A copy-first recovery guide · reviewed 15 October 2026

Protect the damaged file first

Leave the file in place and do not save another image over it. Make a separate working copy for checks. If the photo is on removable media or a folder currently syncing, avoid edits and allow the device or sync client to settle before comparing files. A changing source can produce misleading hashes or incomplete copies.

Find a trustworthy earlier copy

Look in the backup set or version history you already trust. A matching filename is only a clue: names can change, and two files with the same name can contain different data. If possible, compare file contents with SHA-256 and confirm the candidate opens fully in a viewer that supports its format.

Different hashes do not automatically mean corruption. A rotated, edited or re-encoded photo may be a valid different version. Compare dates, dimensions, camera metadata and the visible image before choosing a candidate. For a broader comparison workflow, read how to verify photo backups when filenames differ.

Check that the backup copy is readable

A known-good backup should be checked as a separate file. Confirm it is accessible, supported by the Windows codecs on this PC and can be decoded completely. A hash match proves that two files have identical bytes, not that either one can be decoded. A codec limitation or read error should remain an unknown result rather than being labelled damage.

If every copy fails the same check, do not expect a copy operation to repair it. Retain the files and look for an earlier independent version. See how to check whether a photo is corrupted or simply unsupported.

Restore to a separate folder

  1. Choose a recovery destination outside both the damaged-photo folder and the backup tree.
  2. Copy the readable candidate; do not overwrite the damaged source or the backup.
  3. Verify the recovered copy's content and open it in a trusted viewer.
  4. Compare it with the intended scene and metadata; a readable file is not automatically the correct version.
  5. Keep the original and backup until the recovered copy is independently verified and included in another backup.
Fix My Photo Library behavior: its backup recovery flow requires a supported, healthy backup image at the same relative path and writes a new copy to a separate recovery folder. It does not reconstruct unreadable pixels. For consistent results, do not let another application modify the source or backup during the operation.

What if there is no readable backup?

Keep the damaged original and work only on duplicates. Check another backup, a cloud or device version history, or the original camera card if it has not been reused. For a failing physical drive or card, stop writing to it and consider professional recovery before further experiments. No decoder or backup checker can recreate data that is absent from every available copy.

Need to identify the problem first?

Use the Windows photo-file health checklist before deciding whether you need backup recovery or a codec.