How to Recover Deleted Photos and Videos from a Canon Camera

Losing files on your Canon camera? Don’t worry (yet), it’s a common problem. In fact, most users will be able to do Canon photo recovery on their own. This article is a step-by-step guide on how to recover deleted photos from a Canon camera (and videos), as well as a collection of useful information on the causes and prevention of data loss on Canon cameras.

Is it Possible to Recover Data From a Canon Digital Camera

Yes! In most cases, barring physical damage or data overwriting, you should be able to recover much of your data yourself using DIY methods. And let’s play an open hand: to do so, you’ll need the help of reliable data recovery software. However, not all data recovery software tools are equally effective.

We have everything you need to get started in the step-by-step guide on how to recover deleted videos from Canon cameras (as well as photos and other files) below.

Two Effective Solutions to Recover Deleted Photos and Videos From a Canon Camera

The best way to recover deleted photos and videos from a Canon camera is to detach its memory card and connect it to your computer using a USB-type or built-in card reader. Then, you can recover deleted files from your SD card using a data recovery tool. Most data recovery software can recognize memory cards just fine, so you won’t encounter any problems during the process of restoration.

For this article, we’ll demonstrate how to perform Canon photo and video recovery using Disk Drill and Stellar Photo Recovery. Both tools are very popular for recovering data from different devices, including professional cameras. They will work well for Canon SD card recovery. They are often recommended by our editorial team, with a particular emphasis on Disk Drill. Read through our step-by-step guides below (which include screenshots) to decide which tool suits you better.

Option A: Disk Drill

Unlike other software that offers separate subscriptions based on file type, with Disk Drill, you can recover photos, videos, audio files, documents, and more – it’s even capable of RAW SD card recovery (we cover all of this and more, including Disk Drill’s free additional tools, in our full Disk Drill review). This makes it a super useful tool to have at home or in the office.

So, here’s how you can recover deleted files from your Canon camera’s SD card:

1. Plug in your SD card to your computer using a USB-type card reader or your laptop’s built-in card reader.
2. Download and install Disk Drill. Then, launch it by double-clicking its icon.
3. Select your SD card from the drive selection list, then click “Search for lost data”.
4. Wait for Disk Drill to complete its can. Then, click “Review found items”.
5. You’ll be presented with a list of files that Disk Drill found. You can use the search bar and the file type sidebar on the left-most side to narrow down your search. If we want to recover a RAW Canon photo, we can type “CR2” or “CR3” (Canon RAW extensions) in the search bar and filter results by Pictures only. You can also toggle the Pictures tab to view pre-made groups sorted by file type, as organized by Disk Drill.
6. Preview any file (including videos) by hovering your mouse pointer to the right of its file name, then clicking the eye button that appears. Disk Drill can also preview RAW files, as I’ll demonstrate with an old photo I took with my Canon EOS 6D:
7. Select the files you want to recover from your SD card by ticking the boxes in the checkbox column. Once you’re satisfied with your selection, click “Recover”.
8. Select the destination folder for your recovered files – make sure to select a location on your computer, and not on your SD card (otherwise, you may overwrite your potentially recoverable data). Then, click “OK”.

Option B: Stellar Photo Recovery

Unfortunately, you will have to pay for another subscription if you want to recover other file types. However, if you only want to recover deleted videos from your SD card (as well as photo and audio files), it’s a good choice.

To recover deleted photos from Canon camera SD card using Stellar Photo Recovery, do the following:

1. Insert your memory card into your computer using a USB-type or built-in card reader.
2. Download and install Stellar Photo Recovery from Stellar’s official website.
3. Launch Stellar Photo Recovery and choose the category of files you are interested in recovering.
4. Select your memory card from the list, toggle on the “Deep Scan” option on the bottom-left corner of the window, then click “Scan”.
5. Once the scan is complete, click “OK”.
6. Make sure the preview is toggled on, and click on any file to display it in the preview window. Like Disk Drill, Stellar Photo Recovery can preview most RAW Canon files.
7. Select the files you want to recover by ticking the checkboxes in the left-most column, then click “Recover”.
8. At this point, you’ll be prompted to activate your copy of the software using an activation key – Stellar will also launch your browser to the page where you can pay for a copy. If you have an activated copy, simply select a location on your computer (not on your memory card) where Stellar will save your files and complete the process.

Insights into Canon Camera Data Loss and Recovery

You might also want to figure out what exactly caused the data loss, as well as some other useful information that will help you be more knowledgeable about your camera’s memory.

