How to Show And Recover Hidden Files on SD Card? Updated 2024

Last Updated Date: Jan 19, 2024 

SD cards are common memory cards used in cameras for storing photos and other data. Sometimes, you may find some files in your SD card are missing or hidden due to hardware issues and you can’t find them. Indeed, many users have encountered this situation and this article is here to help you show and recover the hidden files on SD card.

Why are the Files in the SD card Hidden?

The problem that SD cards are hidden can be caused by many reasons, system problems, or raw drive problems. Below are several common causes that led to the files being hidden. We can deal with the related problems better in the event of knowing the specific reasons.  

• Virus Attacks or Malware

Viruses and malware are annoying issues, and they are usually the common reason to files are hidden in the sd card. If you connect your sd card to an untrusted device, your sd card may get infected and make computers and various storage devices lose files or hide them.

• System Crashes or Malfunctions

Sometimes, the computer system crashes due to various malfunctions, which can cause the storage device like SD card to be unrecognized by the computer and the files inside get lost or hidden.

• Mistakenly Operation

You may have a quick eye and accidentally click the wrong option to hide a file. Then, your file may get hidden or deleted.

How to Show Hidden Files on an SD Card?

Method 1: Using File Explorer to unhide the files in SD card

Maybe this is the first method you can try to see hidden files due to its easy accessibility. You can use the File Explorer feature in 2 ways to unhide the hidden files. First, check the hidden items, the next, change the settings of the File Explorer to show hidden files, folders, and drives. 

1️⃣First one: Using the Hidden items of the File Explorer

Step 1: Connect your SD Card and Flash drive to your computer > open File Explorer.

Step 2: Click View on the top bar > Select the Hidden items button.

Then you can check whether the hidden files have shown up.

2️⃣Second one: Change the settings of the File Explorer

Step 1: Still connect your card to your computer.

Step 2: Enter “file” in the search bar on the start menu. You can see the option “Change folder and search options.”

Step 3: Enable “Show hidden files, folders and drives.” Then, you can see all of the hidden files.

Method 2: Using CMD to unhide the hidden files in SD card

CMD stands for Command Prompt. It is a command line tool in the Windows operating system, mainly used to perform command line operations, debugging, and troubleshooting. CMD can create, delete, modify, view, open, and move folders or files. It uses the computer’s command line to mobilize or find the computer’s information and resources and can be used to display hidden files on the SD card.

👇Here are the steps to display hidden files using CMD.

Step 1: Enter cmd in the search bar on the start menu > Click Run as administrator.

Step 2: Enter attrib -h -r -s /s /d E:\*.*(Replace E with the drive letter of your card that the system assigned to it. And there should be space after each letter)

Step 3: After the whole procedure ends, you can check to see if the files in the sd card are unhidden.

Method 3: Assign a New Driver Letter by using Disk Management

Sometimes, your SD Card conflicts with the drive letter of your system disks. So, assigning a new drive letter to your SD Card or Flash drive is also a helpful way to unhide the files inside.

Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon > open disk management.

Step 2: Right-click on your needed drive letter.

Step 3: Click Change Drive Letter and Paths…. After setting, click Apply and OK.

Step 4: Restart the computer > Connect your card to your computer.

Step 5: Check to see if your problem has been solved.

Method 4: Reinstall Drivers to see SD card’s hidden files

If the drivers on your computer are damaged or corrupted, you can not access the files you saved on the SD Card, or they are forcefully hidden. So, it is considered necessary to reinstall the driver. Please follow the steps below. 

Step 1: Right-click on the Windows icon > open the device management.

Step 2: Expand “Universal Serial Bus controllers” > right-click the driver.

Step 3: Click Uninstall device > do as the prompt says.

Step 4: Restart the computer. The system will automatically install the drivers.

Method 5: Show hidden files by using Google Chrome

Google Chrome can be used to find information about all the files on the SD card, which will be very helpful in showing the hidden files in the SD card. Follow the steps below to see hidden files.

Step 1: Connect your SD card to the computer and open Google Chrome on your computer.

Step 2: Type “file:/x:”(replace x with the drive letter of your SD card) in the search blank. And Google will list all available files.

Step 3: Check whether your files or folders are listed.   

How to Recover Deleted or Hidden Files on SD Card?

Sometimes, we try all the above methods and can’t find the hidden files. The files may have been lost or you may have accidentally deleted the files. At this time, we need to recover these files by using the professional file recovery software ONERECOVERY. It doesn’t require proficient knowledge of the tech and has an intuitive interface to operate easily. 

You only need three steps to get the hidden files back. Here’s how to use ONERECOVERY to recover deleted or hidden files on an SD card:

Step 1: Launch the software > locate the position where your files are stored. 

Step 2: Scan the drive you have chosen, and wait for the scanning result. 

Step 3: Preview the results and choose the files you want to recover. Then save the hidden files to a new location.

Conclusion

We hope that the above 5 methods will help you see the hidden files on SD card. However, we hope that you develop good habits of using these devices properly and protecting these electronic devices. Also, please remember to use ONERECOVERY if you lose your important files.