Do you love capturing precious moments and saving them for the future? Ever wondered what if these photos get corrupted or become inaccessible all of a sudden? Whether you are a professional photographer or an everyday user, unexpected corruption of photos can really be distressful, especially if something important is stored. Corrupted photos may not open on your device, show distorted visuals, display error messages, or appear as incomplete or greyed-out files.
Fortunately, there are several photo repair workarounds available online which you can try to fix corrupted photos. This guide explores a complete overview of how to repair corrupted JPEG photos and also outlines the effective measures that you can take to prevent such corruption. Let’s explore in detail!
Common Reasons for Photo Corruption
Before you proceed with the photo repair methods, it’s crucial to understand the exact reason for your photo corruption. Common causes include:
- Faulty Photo Transfer: If a photo is transferred from one device to another (e.g., camera to computer or phone to the cloud) and the transfer is interrupted, there may be a partial or corrupted file.
- Storage Device Failure: SD cards, USB drives, or hard disks can have bad sectors. Any photo stored on these bad sectors will be unreadable or corrupted.
- Virus or Malware Attack: Malicious programs like viruses may change file extensions, corrupt the internal code of photos, or encrypt them completely.
- Unexpected Software Crashes: Photo editing or viewing applications might crash during the save or export, and save only a partial file.
- Unsupported Format or Header Corruption: Sometimes the file header or metadata is unreadable, and the software cannot open the file.
Symptoms of Corrupted JPEG Photos
When your JPEG file gets corrupted or damaged, you may encounter certain symptoms, such as:
- The photo will not open in your photo viewer or display error messages (e.g., ‘Invalid Image Format’, ‘Cannot open this file’).
- The image will open but display a grey screen, lines, or appear distorted.
- The file size may appear as zero or very small.
- The image will open, but only its few parts will appear.
How do I Repair Corrupted JPEG Photos?
Irrespective of the above causes for JPEG corruption, there are several photo repair methods that you can try to fix these corrupt photos. Here are some reliable photo repair workarounds:
Method 01: Change the Image File Format
Sometimes, your photo viewer app doesn’t support the image file format of your photo. In such cases, you can follow the below steps to change the file format of your photos (like converting from PNG to JPG, or HEIC to JPEG) using Windows’ built-in Paint app:
- Firstly, you need to open the Paint app on your device.
- Go to File > Open, select the photo you need to open.
- Again, go to File, select “Save As” and choose a format like JPEG, PNG, BMP, etc.
- Rename the file if required and click the “Save” button to save the changes.
Method 02: Repair Corrupted Photos Using the CHKDSK Command
Though not directly, Windows built-in CHKDSK command utility is used to fix errors on storage devices like USB, SD cards, hard drives, etc. This can make your photos stored on these storage devices accessible again. All you have to do is:
- Connect the USB drive, SD card, or external hard drive where the corrupted photo is stored to your computer.
- Now, type Windows + S keys and type cmd in the search box.
- Right-click on Command Prompt and select “Run as Administrator.”
- Type the following command in the Command Prompt window: chkdsk E: /f /r (replace E: with the actual drive letter of your device) and press the Enter key.
Wait till the system scans and fixes file system issues. Once done, open the drive and check if the previously corrupted photo is accessible.
Method 03: Use an Online Photo Repair Tool
For deeply corrupted photos, the above-mentioned photo repair fixes might fail. In such cases, you can use an online photo repair, such as Stellar Online Photo Repair, Wondershare Repairit, etc., to make your photos accessible again. These photo repair tools completely scan your corrupted or damaged photo, identify damaged data or structures, and use algorithms to reconstruct missing parts, thus repairing them effectively.
Here are the steps on how to repair corrupted JPEG photos using an online photo repair tool:
Step 1: Firstly, select a reliable online tool and visit its website. You need to check the features and compare these online tools before proceeding further.
Step 2: Visit its website, click the Upload or Choose File button. Select the corrupt photo you need to repair.
Step 3: Click the Repair or Start button to initiate the repair process. The tool scans and processes the file using repair algorithms.
Step 4: Once done, preview the repaired photos and click on the Download button to save the fixed image to your device.
That’s it! There is no need to download or install any third-party software. You just have to visit the website and follow the repair steps to fix your corrupted JPEG photos.
Preventing Photo Corruption in the Future
Prevention is always better than applying these photo repair fixes. You can consider the following tips to prevent photo corruption on your device:
- Safely Remove Devices: When disconnecting your memory cards, USB drives, or cameras, you should always be cautious enough to eject them before disconnecting them.
- Back Up Regularly: Create a copy of your important images within the cloud storage – Google Drive or Dropbox, or on an external hard disk.
- Use Reputable Software: Always use a reputable photo editor to edit, convert or transfer your photo files. Avoid Interruptions: Make sure not to turn off your camera or computer when transferring/saving these photo files.
- Scan for Viruses: Protect your device against viruses or malware that could wipe off or encrypt your photo files using a reliable anti-virus software.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I repair RAW images online?
Most online free tools accept JPEG/JPG and PNG. Repairing RAW files (e.g., .CR2, .NEF) usually requires dedicated desktop tools like Stellar and Wondershare Repairit.
Are online photo repair tools safe?
Yes, if you use reputable tools (like Stellar, OfficeRecovery, and iLoveIMG), they are usually safe. Never upload personal images to unknown or questionable websites.
Is it possible to recover a completely grey or zero-byte image?
A zero-byte file cannot be repaired because it has nothing in it. Partially visible or greyed out files, on the other hand, can usually be repaired.
Conclusion
Having a corrupt JPEG photo is really painful, but there are several photo repair fixes available on the internet which can repair your corrupt photos within minutes. It doesn’t matter what the reason for the corruption is – whether it happened due to errors while transferring, storage issues, or from software crashing – and there are platforms such as Stellar, PixRecovery and JPEG. Moreover, you can also consider the mentioned preventive measures to avoid such corruption issues in the future.
Also Read: No More Boring Photos! Transform Images Into Viral Videos With This AI Tool
