I have a 16GB SD card for storing photos, and I haven't used it for a while. Yesterday I used it to store other photos, and I found I couldn't access it anymore. When I try to open it, it prompts "You need to format the disk in drive *: before you can use it. Do you want to format it?". When I right clicked it to see the properties, the file system was RAW and the used space showed 0 bytes. I can't format it because these photos contain a lot of my good memories. What am I supposed to do for recovering lost files from the RAW SD card drive?
If your SD card becomes a RAW device, you will be unable to access the files stored on it. When you check the drive's properties in Windows Explorer, both used and free space will show as 0 bytes, and the file system type will appear as RAW instead of FAT, exFAT, or NTFS.
Obviously, formatting the SD card as prompted is not recommended, as it would result in permanent data loss. Instead, you should recover data from the SD card before formatting. First, we recommend running CHKDSK to see if it can resolve the issue. If CHKDSK cannot recover your data, you'll need to use professional SD card recovery software. For this, we recommend Hasleo Data Recovery Free.
Hasleo Data Recovery is the best free SD card data recovery software which allows you to recover lost data from a RAW SD card drive with a few steps. It supports all brands of SD cards, including SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston, Sony, Transcend, etc. Try it for yourself—download now and see the results.
Download, install, and run Hasleo Data Recovery. On the main interface, select Deep Scan Recovery mode.
Select the RAW SD Card drive containing your lost files and start the scan. The software will search for recoverable data. The scan time varies depending on the card's capacity—larger cards take longer to complete.
Preview the recoverable files, then select the ones you need and click "Recover".
When an SD card becomes RAW, you can use Hasleo Data Recovery Free—the professional SD card data recovery software—to recover your data quickly and safely.
Important Notes:
A: SD cards can become RAW due to improper ejection, sudden power failure, file system corruption, virus infection, or physical damage. When the file system becomes corrupted or unrecognized by Windows, the drive shows as RAW instead of FAT, exFAT, or NTFS.
A: Yes, you can recover data from a RAW SD card without formatting. Use data recovery software like Hasleo Data Recovery in Deep Scan Recovery mode. Select the RAW SD card, scan it to find recoverable files, preview them, and save them to a safe location before formatting.
A: When an SD card shows 0 bytes used space but contains files, it means the file system metadata is corrupted. The actual files still exist on the card, but Windows cannot read the file system to display them. The data is not lost—it just needs professional recovery software to access it.
A: No, you should NOT format your SD card when prompted. Formatting would permanently delete all data on the card. Instead, use data recovery software to recover your files first, then format the card if needed to restore normal functionality.
A: Always safely eject your SD card using the 'Safely Remove Hardware' function before removing it. Avoid removing the card during read/write operations, protect it from physical damage, and regularly back up important files to another storage location.
