Hello everyone. This request is for a real expert in android or windows os. Some of my gallery folders just disappeared. I cant see some albums, docs and images, they disappeared from the sd card and also maybe some from the internal storage. A clue: I think (but I am not completely sure because I dont remember very well, I dont know) that this is happening because I deleted by mistake a file called .nomedia after connecting my phone to my notebook and thinking that file was strange. Please, please, please, I really need my folders again, my gallery complete. If a nice soul could help me I would appreciate it the rest of my life. This is really important.
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Help How do I recover folders and files (docs, images) that disappeared from my gallery and sd card
- Thread starter Mafag
- Start date
puppykickr
Android Expert
No guarantees, but here goes.
First, a .nomedia file is used as a placeholder or as a way for a folder to be hidden from view (in my experience).
As a placeholder, it will make an otherwise empty folder not empty, therefore less likely to be deleted by cleaner apps or other means.
As a way to hide folders, well, that is exactly how the gallery app that I use hides folders that I chose to be hidden.
I have never seen the deletion of a .nomedia file ever result in the loss of any files or folders.
Have you attempted to add the .nomedia file back?
Perhaps this is the answer.
Maybe not, but if something so simple could fix the issue then it is worth a shot.
Next, I would try a different Gallery app, specifically Simple Gallery Pro.
Simple Gallery Pro - Photo Manager & Editor (A premium app for managing and editing your photos, videos, GIFs without ads) - https://f-droid.org/packages/com.simplemobiletools.gallery.pro
The reasons for this are, well, simple.
It's an excellent gallery that has a feature that will show every compatible image and video on the device.
Also, as it is what I use, I may be of more help if we are using the same gallery app.
Plus, I bet that no matter what, you might like it.
Anyway, back on task, if that gallery doesn't find them with the following:
three dot menu in upper right
show all folder content
then there is a last ditch effort, but it isn't pretty.
There ars a few (if not many) data recovery apps available, of which I have tried only maybe two.
What I discovered was that they will generally only find thumbnails of the original media, and those are very poor quality in comparison.
Also, with those apps you can forget about recovering any video content unless you pay, and there are plenty of unhappy reviews stating that even after payment no videos were found.
The good news is that it is unlikely that the folders are actually gone, unless you deleted them yourself.
Usually there is a multiple step process to ensure that you know that you are sure you want to delete the data.
Simple Gallery goes a step further, adding a 'recycle bin', that allows for files to be restored after deletion for up to 30 days.
Let me/us know if any of this works or helps you out.
First, a .nomedia file is used as a placeholder or as a way for a folder to be hidden from view (in my experience).
As a placeholder, it will make an otherwise empty folder not empty, therefore less likely to be deleted by cleaner apps or other means.
As a way to hide folders, well, that is exactly how the gallery app that I use hides folders that I chose to be hidden.
I have never seen the deletion of a .nomedia file ever result in the loss of any files or folders.
Have you attempted to add the .nomedia file back?
Perhaps this is the answer.
Maybe not, but if something so simple could fix the issue then it is worth a shot.
Next, I would try a different Gallery app, specifically Simple Gallery Pro.
Simple Gallery Pro - Photo Manager & Editor (A premium app for managing and editing your photos, videos, GIFs without ads) - https://f-droid.org/packages/com.simplemobiletools.gallery.pro
The reasons for this are, well, simple.
It's an excellent gallery that has a feature that will show every compatible image and video on the device.
Also, as it is what I use, I may be of more help if we are using the same gallery app.
Plus, I bet that no matter what, you might like it.
Anyway, back on task, if that gallery doesn't find them with the following:
three dot menu in upper right
show all folder content
then there is a last ditch effort, but it isn't pretty.
There ars a few (if not many) data recovery apps available, of which I have tried only maybe two.
What I discovered was that they will generally only find thumbnails of the original media, and those are very poor quality in comparison.
Also, with those apps you can forget about recovering any video content unless you pay, and there are plenty of unhappy reviews stating that even after payment no videos were found.
The good news is that it is unlikely that the folders are actually gone, unless you deleted them yourself.
Usually there is a multiple step process to ensure that you know that you are sure you want to delete the data.
Simple Gallery goes a step further, adding a 'recycle bin', that allows for files to be restored after deletion for up to 30 days.
Let me/us know if any of this works or helps you out.
Should have used Google photos...
It may be that I am wrong about that nomedia file and really its deletion by mistake did not affect my documents and images at all. But then something else must have caused my photos and documents to disappear.
The nomedia file that I think I deleted is no longer on my computer because I cleaned the recycle bin, it is empty.
Thank you very much for the recommendation of Simple Gallery Pro, maybe give it a try anytime.
I don't like data recovery programs or applications, they don't work well, especially if they are free.
I have a Samsung A10. I had created the folders in the usual way: in the phone's gallery (where all the images / albums are seen) and also inside the sd card through the application called my files, which is an application that this Samsung phone brings. So the folders / albums I had were just to sort my photos in the gallery.
I've already tried to remove the card and insert it into my PC and I can't see the folders or albums (even with the hidden folder / files option disabled in the Windows control panel) which I can't see on the phone either.
