Photos & RAW · Canon exFAT card
Canon CR3 RAW: recover after an interrupted recording
What can I do with deleted Canon CR3 originals after a recording interruption?
Short answer
Frames completed before the interruption usually survive; the last CR3 files may be cut short. When power or the card fails, the box sizes or directory entries of those files may never have been written. Switch the camera off, keep an untouched copy of the card and attempt any repair only on a duplicate.
The situation
deleted Canon CR3 originals is missing, too short or unreadable after power loss, a card error or an unsafe stop.
Expect a clean break in the sequence. Frames written completely before the power or the card failed are usually fine, while the file that was being written at that moment can lack its final boxes and will refuse to open in any converter.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A CR3 is valid when its boxes agree on sizes and offsets. If the body lost power mid-write, or the card reported an error while the buffer drained, those sizes can be wrong or the closing boxes absent. The directory entry may still list a full-looking file, so the failure only shows when the frame is opened.
The payload may have been written before duration fields, indexes, directory entries or closing structures were committed. For Canon CR3 RAW, this matters because CR3 uses ISO-BMFF boxes for Canon RAW data, metadata and previews.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Turn the camera off at the switch, do not pull the battery under load, and take the card out once the body is silent.
- 2
Write down the last frame number shown and whether the card had reported errors before, since a failing card changes the plan.
- 3
Duplicate the card into an uncompressed image and let converters or repair tools work on that duplicate only.
- 4
Export the frames to another drive and open them in order to establish which one is the last complete file.
Do not let the camera repair or format the card, and do not keep shooting to find out whether it still works. If the card itself is failing, every additional write reduces what can still be read out of the frames that were finished.
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.
Missing boxes cannot be invented, and a card that is electrically unreliable needs a laboratory instead of software. File Recovery Hero requires a stable, readable exFAT medium, works read-only and exports after licensing; it does not mend individual raw frames.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
A frame passes when a current converter opens it at full sensor resolution with correct metadata. If the software reports a broken box structure, the file was cut short by the interruption, and a copy of it is the only sensible place for a repair attempt.
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 Canon exFAT card be recovered in this situation?+
Expect a clean break in the sequence. Frames written completely before the power or the card failed are usually fine, while the file that was being written at that moment can lack its final boxes and will refuse to open in any converter. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not let the camera repair or format the card, and do not keep shooting to find out whether it still works.
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 frame passes when a current converter opens it at full sensor resolution with correct metadata.