Photos are liable for corruption due to various reasons but you don’t have to worry about it because there are many ways in which you can fix a corrupted JPEG image file. And most importantly many of the methods are free to use so you don’t have to pay for any software as such to repair a corrupted photo.
But sometimes the free methods aren’t helpful to repair a severely damaged JPEG file. In that case, you must use professional paid JPEG repair software. We will be telling you about both free and paid methods in this article so that you can repair your photos no matter what. So without wasting time, let’s start fixing the errors in your JPEG Files.
Quick links to specific parts of the article:
- What Causes JPEG Files To Corrupt?
- How To Repair Corrupted JPEG Files
- Repair Damaged JPEG Files For Free
- Fix Corrupted Photo Using Paid Tools
- Final Thoughts
- FAQs
What Causes JPEG Files To Corrupt?
Images are among the easiest thing to corrupt, even a small error can damage a JPEG image file. Some of the most common reasons behind an image getting damaged are:
1. Virus attacks
2. Change in file format and header of the image
3. Hardware or software issues
4. Power failures or sudden system shutdown
5. Improper download or transfer of the image files
So, these were some of the common reasons why you may not be able to access the JPEG files on your computer. Now, since you know the reason behind why photos get corrupted, let’s try to fix them.
How To Repair Corrupted JPEG Files
As we told you at the starting of this article, you have two ways to fix corrupted JPEG files either by using free methods or by using a professional JPEG repair tool that allows you to repair even the severely corrupted photos. Let’s discuss both methods one by one.
Repair Damaged JPEG Files For Free
1. Restore The Photo From Backup
If you have a good habit of backing up your photos on Google Photos, iCloud backup, or on a hard drive. Then you don’t have to repair the corrupted JPEG photo, you can simply restore the original photo from the backup and delete the corrupted one. But if you don’t have backup then you try the following methods to repair your corrupted JPEG files.
In case you have lost photos from Google Photos then you can recover them using the tips given in this guide.
2. Check The Photo On Paint
The first thing you could do is to check whether the photo is opening on Paint or not. If the photo has opened on Paint then it means that the photo is not corrupted. To fix it you can try to rename it but remember don’t change the file extension just change the name and save the photo. Most of the time the image will be repaired by just doing this much.
3. Convert The Photo To Other Format
Sometimes you may face an issue opening a file on your computer due to its corrupted format that your computer may not support. You can try to change your photo format to a more known format such as jpeg, png, jpg, etc. For converting your images you don’t have to pay for any tool. There are plenty of free photo converter tools online like this one that can do the job for you.
4. Redownload The JPEG Images
Sometimes due to poor connection JPEG files are not downloaded properly from the internet and get corrupted. To fix this issue you can try to redownload them from the same source. This is a simple but effective way to fix a downloaded JPEG file.
5. Repair JPEG Using CMD
- Run CMD as administrator
- On the CMD window type SFC/scannow command and hit Enter. This command scans the PC for corrupted files including JPEG files
- Let the scan complete, it may take some time so be patient. If it finds any corrupted file on your system it will ask you to restart the PC and after the restart, your corrupted file will be repaired.
Fix Corrupted Photo Using Paid Tools
If you tried all the free methods but could not repair your corrupted JPEG file then it means that your photo is severely corrupted and cannot be fixed using free methods. In this case, you are left with the only option which is using paid tools and software that allow repairing highly corrupted files.
1. Use Online Repair Tools
You can repair corrupted JPEG files online using tools that allow you to upload your corrupted photo to fix the errors. However, these types of tools are not very effective with severely damaged files but they can help fix minor issues. You can go to any good online photo repair tool like this and try your luck. The good thing about these tools is that you don’t have to install anything on your computer.
2. Use Photo Repair Software
For repairing severely corrupted image files you need to use a professional repair tool, we would recommend you to use Stellar Repair For Photo, it is among one of the best JPEG Repair tools out there. This tool can repair a severely damaged JPEG file using a sample file of the same format. Here’s how you can use this tool.
1. Launch the software and select ADD Files option. If you have more than one photo you can also add them at once. This software allows you to repair multiple files at once. After adding the photos click on the Repair button.
2. The repairing process may take some time based on how many photos you have added to the software for repair. Once the photos are repaired, preview them and save them on your computer by clicking on the Save Repaired Files option.
3. If your JPEG file is not repaired in the first attempt then click on the Advanced Repair option and add a sample file. Give some time to the software it will repair the images for you.
This software works well for repairing JPEG files but if you wish to repair other formats then it’s not that effective.
Click Here to Try Stellar Repair For Photo
You can also check our detailed review of Stellar Repair for Photo.
Final Thoughts
So these were some of the methods you can use in order to repair your corrupted image (JPEG) files. If there are small issues that are making the files inaccessible then the free methods are enough for fixing those errors. However, if you are facing trouble even after using the free methods then you should move towards the paid tools.
Once your photo is repaired you should also backup it on cloud storage like Google Photos and iCloud backup. This way in the future if your JPEG file gets corrupted then you can download the backup of the photo from the cloud.
FAQs
Can I recover corrupted JPEGs?
Yes, you can repair a corrupted JPEG with free or paid methods.
How To Repair A Corrupted Header JPEG File?
You can repair photos with a header issue using a professional repair software or HEX editor tool.
How To Repair My Corrupted Photos Online?
There are many online tools that allow you to repair JPEG files online without installing any software on your computer.
What Is The Best Photo Repair Software?
Stellar Repair For Photo is one of the best software that can help you repair photos.
Why Do Digital Image Files Corrupt?
There can be many reasons but the most prominent ones are virus attacks, hardware & software errors, and file format or header mismatch.