Common Data Loss Scenarios Related to Canon Cameras

Data loss on Canon cameras happens to a lot of users, and can be caused by a variety of reasons. Here are the most common ones (as well as our recommended solutions you can try AFTER recovering your data):

Popular Models of Canon Cameras

The guides we detailed above should be suitable for most modern cameras, including those used by professional photographers and videographers. Below are some of the most popular Canon cameras that will work with this method.

Types of Cards that Canon Cameras Work With

Canon has always been a huge player in the camera market. Thus, they are one of the most compatible brands that can accommodate a wide range of memory cards. Below are the most common types of memory cards that will work with the recovery methods we recommend in the article, including Canon CF card recovery – most useful for professionals. We also listed what devices they are normally used with (including Canon digital cameras, DSLR cameras, and mirrorless cameras).

Can I Restore Data From a Camera Directly?

No, you can’t. Years ago, devices used a file transfer protocol called UMS (USB Mass Storage), which gave users and other devices access to the file system. With these older devices, you could freely drag-and-drop files to and from a computer, and third-party software could easily extract and restore data.

Memory cards, however, are flash storage. You can easily access their file system and use data recovery software without any problems. This is why we recommend scanning your memory card directly as the best method of recovering data from your Canon camera. Jump to this section of the article for a step-by-step guide: How to Recover Deleted Photos & Videos From a Canon Camera.

What We Found About Canon Photo Recovery on the Specialized Forums

Here’s what we found from a quick Google search on the subject.

• The forum thread on Canon’s community site about EOS M50 photo recovery offers several key user insights. One critical takeaway is that once photos are deleted and the memory card continues to be used, the chances of recovery significantly diminish. Immediate attempts might have some success, but continuous usage, especially overwriting data, makes it nearly impossible. Users recommend regular backups and even suggest using recovery software for attempts at retrieving lost files, though success rates vary depending on post-deletion card usage. The thread also emphasizes the importance of multiple backups, including offsite storage, to prevent future data loss.
• Another forum thread about retrieving deleted photos on a Canon EOS 1300D further emphasizes the importance of not relying solely on your camera or SD card for storing important images. Users advise backing up photos to a computer, laptop, or cloud storage as soon as possible to avoid loss. The discussion underscores the harsh reality that once an SD card is lost or stolen, and with no backups made, the chances of recovering those photos are virtually nil.
• One more forum thread on Canon’s community site about recovering photos deleted from a memory card offers practical advice, including the use of recovery software like Recuva and Sandisk Rescue Pro. Contributors highlight their effectiveness in recovering photos that haven’t been overwritten by new data. Additionally, there’s mention of PhotoRec, an open-source recovery tool praised for its success where others failed, underscoring the variety of available recovery options with their own advantages.
• The Reddit thread on r/AskPhotography highlights a user’s struggle with recovering 150+ GB of photos from a Canon 70D after accidental deletion. Key community advice includes not writing over the memory card to enable recovery, using a separate hard drive to store recovered files due to space issues, and exploring different recovery software options. Recommendations also stress backing up photos on both a hard drive and cloud service to prevent future loss. The user’s experience underscores the challenges of recovering large volumes of data and the importance of proper backup strategies.

No major surprises here. You’ve already heard from us about these points, including the dangers of overwriting data. And sure, backups are crucial, but let’s be honest, that’s probably not what someone panicking over lost photos or videos wants to hear. We get it, backups are important!

Now, regarding the software mentioned, Recuva and PhotoRec are solid options, especially for budget-minded folks. Just remember, they might not pack the same punch in terms of scanning and recovery algorithms as commercial software. While PhotoRec isn’t half bad for its category and offers decent signature scanning, we won’t delve deeper as we already have dedicated reviews for both Recuva and PhotoRec.

As for SanDisk Rescue Pro, there isn’t much new to say. Despite the name, SanDisk doesn’t actually develop it. LC Technology International, Inc., a company specializing in data recovery software, is the true creator. We suspect the “SanDisk” branding likely stems from a licensing agreement between the two companies. We tested it briefly while working on articles about SanDisk Extreme PRO Recovery and methods for recovering photos from SanDisk memory cards.

FAQ

Conclusion

In conclusion, recovering lost photos and videos from your Canon camera is a feasible and often straightforward task. Using Canon file recovery software tools such as Disk Drill and Stellar Photo Recovery, you can efficiently restore your cherished memories, even if you lack prior experience in data recovery. A friendly reminder from the Handy Recovery team: always back up your data 😉