Created to solve several issues with flash memory that no one was addressing, according to ProGrade Digital, Refresh Pro is now available as a free software product.

Available for Windows 10 & macOS 10.15+, ProGrade Digital’s Refresh Pro software is designed to ensure that card stability and optimal performance are always available to the demanding needs of our professional customers. ProGrade Digital created this product to solve several issues with flash memory that no one was addressing. The first issue that Refresh Pro solves is that flash memory slows down over time.  See ProGrade Digital’s whitepaper on this topic here.

It should be noted that the software, which is both a health monitoring and sanitizing tool wrapped into a single application, is, according to the company, “uniquely developed for ProGrade Digital cards and workflow readers and is designed to ensure that card stability and optimal performance are always available to the demanding needs of our professional customers.”

Sanitize function available on SD cards

Refresh Pro sanitizes a card to bring it back to factory-fresh speed.  This sanitize function is available in hard drives and some removable storage formats but ProGrade Digital created the ability to enable this function on all ProGrade Digital Memory cards.  Refresh Pro can run this process in seconds compared to doing a secure format, level 2 on a Mac which can take considerably longer.  ProGrade was also the first company to commercially make the Sanitize function available on SD cards through customization of its exclusive Firmware shipped with all Refresh Pro enabled SD cards.

The second issue that Refresh Pro solves is that flash memory wears out over time and Refresh Pro can check the long-term health of ProGrade Digital memory cards to enable the user to see how much useful life is left on their card before an important shoot.

Finally, Refresh Pro enables the ability to update the firmware on the ProGrade Digital memory card.  Most people are familiar with updating the firmware on their camera and even on their lens.  What many people don’t realize is that when new cameras are introduced to the market or as existing cameras have new codecs added, memory cards need to have their firmware updated to optimize the memory for these new functions to ensure 100% compatibility.

Refresh Pro was offered as a subscription

The technology development that has gone into Refresh Pro is extensive and in order to accomplish all the functions listed above, ProGrade Digital created customized firmware in the ProGrade Digital readers and cards that was necessary to function with the software to detect, alter and update the memory card. These functions require a ProGrade Digital memory card with the “R” logo on the label, a ProGrade Digital reader with the “R” logo on the box and Refresh Pro software.

Originally ProGrade Digital offered Refresh Pro as a subscription because of the extensive development that went into the software and the development that takes place on an on-going basis to update the software to work with the ever-changing pace of technology in the Mac and Windows computers, the new and existing cameras and the advances in memory cards.

Seeing the vital importance of all these functions for the hard-working creators, photographers, and filmmakers, ProGrade Digital is making Refresh Pro free for all customers.

For customers that purchased a Refresh Pro license within the last 12 months, ProGrade is proactively issuing a refund of their subscription.  Customers with an active license can update to Refresh Pro 4.0 in the Refresh Pro software by clicking on the “About” menu.  Customers who had a license that expired are not eligible for this refund; they can download the free copy of Refresh Pro v4.0 from the ProGrade website here.