenarios that can make a card appear as RAW and render its contents inaccessible:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>&#x1fa82; You might have unplugged it in a rush while a file transfer or formatting process was still underway without noticing that it was actively writing on your SD card. As a result, crucial metadata could have been damaged. To eliminate that possibility, always use the OS&#8217;s option to <b>safely eject<\/b> or <b>unmount<\/b> your SD card before physically unplugging it. If using a camera, <a href=\"https:\/\/reddit.com\/r\/datarecovery\/comments\/1bwjf3i\/help_request_sd_card_raw_file_recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">as this Reddit user found out the hard way<\/a>, it&#8217;s best to <b>turn it off<\/b> or put it in <b>standby mode<\/b> before removing the SD card.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f525; Your card reader might have heated up too much, <a href=\"https:\/\/reddit.com\/r\/arduino\/comments\/1bjlzy5\/should_my_sd_card_be_getting_hot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">as this Reddit user reports<\/a>, or a faulty connection (because of a shoddy USB plug or cable), or a power spike (that <a href=\"https:\/\/reddit.com\/r\/pihole\/comments\/u056ci\/sd_card_keeps_getting_corrupted_after_power\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this Reddit user<\/a> has to often deal with), or your laptop&#8217;s battery running out, ended up interrupting a transfer of data between your SD card and your computer. To eliminate any chances of corruption because of such issues, you should tackle them at their source: always use card readers from <b>trusted<\/b> manufacturers, <b>high-quality<\/b> cables, and a <b>power surge protector<\/b> or an Uninterruptible Power Supply (<b>UPS<\/b>). If using a laptop, it\u2019s best if it&#8217;s <b>fully charged<\/b> and, ideally, connected to a <b>power outlet<\/b> during large transfers. Always keep an eye on and occasionally check your card reader. If it overheats, <b>interrupt the transfer<\/b> to let your gear cool down and avoid hardware damage, and resume the process later.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f4f9; If you try accessing an SD card on your computer that you formatted on another device, and your computer&#8217;s OS &#8220;doesn&#8217;t recognize&#8221; the data structures on it, it will label them as a RAW file system. However, <b>you should be able to access the card&#8217;s contents from the device you used to originally format it<\/b>. You should only try to &#8220;fix the issue&#8221; if your SD card isn&#8217;t accessible on any of the devices on which you&#8217;ve used it.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f436; You&#8217;ve dropped your SD card or accidentally stepped on it (or, <a href=\"https:\/\/reddit.com\/r\/hardwaregore\/comments\/17or9fi\/ran_over_my_micro_sd_card\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">like this Reddit user<\/a>, &#8220;drove over it&#8221; with your chair), causing a visible break or chipping. Or, you forgot it and left it sunbathing in your car during a hot day, and it melted and deformed. Or your dog used it as a chewing toy, poking holes in it. In such cases, unfortunately, <b>physical damage is unfixable<\/b> with DIY approaches. Only a data recovery specialist can help get any files out of such a &#8220;semi-destroyed&#8221; SD card, and using it further won&#8217;t be possible.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>&#x1f9d3; You&#8217;ve been actively using an SD card for years and have probably written on it and read from it terabytes of files. It may still look almost brand-new, but you know that it&#8217;s actually old and tired. Potential hints of that would be slower transfer speeds, random files becoming inaccessible occasionally, or other signs of corruption.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>As we saw, RAW SD card recovery is more than possible, and in all but the worst-case scenarios, you can format a raw SD card and keep using it.<\/p>\r\n<p>In all cases, the first step when dealing with a RAW SD card is to try to get your precious files off it as soon as possible. Advanced specialized data recovery apps like <a href=\"\/memory-card-data-recovery.html\">Disk Drill can help with that<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>With your files safely recovered and stored elsewhere, you can try to fix your SD card using the methods we saw in this article.<\/p>\r\n<p>If those solutions fail, with SD cards being widely available and extremely affordable nowadays, you&#8217;d be justified to consider the time and effort you&#8217;d &#8220;waste&#8221; trying to fix it more precious than the cost of purchasing a replacement. Or two.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"related_posts\"><div class=\"related_posts__inner\"><div class=\"h4\">Read also<\/div><div class=\"related_post\"><div class=\"related_post_item\"><div class=\"related_post_img\"><img src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/sd-card-icon.png\" alt=\"microSD card recovery\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" \/><\/div><div class=\"related_post_content\"><a target=\"_self\" href=\"\/howto\/recover-formatted-sd.html\" class=\"related_post_link\">How to Recover Formatted SD Card<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"related_post\"><div class=\"related_post_item\"><div class=\"related_post_img\"><img src=\"\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/sd-card.png\" alt=\"sd card recovery\" width=\"144\" height=\"144\" \/><\/div><div class=\"related_post_content\"><a target=\"_self\" href=\"\/howto\/recover-corrupted-sd.html\" class=\"related_post_link\">Recover Files from a Corrupted SD Card<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"faq\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<div><section itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/FAQPage\">\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq1\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq1\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_can_i_recover_data_from_a_raw_sd_card\"><\/span>How can I recover data from a RAW SD card?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq1\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>To recover files from a RAW SD card, follow these steps:<\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li>Download, install, and run Disk Drill.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Select your RAW SD card and scan it.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Check the files Disk Drill found on it and mark those you want to recover.<\/li>\r\n\t<li>Select where to save them.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq2\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq2\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq2\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\">What's the best RAW SD card recovery software?