Fast
Checks a full card in seconds.
Know your card is backed up. Before you format it.
Finds every photo and clip from your card on your backup drives, even if they were renamed or moved, and checks each copy byte by byte.
Version 0.0.15 · 5 MB · macOS 14 Sonoma or later
How it works
Three steps from card to confidence.
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1
Insert your card
SD CardCheck remembers your backup drives.
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2
Press Check
See what’s backed up in seconds. Then every byte gets verified.
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3
Format with confidence
When every file is on two drives, it says Safe to format.
Camera-aware
It knows how your camera fills a card.
Clips in PRIVATE/M4ROOT, date-named folders, thumbnails, proxies, hidden ._ files. SD CardCheck knows which files matter and checks those.
- Sony
- Canon
- Nikon
- Fujifilm
- Panasonic LUMIX
- OM System
- GoPro
- DJI
- Insta360
- Blackmagic
- RED
- Leica
What’s on A7 IV
- RAW photos
ARW476 - Video clips
MP463 - Clip metadata
XML63Optional - Thumbnails & proxies
JPG63Not needed - Camera database
BIN, BDM9Not needed - Hidden system files
._*12Ignored
Shoot RAW + JPEG but keep only RAWs? Choose RAW only. Lone JPEGs still get checked.
Proof, not guesses
Same name and size isn’t the same photo.
Two different photos can share a name and size. SD CardCheck compares the actual content, so it catches look-alikes and still finds renamed copies.
- Seconds first. Missing files show up right away.
- Then every byte. Each file and its copy are read and compared.
- Real drives. Two folders on one SSD count as one copy.
Why SD CardCheck
Checks what’s already copied, however you copied it.
Offload apps and importers only check their own copies. SD CardCheck checks everything, whichever app made it.
| Feature | Offload apps | Photo importers | SD CardCheck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checks cards copied with any app or Finder | Only its own transfers | Only its own imports | |
| Finds renamed or re-sorted shots | Only its own renames | Only in its catalog | |
| Proves each copy byte for byte | Only while copying | Varies | |
| Checks all your drives at once | The drives it copied to | — | |
| Shows where each shoot landed | In its own logs | In its catalog |
Keep your favorite offload app. SD CardCheck double-checks the result.
By shoot and date
Organized the way you shoot.
Each card is grouped into shoots by camera and day, with where each one landed on your backup.
Copy what’s missing
Missed a few?
Fixed in one click.
Copies only what’s missing, next to the rest of the shoot or into a folder you pick. You see where everything goes first.
- Never overwrites. Name clashes get a number.
- Verified as it copies. Each copy is read back and compared.
- Pick a folder in Finder. It remembers it next time.
- Dates kept. Files keep their original dates.
Safe to format
The green light you’ve been waiting for.
You only see Safe to format when every file is verified on two separate drives. Then it shows how to format in your camera.
And the little things
Built for card day.
Recent cards
Reopen any checked card, even after ejecting.
Show on drive
Jump to any backup copy in Finder.
Photos, video, audio
Any mix, or only RAWs or JPEGs.
Scan a card
See every shoot on a card before backing up.
Any backup
Check the same card against another drive.
Nothing left out
Checked only photos? It reminds you about videos.
Your folders
Pick where copies go, then add them to Lightroom.
Safe by design
Your card is read, never written.
- Read-only. Checking never changes your card.
- Private. No account, no cloud, no tracking.
- Never erases. You format in your camera, when you decide.
Why I made SD CardCheck
As a photographer and videographer, the part of the job I dreaded most was formatting cards.
I’d cross-check photos and clips by hand to make sure everything copied. After multi-day shoots or cards from several cameras, that took hours.
So I built the app I wanted: insert a card, press one button, and know every file is backed up.
Now formatting is stress-free.
Photographer, videographer and maker of SD CardCheck · gabesilverstein.com
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Does SD CardCheck change anything on my card?
No. It only reads your card. The one thing it writes is copies of missing files, to a backup folder you choose, never over an existing file.
Does it work with my workflow?
Yes. It finds your files wherever they ended up: Lightroom, Capture One, Photo Mechanic, Final Cut, Premiere or dated folders, on any drive.
What does “Safe to format” mean?
Every file you checked has a verified copy on at least two separate drives. You can change the number in Settings.
Why format in the camera instead of on my Mac?
Cameras set up their own folders when they format. A card erased on a Mac can cause errors. SD CardCheck shows the menu path for your camera.
Which cameras and files does it understand?
Any card with a DCIM folder, plus Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, OM System, GoPro, DJI, Insta360, RED and Blackmagic layouts. RAW, JPEG, HEIF, MP4, MOV, MXF, BRAW, WAV and more.
How fast is it?
An 18 GB card against two 4 TB drives: first answer in under ten seconds, every byte verified in about two minutes.
Can SD CardCheck guarantee I won’t lose anything?
No software can. Always keep more than one backup. See the disclaimer.
Does it need the internet?
No. Everything happens on your Mac.
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