recover photos from LOST.DIR easiest way

DroidA536 · Dec 15, 2015

android889 said:
Recently I've been loosing a lot of pictures from my external sd card on S3 and they are moved to a folder called : LOST.DIR (it contained over 300 unknown files)
I googled for solution but all required recovery software and a pc etc...
by accident I found the easiest and most guaranteed recovery method.

1. install ES file explorer from play store
it's the best file manager on the market you can find the link below:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop

2. Open ES file explorer go to extsdcard

3. Open LOST.DIR

4. Select all: you can do that by long pressing on any file then click select all.

5. click Rename in the bottom of the screen
you'll get: Batch Rename
Input a new name: choose any name e.g: Image
Start number: write 1 or 01
Rename extension name: write jpg
Click ok
(check the attached image)
and you'll get all your images back!
if some didn't open they could be video files so rename extension to mp4.

hope I helped

OMG!!! Thank you! Recovered 978 photos that were missing because of my sdcard that kept unmounting itself..

Honeyrajh · Jan 27, 2016

Hi there...
Could u tell me a solution if the LOST.DIR is empty? I guess in this case i cannot recover any of my lost pics right? I do hope there is some way... This happened while I was copying some files onto my PC.

2zsMom · Feb 1, 2016

"5. click Rename in the bottom of the screen"

I must be missing something, because after selecting all, I don't see anything at the bottom of the screen that allows me to rename. Help, please!

joban singh · Feb 29, 2016

My feeling now happy. Reason is you. because my important images is back on my phone. Thanks for help me thank you thank you so much friend. God always will help you .god bless you

simic83 · Mar 13, 2016

i had nearly 800 files in my Lost.dir..i connected sd card to my lap using a card reader and ten used command prompt .
in tat i renamed all files to jpg with the following commands
g: [g is the drive which shows my sd card]
cd lost.dir [entering into lost.dir folder]
ren * *.jpg [there is a space between the two *'s]
now whichever files were pictures came as thumbnails
now i removed tem to another folder ten again renamed the other files
ren *.jpg *.mp4
now i got all my videos
i didn't have any luck with audio files...i tried mp3 ..but still some doesnt open up...
but surely this method works for pictures and videos...

MSakis · Mar 29, 2016

SOLUTION!!!
Today i found no pictures in DCIM folder on micro SD card in my Samsung Note 4. But they are inside the LOST.DIR folder. So i decided for an easy way to restore filenames of them.
Just finished a small program that do the trick. It's written in Autoit.
Before use please rename all files in the folder as jpg. (Promise to update the program, to do it on it's own soon). Small and quick. It works only for pictures because they contain the required info in EXIF.
Some pictures e.g. edited pictures with smartphone apps, when saved, they don't save also the EXIF info, these pictures remain unchanged.
Please try it on a copy of the files.
To view EXIF info in movies, you can use the utility that i found here: http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/
I had only a few video files so i don't see a reason to implement it also for video files.
I upload the program and the source.
Have fun.
Sakis

Eartha Ava · May 12, 2016

simic83 said:
i had nearly 800 files in my Lost.dir..i connected sd card to my lap using a card reader and ten used commande prompt .
in tat i renamed all files to jpg with the following commands
g: [g is the drive which shows my sd card]
cd lost.dir [entering into lost.dir folder]
ren * *.jpg [there is a space between the two *'s]
now whichever files were pictures came as thumbnails
now i removed tem to another folder ten again renamed the other files
ren *.jpg *.mp4
now i got all my videos
i didn't have any luck with audio files...i tried mp3 ..but still some doesn't open up...
but surely this method can recover deleted photos and videos...

thanks, I will try this method.

rsuchit4 · May 27, 2016

android889 said:
Recently I've been loosing a lot of pictures from my external sd card on S3 and they are moved to a folder called : LOST.DIR (it contained over 300 unknown files)
I googled for solution but all required recovery software and a pc etc...
by accident I found the easiest and most guaranteed recovery method.

1. install ES file explorer from play store
it's the best file manager on the market you can find the link below:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop

2. Open ES file explorer go to extsdcard

3. Open LOST.DIR

4. Select all: you can do that by long pressing on any file then click select all.

5. click Rename in the bottom of the screen
you'll get: Batch Rename
Input a new name: choose any name e.g: Image
Start number: write 1 or 01
Rename extension name: write jpg
Click ok
(check the attached image)
and you'll get all your images back!
if some didn't open they could be video files so rename extension to mp4.

hope I helped

I was not able to get that can you help me out with any other way as they are very important photos for me

simic83 · Jun 4, 2016

rsuchit4 said:
I was not able to get that can you help me out with any other way as they are very important photos for me

can you try by connecting your memory card to laptop and then using command prompt to rename ur files in lost.dir
a little bit knowledge about DOS commands is required.
The commands i used are listed in my thread.

Nico Ricamata · Jul 4, 2016

OMG!! Thanks! this really works!!

sirenspeaks · Aug 20, 2016

Thank you so much!! I thought I would never be able to recover my lost files. Thank you very much!!! o_O

sirenspeaks · Sep 11, 2016

I had to create an account here just to express how thankful I am for your help. I can't thank you enough. Thank you so so much!

Mark G A · Oct 24, 2016

It

android889 said:
Recently I've been loosing a lot of pictures from my external sd card on S3 and they are moved to a folder called : LOST.DIR (it contained over 300 unknown files)
I googled for solution but all required recovery software and a pc etc...
by accident I found the easiest and most guaranteed recovery method.

