Lost photos or videos from a memory card? Get them back — free.
A free tool from Data Clinic’s data recovery engineers for SD and microSD memory cards. No registration, no catches — see exactly what’s recoverable before you commit to anything.
On your phone?
Email yourself the download link
The software runs on a Windows 10 or 11 PC, not on phones, tablets or Macs. Pop your email in and we’ll send you the link, ready to open on your computer.
We only use your email to send this one link.
Sent — check your inbox
Open the email on your Windows PC and click the download link. Not there in a few minutes? Check your spam folder.
How It Works — Three Simple Steps
Plug In
Connect your memory card to your Windows 10 or 11 PC. Only removable media shows up in the app — your PC’s own drives are never touched.
Scan
Run a Quick Scan for recently deleted files, or a Deep Scan for a formatted card or one whose file table is damaged. The scan is strictly read-only — it never writes to your card.
Preview & Recover
See thumbnail previews of your photos and videos before you recover anything, then save the files you want to a different drive.
What It Recovers
The tool is built specifically for camera memory cards — SD and microSD cards formatted FAT32 or exFAT, which is how virtually all memory cards are formatted. It isn’t a USB stick, hard-drive or SSD recovery tool, and it deliberately won’t show you your computer’s own fixed disks. What it can bring back depends on which scan you run:
Quick scan — for deleted files. Reads the card’s file table for files that have been deleted but are still listed there. Because it works from the table, it recovers any type of file, with its original name and folder.
Deep scan — for formatted cards and damaged file tables. Searches the whole card and recognises files by their content. It recognises 17 formats:
- Photos — JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF and HEIC
- Camera raw — Canon CR2 and CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW and Adobe DNG
- Video — MP4, MOV and AVI
- Audio — MP3 and WAV
- Documents — PDF and Word (.docx) only
Files found by deep scan come back without their original names, and any format not on that list won’t be found by it. Either way, you see thumbnail previews of your photos and videos before you recover anything — that’s the whole point.
Why You Can Trust It
Built by data recovery engineers
Made by the same Data Clinic lab that’s been recovering data professionally since 2002 — not a generic download.
Digitally signed
The installer and app are signed by Data Clinic Ltd. Windows’ own security prompt shows “Verified publisher: Data Clinic Ltd”.
Read-only, by design
The app opens your card strictly read-only. It never writes to, repairs or formats the card being scanned.
Can’t overwrite your own data
Recovered files can only be saved to a different drive than the card — the software won’t let you save back over what you’re trying to recover.
The app says this to every user, before they scan anything — not just on this page.
If the software can’t help — because the card is physically failing rather than just deleted or formatted — that’s a sign the job belongs with a lab, not a download. Our SD & memory card recovery team handles exactly that.
What This Software Can’t Do
- It can’t bring back files that have already been overwritten. If you’re worried about lost photos, stop using the card immediately — every new photo you take can overwrite one you’re trying to recover.
- Deep scan only recognises the 17 formats listed above, and the files it finds come back without their original names or folders.
- Deep-scanned video can come back incomplete if it was stored on the card in fragments — the app tells you this on screen.
- It’s for SD and microSD memory cards formatted FAT32 or exFAT — it’s not a USB stick, hard drive, SSD or RAID recovery tool. USB sticks usually hold many file types deep scan doesn’t recognise (spreadsheets, presentations, ZIP archives and so on) — for a USB stick, use our Data Clinic Recovery for Hard Drives software, which is built for hard drives, SSDs and USB memory sticks.
- It can’t fix a card that has physically failed. If a card shows 0 MB, isn’t recognised at all, or gives constant read errors, the fault is in the hardware — no software, including ours, can repair that.
- We won’t promise recovery. The software gives you a good chance if you stop using the card straight away — not a guarantee.
Card Not Detected, or Showing 0 MB?
That’s usually a sign of physical failure — not something software (ours or anyone else’s) can fix. Trying more recovery tools or plugging it into more devices can make things worse.
