Best ARW File Recovery Tools 2025 | Easily Recover Lost RAW Photos

Overview of ARW File Type

ARW files are Sony’s RAW image format, used by Sony digital cameras to store uncompressed and unprocessed photo data. Unlike JPEG or PNG, which are compressed and optimized for sharing, ARW files retain all the information captured by the camera’s sensor, such as color, exposure, and detail without any loss.

Different camera manufacturers use their own RAW formats: for example, Fuji saves images in RAF format, Canon uses CRW, CR2, or CR3, while Sony relies on ARW. Despite the differences in file extensions, the purpose of these formats is the same: to preserve the highest quality data for professional editing. With ARW, you can adjust shadows, highlights, white balance, and even recover details from overexposed or underexposed shots with much greater accuracy compared to standard image formats.

However, because ARW files are large and contain RAW data, they are more vulnerable to corruption, accidental deletion, or storage errors. Once lost, recovering ARW files can be more challenging than restoring typical image formats.

Common Causes of ARW File Loss

In most cases, ARW file loss stems from a few common causes. Take a look to see if any of these match the reason for your lost ARW files.

Accidental Deletion: Files deleted manually or via quick formatting.

Corrupted Sony SD card: Improper ejection, physical damage, or bad sectors can cause an SD card to become corrupted.

Transfer Interruptions: Power failure or cable disconnection during file transfer.

Virus or malware attacks: Can damage or remove files.

File system corruption: Memory card becomes RAW or unreadable.

Software crashes: Editing programs may fail while saving ARW files.

Manual Recovery Options Before Using Software

Before jumping into specialized ARW file recovery tools, you can give some manual methods a try to get your lost ARW files back. These steps are quick and cost nothing. If they don’t work, you can turn to professional software.

1. Check the Recycle Bin

If you deleted ARW files (after transferring them from camera to PC) on computer, check the Recycle Bin and click "Restore" to send them back to their original location if they’re there.

2. Check for the Backups

If you have used any backup tools, such as Windows built-in backup tools, cloud backup tools, or an external hard drive to back up these ARW files, you can also check the backup and restore the files from backups.

3. Stop Writing New Data

If the files are not in the Recycle Bin and no backups are available, stop writing any new data immediately to avoid overwriting the lost data.

The Best Sony ARW File Recovery Tools in 2025

When ARW files are permanently deleted, professional data recovery software becomes essential. This section will introduce three of the most effective ARW file recovery tools for 2025, and you can choose the one that best suits you based on their respective features. Let's explore them one by one.

Sony Memory Card File Rescue

Sony provides its own Sony Memory Card File Rescue tool, designed specifically for recovering RAW images and videos from Sony SD cards. However, it has very limited compatibility with device types and file formats. Additionally, its user interface is relatively outdated, and it is less flexible compared to modern recovery software.

Step 1. Download and install Sony Memory Card File Rescue on your computer from Sony official channel.

Step 2. Connect the Sony SD card to your computer.

Step 3. Select the SD card to scan for lost files and click "Next".

Step 4. Check the files you want to recover and you can preview the photos in the right pane.

Step 5. Choose a safe location to save the recovered photos and click "Save".

Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery is a command-line data recovery tool provided by Microsoft which can scan all the local storage drives like USB drives, SD card, HDDs and recover permanently deleted files from these devices. But it requires technical knowledge and only compatible with Windows 10 and later versions.

Step 1. Download and install Windows File Recovery from Microsoft Store on your computer. Insert the SD card into your computer and note its drive letter.

Step 2. Open Windows File Recovery and run it as administrator.

Step 3. Type the following command "winfr F: E: /regular /n *.arw" and press "Enter". Replace the drive letters "F" and "E" with your actual drive letters.

★Tips:

F: the source drive letter (your Sony SD card drive letter).

E: the destination drive letter.

/regular: the scan more. If the file system of your SD card is FAT or exFAT, switch to "extensive" mode.

/ n *.arw: the filter command. Only recover the files with ".arw" extension.

Wait for the process to complete, press "y" to check the recovered files in the destination folder path.

MyRecover

While Windows File Recovery is a promising tool, even minor errors like missing spaces can cause ARW recovery to fail. In such cases, MyRecover stands out with its simple and intuitive interface. The user-friendly design makes data recovery easy, even novice users can complete the process with just a few clicks on the icons.

Additionally, it boasts strong compatibility: it not only supports various storage devices including HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and game console hard drives, but also works with all Windows operating systems, including Servers.

 MyRecover

Easy & Powerful Data Recovery Software

• Clean, intuitive design suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
• Supports recovery of photos, videos, documents, archives, and over 1000 file formats.
• Performs thorough scans to locate lost data even after formatting or partition loss.
• Ensures no data is overwritten during the recovery process.
• Recover data from lost or deleted partitions.

Download Freeware
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7& Server

100% Secure

Step 1. Download and install MyRecover on your computer from Microsoft Store. Remove the memory card from Sony camera and connect it to the computer.

Step 2. Launch it and choose the memory card to scan, then click "Scan".

Step 3. Choose the files you would like to recover from the recoverable lists and click "Recover".

Step 4. Select a safe location to save the recovered files.

Once the process is finished, you can check the recovered ARW files in the destination folder by clicking on the destination folder path or "Browse" button.

Final Words

Losing RAW photos can be devastating, especially when working with Sony’s ARW files. From checking the Recycle Bin and backups to ARW file recovery tool, there are several options to recover deleted ARW files. For photographers who need a more reliable solution, MyRecover is worth considering.

If you need a flexible way to safeguard your work, MyRecover provides a future-proof solution that goes beyond traditional recovery tools. MyRecover also offers a Professional version to meet users' more advanced needs, allowing unlimited data recovery capacity and previewing file contents in advance.