1. install ES file explorer from play store
it's the best file manager on the market you can find the link below:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop

2. Open ES file explorer go to extsdcard

3. Open LOST.DIR

4. Select all: you can do that by long pressing on any file then click select all.

5. click Rename in the bottom of the screen
you'll get: Batch Rename
Input a new name: choose any name e.g: Image
Start number: write 1 or 01
Rename extension name: write jpg
Click ok
(check the attached image)
and you'll get all your images back!
if some didn't open they could be video files so rename extension to mp4.

hope I helped

It really hepled, thanks dear.

mac_girl · Oct 27, 2016

My Lost.Dir folder is empty. Sounded like a great idea though!

A bunch of photos are missing from my phone. Also from Google Photos! Which is totally strange, I thought it backed up everything, including stuff you delete from your phone.

All was not lost though. I had another backup, something called Pics Pro, which I don't even remember installing. The missing photos are backed up there.

svim · Oct 27, 2016

mac_girl said:
Also from Google Photos! Which is totally strange, I thought it backed up everything, including stuff you delete from your phone.

Google Photos does a 'backup & sync' where whatever you do on your phone or through your online Google account the changes get synchronized. Delete a photo on your phone and it gets deleted online and vice-versa. Basically Google Photos is trying to duplicate your photo library so any additions/deletions/edits are the same.
As you were able to restore your photos using Pics Pro this is just for future reference but in Google Photos if you go into its menu and select 'Trash' anything deleted within a couple of months should still be there. You can then select and restore whichever photos you want.

mac_girl · Oct 28, 2016

There were only a couple of things in Trash. Just the photos I deleted on Google Photos. Because I have my photos on an SD card, when I delete pictures from my phone they stay on Google Photos. The whole thing is really strange

JLynAlv3113 · Nov 20, 2016

android889 said:
Recently I've been loosing a lot of pictures from my external sd card on S3 and they are moved to a folder called : LOST.DIR (it contained over 300 unknown files)
I googled for solution but all required recovery software and a pc etc...
by accident I found the easiest and most guaranteed recovery method.

1. install ES file explorer from play store
it's the best file manager on the market you can find the link below:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop

2. Open ES file explorer go to extsdcard

3. Open LOST.DIR

4. Select all: you can do that by long pressing on any file then click select all.

5. click Rename in the bottom of the screen
you'll get: Batch Rename
Input a new name: choose any name e.g: Image
Start number: write 1 or 01
Rename extension name: write jpg
Click ok
(check the attached image)
and you'll get all your images back!
if some didn't open they could be video files so rename extension to mp4.

hope I helped

------------------------
I'm using ES File Explorer 4.1.4.2. Will you resolution work in this version?

JLynAlv3113 · Nov 21, 2016

android889 said:
Recently I've been loosing a lot of pictures from my external sd card on S3 and they are moved to a folder called : LOST.DIR (it contained over 300 unknown files)
I googled for solution but all required recovery software and a pc etc...
by accident I found the easiest and most guaranteed recovery method.

1. install ES file explorer from play store
it's the best file manager on the market you can find the link below:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop

2. Open ES file explorer go to extsdcard

3. Open LOST.DIR

4. Select all: you can do that by long pressing on any file then click select all.

5. click Rename in the bottom of the screen
you'll get: Batch Rename
Input a new name: choose any name e.g: Image
Start number: write 1 or 01
Rename extension name: write jpg
Click ok
(check the attached image)
and you'll get all your images back!
if some didn't open they could be video files so rename extension to mp4.

hope I helped

---------------------------
Hi! I'm from Philippines. Thanks for your tips. I managed to recover maybe 70% of my files (esp. family pics). But there was left files that some how looks like "broken"? The thumbnail looks like broken pic. Is there a way to recover those? Thanks!

danialan · Jan 10, 2017

In order to put a stop to permanent loss of files from LOST.DIR in Android, you have to quickly recover missing files before your Android Smartphone memory space get overwritten by some new data. Therefore, go ahead with pertinent LOST.DIR Android recovery tool like UFUSoft Lost DIR File Recovery.

Nicole Melarkey · Feb 13, 2017

android889 said:
Recently I've been loosing a lot of pictures from my external sd card on S3 and they are moved to a folder called : LOST.DIR (it contained over 300 unknown files)
I googled for solution but all required recovery software and a pc etc...
by accident I found the easiest and most guaranteed recovery method.

1. install ES file explorer from play store
it's the best file manager on the market you can find the link below:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop

2. Open ES file explorer go to extsdcard

3. Open LOST.DIR

4. Select all: you can do that by long pressing on any file then click select all.

5. click Rename in the bottom of the screen
you'll get: Batch Rename
Input a new name: choose any name e.g: Image
Start number: write 1 or 01
Rename extension name: write jpg
Click ok
(check the attached image)
and you'll get all your images back!
if some didn't open they could be video files so rename extension to mp4.

hope I helped

Thanks for your help. Did the trick. You are a lifesaver

Shoep · Feb 27, 2017

Thom · Feb 27, 2017

Welcome to Android Forums.

You didn't get you post entered. You can hit the Edit command and correct it.

... Thom

Oluyemisi · Jun 17, 2017

I actually followed this process and am still unable to view my photos, it seems the files are corrupt, what can i do please

Oluyemisi · Jun 17, 2017

I actually tried this method, but the photos say could not load image what could be the problem

rovie22 · Aug 22, 2017

hello android889,

thank you so much, you method works!
I almost lost all 159+ photos and videos from my Asia vacation
God Bless you!

recover photos from LOST.DIR easiest way

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