<\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq2\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq2\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>There\u2019s no definitive answer, since it depends on the data loss scenario you\u2019re facing. \u201cThe best\u201d app for your case would be the one that will enable you to recover the vast majority of files, of the types you care most about, while guiding you through the process so that your data will remain safe and intact. Ideally, it should also come with functionality for keeping your data protected and monitoring your storage devices\u2019 health, to be able to entirely avoid having to ever deal with data loss.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq3\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq3\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq3\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_can_i_fix_my_raw_sd_card_without_formatting\"><\/span>How can I fix my RAW SD card without formatting?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq3\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq3\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p> You try to fix partition-related errors on your RAW SD card with TestDisk. However, this will rarely produce the desired result, and you probably won&#8217;t be able to avoid a format.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 0px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq4\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq4\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq4\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_are_the_best_raw_memory_card_repair_methods\"><\/span>What are the best RAW memory card repair methods?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq4\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq4\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p> If the SD card &#8220;became RAW&#8221; because of partition or file-system errors, TestDisk might be able to help. However, without more trustworthy alternatives available for repairing, it&#8217;s best to first recover your files off it and then reformat it.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div style=\"border-bottom: 01px solid rgb(213, 217, 217);\" class=\"panel panel-default faq-block\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" role=\"tablist\">\r\n            <div class=\"panel-heading\" role=\"tab\" id=\"headingfaq5\">\r\n                <div class=\"panel-title\" itemprop=\"name\">\r\n                    <a class=\"toggle-link transition-all collapsed\" role=\"button\" data-toggle=\"collapse\" href=\"#collapse-item-faq5\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"collapse-item-faq5\"><h3 class=\"panel-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_do_i_open_a_raw_sd_file\"><\/span>How do I open a RAW SD file?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>                   \r\n                    \t<svg class=\"transition-all panel-toggle\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\">\r\n                            <g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\">\r\n                                <path d=\"M7,7 L7,0 L9,0 L9,7 L16,7 L16,9 L9,9 L9,16 L7,16 L7,9 L0,9 L0,7 L7,7 Z\" fill=\"#000000\"><\/path>\r\n                            <\/g>\r\n                        <\/svg>\r\n                   <\/a>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div id=\"collapse-item-faq5\" class=\"panel-collapse collapse\" role=\"tabpanel\" aria-labelledby=\"headingfaq5\" aria-expanded=\"false\" style=\"\">\r\n              <div class=\"panel-body\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\">\r\n<div itemprop=\"text\">\r\n                <p>Although they share the same term, \u201craw\u201d, RAW files and raw filesystems are unrelated. The term \u201cRAW files\u201d usually refers to uncompressed photographs stored from a camera in an SD card with the highest possible quality. You can open such files with image and photo editing apps, like Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n                <div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n              <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You&#8217;ve tried to access an SD card filled with irreplaceable photos and videos, but it appears as RAW for some reason. Have your files vanished? Is there any way to get them back? In this article, we&#8217;ll go over the&#8230;","protected":false},"author":7882,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2634],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34000","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sd-card-flash-drive-recovery-tips"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>RAW SD Card Recovery: Recover Files from a Raw SD Card<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You insert your SD card to your PC, and... nothing. Unused, raw space. Are your files gone? Is raw SD card recovery possible? Here be answers!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/raw-sd-card-recovery.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"RAW SD Card Recovery: Recover Files from a Raw SD Card\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You insert your SD card to your PC, and... nothing. Unused, raw space. Are your files gone? Is raw SD card recovery possible? Here be answers!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/raw-sd-card-recovery.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Data recovery tips. Recover deleted files on Mac, Windows.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/og-cleverfiles.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Odysseas Kourafalos\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"RAW SD Card Recovery: Recover Files from a Raw SD Card\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"You insert your SD card to your PC, and... nothing. Unused, raw space. Are your files gone? Is raw SD card recovery possible? 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He specializes in software and has produced thousands of articles, from tutorials on Linux to mini-books about gaming console modifications. His journey in tech began with a Commodore 64, which he almost immediately short-circuited attempting \"to cheat in a game\". It was soon replaced by a Commodore 128, which in time gave way to an Amiga. When the era of Home Computing came to an end, he moved - with the times - to PCs. He's lost vast amounts of data on MS-DOS, then Windows, as well as various Linux distributions. \"Data\" stored on media ranging from ancient 5.25'' floppies to modern SSDs. Since joining us, he's losing his data on purpose. His work has been published on major Greek magazines, like Computer For All and PC World, popular tech sites - among which Make Tech Easier and Make Use Of, as well as countless blogs, like CyberPunks and VapoSearch. He loves gaming, is a huge movie buff, and identifies as a true geek.","sameAs":["kourafalos","https:\/\/x.com\/ducklord"],"url":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/author\/odysseas-kourafalos\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7882"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34000"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57856,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34000\/revisions\/57856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}