The app itself will spot this and offer to send photos of your card together with the diagnostic report it generates to our lab. Our engineers examine both and contact you with our opinion — and, if we think we can recover your data in the lab, a diagnosis fee for sending the card in. If the app doesn’t recognise your card at all, contact us directly:
Step-by-Step Recovery Guides
Not sure where to start? These guides walk you through the most common situations using this software: recovering deleted photos from an SD card and recovering a formatted memory card. Wondering how this tool stacks up? See free data recovery software compared. Lost files from a hard drive rather than a card? See recovering files from a formatted hard drive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it really free?
Yes — no trial, no upsell inside the app, no registration. If your card has physically failed, no software can help and we’ll tell you that honestly — the app will then offer to send photos of the card and its diagnostic report to our lab, so our engineers can assess whether we can recover it and, if so, quote a diagnosis fee for sending it in.
Will it work on my hard drive or SSD?
No — it’s built for memory cards only, by design. It won’t even show you your PC’s own fixed drives.
Will it work on a USB memory stick?
No — it’s for memory cards only. For a USB memory stick, use Data Clinic Recovery for Hard Drives, our Windows software for hard drives, SSDs and USB sticks, with a free scan and preview. If the stick shows 0 MB, asks to be formatted or isn’t recognised, it’s physically failing — contact our lab instead.
Which file types can it recover?
Quick scan recovers any type of deleted file that the card’s file table still lists, with its original name and folder. Deep scan — for formatted cards and damaged file tables — recognises 17 formats: JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, HEIC, CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, MP4, MOV, AVI, MP3, WAV, PDF and Word (.docx). Deep-scan results come back without their original names.
Is it safe to use?
Yes. It opens your card strictly read-only and can only save recovered files to a different drive — it’s built so it can’t make things worse.
Does it work on Mac?
Not yet — it’s Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) only.
Why does Windows show a warning when I run it?
That’s Microsoft SmartScreen, which is cautious about newly released software regardless of who published it. The installer is digitally signed by Data Clinic Ltd — check the publisher name in the prompt.
Ready to Try It?
Free for Windows 10 and 11 — no registration, no catches.
Data Clinic Ltd – Our Latest Trustpilot Reviews
Recently lost all my data but data…
Recently lost all my data but data clinic retrieved it successfully. They answered all my questions when we'd call/email. Great communication and service.
Thank you Janice et al
Thank you Janice et al. There are a lot of rip off companies out there who take advantage of data-loss panic. I have my drive to one of them and they tried to charge me a crazy amount. This company is not one them. Very happy.
My phone had water damage none of the…
My phone had water damage none of the usual repair places managed to repaire the phone and said my data had been lost. However Data Clinic we able to get all my data recovered from the internal memory storage within a few days of them receiving my device. Highly recommend
Recovered External Drive
After an external hard drive failure on my home PC, Data Clinic successfully recovered my files and put them on a replacement drive. My experience with DC was excellent, all the staff I spoke to were efficient and helpful. I would 100% recommend Data Clinic.