I have already checked all the folders on the SD card and the internal storage and there are not all the photos, there are only some photos. To give you an idea, a few days ago both the sd card and the internal storage were 60-70% occupied, now it only appears 10 or 15% busy, this is crazy, it does not make sense, something happened with my photos and also to my documents. I had a folder on the sd card with some documents and it is not there either, it disappeared just like the photos. I have no backup. Only I have access to my phone, this is very strange. Not everything disappeared, but almost everything. I always keep my phone updated, operating system updated and all applications updated, I have few applications, the most common. How can you help me? Is it possible to recover everything that suddenly disappeared?
The nomedia file that I think I deleted is no longer on my computer because I cleaned the recycle bin, it is empty.
Thank you very much for the recommendation of Simple Gallery Pro, maybe give it a try anytime.
I don't like data recovery programs or applications, they don't work well, especially if they are free.
I have a Samsung A10. I had created the folders in the usual way: in the phone's gallery (where all the images / albums are seen) and also inside the sd card through the application called my files, which is an application that this Samsung phone brings. So the folders / albums I had were just to sort my photos in the gallery.
I've already tried to remove the card and insert it into my PC and I can't see the folders or albums (even with the hidden folder / files option disabled in the Windows control panel) which I can't see on the phone either.
I have already checked all the folders on the SD card and the internal storage and there are not all the photos, there are only some photos. To give you an idea, a few days ago both the sd card and the internal storage were 60-70% occupied, now it only appears 10 or 15% busy, this is crazy, it does not make sense, something happened with my photos and also to my documents. I had a folder on the sd card with some documents and it is not there either, it disappeared just like the photos. I have no backup. Only I have access to my phone, this is very strange. Not everything disappeared, but almost everything. I always keep my phone updated, operating system updated and all applications updated, I have few applications, the most common. How can you help me? Is it possible to recover everything that suddenly disappeared?
puppykickr
Android Expert
You seem to have multiple things going on.
First, it appeays that you are in the habit of moving your SD card from device to device.
This is a bad habit.
Get a separate card for each device, and leave it there.
Second, strange and sometimes bad things happen during the updating of apps.
Generally, I also update if one is available, but if the update does not affect my device or has no interest to me (always check the changelog) then I usually will not take the update.
There is an old saying- that you don't update software that is working properly.
Most of the problems I have ever had with software came right after...
you guessed it...
an update.
Now, this may not even be your issue at all.
How did you purchase your SD card?
Was it a name brand from a brick and morter store?
Or was is an 'el cheapo deluxe' in a twin pack that was on sale online?
There are many, many fake cards out there, that are sold as having much more memory than they really do.
They will fill up way before expected, and then crash or lose data in other ways.
For files/folders to just up and vanish off of internal memory is quite a different thing.
Unless something is wrong with the device, you did a factory reset, or deleted the files yourself, then it is exceedingly rare to just lose data.
That is why I suggested the other gallery.
Not only because it is a superior app, but because it may see these files that you cannot otherwise find with the apps you are already using.
Another app you could try is by the same developer, Simple File Manager.
Use the three dot menu in the upper right, then select 'settings'.
Then select 'show hidden files'.
Simple File Manager (A simple file manager for browsing and editing files and directories.) - https://f-droid.org/packages/com.simplemobiletools.filemanager.pro
The idea here is that you may have (hopefully) inadvertently hidden these media from the apps that you have been using, and that these apps will still see the files.
The other reason for you to try these apps is so that it is easier for me to help you, as I (and others on this forum) use the same apps myself- and am completely unfamiliar with your apps (or device for that matter).
This would put us on more common ground.
First, it appeays that you are in the habit of moving your SD card from device to device.
This is a bad habit.
Get a separate card for each device, and leave it there.
Second, strange and sometimes bad things happen during the updating of apps.
Generally, I also update if one is available, but if the update does not affect my device or has no interest to me (always check the changelog) then I usually will not take the update.
There is an old saying- that you don't update software that is working properly.
Most of the problems I have ever had with software came right after...
you guessed it...
an update.
Now, this may not even be your issue at all.
How did you purchase your SD card?
Was it a name brand from a brick and morter store?
Or was is an 'el cheapo deluxe' in a twin pack that was on sale online?
There are many, many fake cards out there, that are sold as having much more memory than they really do.
They will fill up way before expected, and then crash or lose data in other ways.
For files/folders to just up and vanish off of internal memory is quite a different thing.
Unless something is wrong with the device, you did a factory reset, or deleted the files yourself, then it is exceedingly rare to just lose data.
That is why I suggested the other gallery.
Not only because it is a superior app, but because it may see these files that you cannot otherwise find with the apps you are already using.
Another app you could try is by the same developer, Simple File Manager.
Use the three dot menu in the upper right, then select 'settings'.
Then select 'show hidden files'.
Simple File Manager (A simple file manager for browsing and editing files and directories.) - https://f-droid.org/packages/com.simplemobiletools.filemanager.pro
The idea here is that you may have (hopefully) inadvertently hidden these media from the apps that you have been using, and that these apps will still see the files.
The other reason for you to try these apps is so that it is easier for me to help you, as I (and others on this forum) use the same apps myself- and am completely unfamiliar with your apps (or device for that matter).
This would put us on more common ground.