Adata SD Card Format Recovery – Complete Guide
Overview: Formatting your Adata SD card by mistake can feel like a disaster 😟. Photos, videos, and documents may seem gone forever. But don’t worry — with the right methods, Adata SD card unformat is absolutely possible ✅. To recover data from a formatted ADATA SD card, you must immediately stop using the card to prevent overwriting the data and then use a specialized data recovery software like free tool iCare Recovery Free. It scans the formatted card for lost files, allowing you to preview and then recover the desired data to a separate, safe location on your computer.
Common Scenarios
- Formatted Adata SD card by mistake 🌀
- Accidentally clicked Quick Format
- Corrupted card asking for format
- Need Adata SD card undo format solution
How to Recover Formatted Adata SD Card
Stop Using the SD Card Immediately: As soon as you realize you've formatted your ADATA SD card, remove it from any device to prevent new data from being written to it, which could overwrite the lost files.
The best way to perform Adata SD card format recovery is to use specialized recovery software. One reliable and free tool is iCare Recovery Free. This program can scan your formatted SD card and recover lost data.
Steps to Unformat ADATA SD Card Using iCare Recovery Free
Download and install iCare Recovery Free 🖥️- Connect the SD Card: Insert your formatted Adata SD card into the computer. ( Insert your ADATA SD card into a card reader and connect it to your computer. )
- Launch the program and choose Deep Scan Recovery, select the ADATA SD card from the list of available drives or locations to begin the scanning process.
- Preview and recover your lost files. After the scan is complete, preview the found files to identify the ones you want to restore. Select the files and click the Recover button.
- Choose a Safe Recovery Location:
You will be prompted to select a location to save the recovered files. Crucially, do not save them back to the same formatted ADATA SD card; instead, choose a different folder on your computer's hard drive.
Important Tips
- Stop using the card immediately after accidental formatting
- Save recovered files to a different storage device
- Consider making a backup copy after recovery
Also read: How to reverse format SD card
FAQ – Adata SD Card Recovery
Q: Can I really undo a format on my Adata SD card?
A: Yes, as long as you act quickly and use tools like iCare Recovery Free.
Q: Is iCare Recovery Free safe?
A: Yes, it’s free, safe, and widely used for Adata SD card undo format.
Q: Will this work for all types of files?
A: Most file formats such as photos, videos, and documents can be restored.
When Adata SD Card Data Cannot Be Recovered
While most accidental formats on Adata SD card can be reversed with tools such as iCare Recovery Free, there are critical situations where recovery becomes technically impossible 🚫. Understanding these cases can save time and prevent false expectations.
1. Low-Level Format
A low-level format (sometimes called zero-fill format) does more than just erase the file system. It writes new binary patterns (zeros or random data) to every storage sector on the Adata SD card. Once this process is complete:
- File system metadata (like FAT/Master File Table) is destroyed permanently
- Original file contents are overwritten sector by sector
- No recovery software, free or paid, can reconstruct the lost files
⚠️ In short, after a true low-level format, Adata SD card unformat is not possible because the underlying storage blocks no longer contain original user data. Some cameras as well as computer low level format software provide such low level foramtting. If you just did the low level format on your Adata SD card, then it is not possible to reverse format on Adata SD card.
2. Writing New Data After Format
Another common reason recovery fails is when new files are saved after formatting. Here’s why:
- When you perform a quick format, the system only resets the file allocation table, but the actual data still remains on the card until overwritten.
- If you continue to use the SD card, new files will occupy the same storage sectors where your old photos, videos, or documents once existed.
- Large files (e.g., 4K videos, RAW photo batches) overwrite a bigger portion of the card, drastically reducing recovery chances.
✅ Best practice: Once you realize you have formatted an Adata SD card by mistake, immediately stop using the card. Every additional write operation reduces the probability of a successful undo format.
Summary of Non-Recoverable Cases
- ✔️ Quick format + no new data → Recovery is usually possible
- ❌ Low-level format → Recovery not possible
- ❌ Quick format + large new files saved → Recovery unlikely