My 1TB external drive drop on the floor…
My 1TB external drive drop on the floor at home and the drive heads got damaged and I take the drive to a company that I'm not going to mention they name but after they done the diagnostic test they to me to recovery the data would cost me £2400 and I told them no way then after I got back the drive from them they called me 2 days after and said they will drop the price from £2400 down to £1500 so that tells me that they wanted to scam or something and other companies prices was high and I didn't want to send my hard drive to different companies. Next day I googled and found Data clinic And the first phone call and the information they give me I was happy. The lady on the phone sent me a PDF File with a break down of all the prices for recovery and for hard drive repairs. They Recovered 90 to 95% of my files And the price I Paid Data clinic to repair my hard drive and to recovered the data and transfer to a new hard drive was cheaper than the first company that wanted to scam me . Data clinic price was lower than the £2400 and the £1500 . Data clinic services is on point and I would use them again if I have any issues and I would recommend Data clinic service 100%
Honeymoon pictures rescued
I dropped my "waterproof" phone in a swimming pool while abroad. Because I was roaming, nothing was backing up to the cloud, meaning the entirety of our honeymoon memories were trapped on the device. Thinking the phone was waterproof, I did everything you’re not supposed to do—I tried turning it on and plugging it in to charge. It overheated so badly that I was certain I had destroyed the phone and lost everything. Despite the massive damage I caused, the experts at Data Clinic managed to recover every single byte of information! The logistics were incredibly smooth. From my initial contact, they arranged a next-day courier and didn't take a penny in payment until they confirmed the device was physically in their hands. My only constructive feedback is regarding their communication during the actual repair. After that initial confirmation, things went completely quiet for about three weeks with no ETA. Handing over your phone and PIN to a third party requires a lot of trust, and the radio silence definitely made me worry. However, I really didn't need to panic. Out of the blue, they contacted me to say everything was recovered, and just 24 hours later, a memory stick arrived with all my data. Highly recommended, even if your phone seems completely beyond saving! Thanks Janice and Mohammed - you have been so pleasant and helpful. And thanks to the entire DataClinic team.
I cannot recommend this team enough
I cannot recommend this team enough. Chris and Janice and the team went above and beyond to help me retrieve data lost from my phone and as it was mostly charity work they even fixed my phone as a donation to the charity. I was so anxious and I am sure drove them mad with my questions and there were some issues backing up the data due to my settings but Janice was there calm and kind every step of the way reassuring me and they overcame every hurdle and everything was found. A 5 star personal, human and kind service which is rare but so talented and professional as well. Thank you all so much. Amazing customer service.
A very smooth experience from start to …
A very smooth experience from start to finish. I had a large music collection I thought I’d lost forever. I phoned them up and the process was clearly explained to me. They got my drive on the 4/8/26 and I got my data back on the 11/8/26. I got all of my data apart from one file that they reported was damaged so a fantastic result for me. Very reasonable price and very pleased with the quick service. The only negative was that the online payment system is not very mobile phone friendly and I had to call them to make the payment but apart from that i am super pleased I chose them. I would certainly recommend this company to everyone.
Brilliant service
Brilliant service. Janice and the lab team are outstanding. Good communication and updates throughout. Files on 2 discs were retrieved, 1 with new heads needed. Good pricing - transparent and competitive. They've been amazing. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again or to recommend them.
Communication was engaging
Communication was engaging. The services offered, potential cost and timescales were clear at the outset. The courier collection and delivery were managed well. A good experience and a positive outcome.
A very effective service
My iPhone completely bricked on holiday and I tried everything, even a new screen but I couldn’t get it to work. I thought I had lost all my holiday photos but Data Clinic managed to recover everything that was on the phone and I couldn’t be happier! They are very friendly and knowledgeable and the service is very in depth. They are honest and upfront about costs and will outline the whole process for you. I would definitely recommend instead of trying to take apart the phone yourself, it’s worth the money!
Highly recommend Data Clinic
Janice and the team at data clinic have been brilliant through the whole process of helping recover my drive. i was really impressed they could show me my drive contents virtually and get everything back to me very quickly. I would highly recommend! Josh
Data Clinic Locations
We have many data recovery locations across the UK. You are welcome to drop off but will need to book an appointment first.
Alternatively use our Free Collection service that picks up from ANY UK address.
New London House, EC3V 9LJ
The Mount, Belfast, BT6 8DD
11, St. Paul’s Square, Birmingham, B3 1RB
Castlemead, Bristol, BS1 3AG
Tay House, 300 Bath Street G2 4JR
Building 3, Gelderd Road, Leeds, LS12 6LN
Horton House, Exchange Street East, Liverpool, L2 3PF
The Pavilions, Bridge Hall Lane, Bury, BL9 7NX
Rotterdam House, 116 Quayside, NE1 3DY
Victory House, 400 Pavilion Drive, NN4 7PA
The Balance, 2 Pinfold Street, Sheffield S1 2GU
Basepoint, Andersons Road, Southampton, SO14 5FE
