In our online world, we rely on photos to keep our cherished moments alive. But, these images can get messed up. This can be due to issues like faulty storage devices, mistakes while moving files, software problems, and more. It’s important to fix these messed up photos quickly when you find them. This article will describe the top ways to fix corrupted photos quickly in 2024. This way, you can keep your precious memories safe.
Common Causes for Photo Corruption
Before repairing your photos with hands-on methods or using photo repair software, it’s important to understand what caused the issue. Many things can cause photos to become corrupted, from human mistakes to device issues. Here’s the main issues you might come across:
- Storage Device Errors: There may be issues with your storage devices, like hard drives, SD cards, or USB drives, which can lead to data corruption.
- File Transfer Issues: Errors, like interruptions or incomplete transfers, while transferring files, including your photos can corrupt them.
- Software Glitches: Bugs or glitches in photo editing software or device OS can also result in photo corruption.
- Virus or Malware Attacks: Malicious software, like viruses or malware can infect and corrupt image files on your device.
How do I Repair Corrupt Photos? [Quick Methods]
Irrespective of the causes of your corrupt image files, there are several photo repair methods available online that you can try to restore the original image quality. Here are some commonly used methods to repair corrupt photos:
Method 01: Repair Photos Using Photo Repair Software
When you need a simple way to fix photos, try using Stellar Repair for Photo. This dedicated photo repair program can fix messed up photos easily with just a few clicks. You can fix photos messed up for any reason, like pixel problems, odd objects in the picture, blurry spots, color issues, and more with this handy tool.
The Stellar Repair for Photo tool is known for several features, such as:
- It supports repairing of corrupt photos without losing quality.
- Supports repairing of photos of multiple file formats, such as JPEG, JPG, BMP, GIF, and many more.
- It completely analyzes your storage drive to repair damaged or corrupt photos.
- Compatible with both Windows and Mac devices.
- The software allows you to preview the repaired photos after completion of the scanning process.
Here’s how to repair corrupt photos quickly using the Stellar Repair for Photo tool:
Step 1: Download and install the Stellar Repair for Photo tool on your Windows/Mac device. Launch the software and from the homepage, add the corrupt photos that you need to repair.
Step 2: Wait until the repair process is complete, then you can preview the repaired photos.
Step 3: Select the photos you want and click the Save Repaired Files button to save them at the desired location.
Method 02: Change File Format of Corrupt Photo
Sometimes, changing the file extension of your corrupt photo can make it readable again. You can use either Windows in-built Paint tool or any online software to change the file format of your photo. Go through the below-given steps to repair corrupt photo by changing its file format using in-built Paint software:
- Open the Paint tool. Click on the File menu from the top and select Open.
- Now, go to the location where your corrupt photo is stored, select the appropriate image and click Open.
- Again, click on the File menu and select “Save As” to open the Save As dialogue box.
- Select a different file format from the “Save as type” dropdown menu. For example, you can select JPEG (*.jpg) format if your original image is in PNG or BMP.
- Lastly, choose a desired location where you want to save the converted file and click Save.
Once done, check if the above steps to repair photos by changing their file format work. If not, move to the next method.
Method 03: Run CHKDSK Command
Next in the list of best photo repair workarounds is the CHKDSK command, which scans your entire device to detect bad sectors. This not only scans your storage drive but also corrects any potential errors that might be responsible for the corrupted image files. All you have to do is:
- Firstly, connect the storage device where your corrupted photo is stored to your PC.
- Now, press the Windows + R keys to launch the Run prompt. Type CMD in the Run window and press the Enter key.
- Right-click on Command Prompt and then select Run as Administrator option.
- Type “chkdsk/r/fX” in the Command Prompt window (replace X with the corresponding drive letter).
- After completion of the scanning process, restart your device and check if the JPEG files are opening flawlessly.
Tips to Prevent Photos from Corruption
Though it is easy to repair corrupt photos using the above-mentioned tools and methods, but it is important to avoid such photo corruption issues in the future. Here are some tips to avoid sudden corruption of photos on your device:
- Regularly Backup Your Photos: Make a habit of creating proper backups of important photos stored on your device on an external storage drive or cloud storage, like Google Cloud, Google Drive, etc.
- Use Reliable Storage Devices: Invest in high-quality storage devices to save your important files and folders, thus reducing the risk of data corruption.
- Scan for Malware Regularly: Use reputable antivirus software to scan your devices for malware and viruses regularly.
- Handle Photos with Care: Avoid mishandling physical storage devices and take proper precautions to prevent physical damage.
- Update Software: Keep the software and operating system installed on your system up to date to minimize the risk of software-related issues.
Conclusion
Here’s hoping these top methods to fix corrupted photos fast in 2024 help you to save your precious memories. No matter if you prefer using photo repair programs, hands-on methods, or the Windows Paint program, the most important thing is to repair the photos as soon as you can. When you understand the cause of the photo problems and how to prevent them, you can lower the chance of finding more corrupted photos later and keep your digital photo collection safe for a long time.