Audio · exFAT audio media
Core Audio CAF: recover after a quick format
Can CAF recordings be recovered after a quick format?
Short answer
Often yes, before any new recording: a quick format replaces the directory while the CAF chunks with the audio stay in the data area. Eject the card and scan it read-only. CAF support outside Apple software varies, so test recovered files in a Mac audio app before concluding that a take is damaged.
The situation
The medium now has a new empty directory, while the previous CAF recordings is missing.
The card presents an empty volume, and the recording app sees nothing to import. A quick format rewrote the allocation structures only; the CAF chunks from the previous session are still lying in the data area without any entry that names or protects them.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
With the directory replaced, the audio has to be found by its own structure: a CAF opens with a file header followed by chunks, among them the audio description that identifies the codec. Recording dates and file names went with the old directory, so results have to be matched back to the session by length, format and content.
A quick format can replace file-system records without immediately overwriting every older content block. For Core Audio CAF, this matters because CAF chunks can describe long recordings and several audio codecs
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Eject the formatted card before the device writes the first new recording onto it, and keep it away from that device.
- 2
Write down which app recorded the missing material and roughly how long each recording ran, as the names will not return.
- 3
Scan the whole card read-only through a reader so the search covers the data area, not only the empty new directory.
- 4
Export findings to a separate drive and test them in a Mac audio application, since CAF support elsewhere is uneven.
Do not format the card again, do not run a full format and do not make a short check recording. A full format writes across the data area, and a check recording can take exactly the clusters a long CAF still occupies, turning a recoverable take into a fragment.
03 / Choose the method
Match the tool to the source
For stable, readable exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 or uncompressed IMG, DD, RAW and BIN images.
Unconfirmed exports are marked .UNVERIFIED.
The exFAT card is supported by File Recovery Hero, which reads it without writing and exports for a one-time 50 EUR. Original names, dates and folder structure cannot come back from a formatted volume, and a full format leaves nothing for a read-only scan to find.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A correct result plays from beginning to end at the expected length and needs no decoder beyond the codec the app used. If a file opens but plays as noise, the audio description chunk was lost and the payload is being interpreted with the wrong parameters.
Keep the source until two verified copies exist. One working preview is not enough.
Sources and technical references
FAQ
Questions about this recovery case
Can exFAT audio media be recovered in this situation?+
The card presents an empty volume, and the recording app sees nothing to import. A quick format rewrote the allocation structures only; the CAF chunks from the previous session are still lying in the data area without any entry that names or protects them. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not format the card again, do not run a full format and do not make a short check recording.
Does scanning write to my memory card?+
Your memory card is only read. Nothing is saved to it.
How do I know whether the result is complete?+
A correct result plays from beginning to end at the expected length and needs no decoder beyond the codec the app used.