Emergency · camera or recorder card
Memory card empty after recording stopped unexpectedly
Why is my card empty after a recording interruption?
Short answer
Usually the directory update never completed: power loss or a crash stopped the device before it finalised the active file and wrote the folder entries, while earlier takes can still be on the card. Do not record again. Recover missing files with a read-only scan first, then repair an unfinished last clip separately on a copy.
The situation
Power loss, battery removal, or a crash occurred while the device was writing.
Two separate problems came out of that interruption. The take that was running when the power went is unfinalized and may never have received its index, while the takes before it lost only the directory update. They need different treatment and different tools.
01 / Diagnose
Work out what actually disappeared
A camera writes the picture and sound data continuously and only completes the file when recording stops normally. In an MP4 or MOV that final step writes the moov area, which tells a player where everything is. A battery pull or crash skips it, and the same interruption can leave the exFAT directory update half written.
The active file may be unfinalized and the directory update may never have completed, while earlier takes can still exist.
Check the last known path, trash and backups without writing to the original device.
02 / Protect the source
Preserve the best recovery chance
- 1
Do not press record again, and take the card out of the device before the battery is replaced or the unit restarts.
- 2
Note which take was running at the moment of the interruption and roughly how long it had been recording.
- 3
Scan the card read-only for the earlier takes first, and export them before anyone experiments with the unfinished file.
- 4
Copy the unfinalized fragment to a working drive and try container repair only on that copy, with a healthy clip as reference.
Do not restart the recording device with the same card inside to see whether it still works. On power-up many cameras repair or rebuild their file structures automatically, and that housekeeping writes exactly where the interrupted take and the lost directory entries are.
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.
File Recovery Hero finds and exports files from exFAT, NTFS and FAT16/FAT32 sources; it does not repair a damaged individual file, so a clip with no moov area needs a dedicated repair tool run on a copy. Some interrupted takes stay unplayable whatever is tried.
04 / Verify
Check the recovered content, not just its name
The earlier takes are fine when each one plays from the first to the last frame with sound in sync. The interrupted take is only as good as the repair: check that it opens, that its duration matches the time actually recorded, and that the picture holds to the end.
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 camera or recorder card be recovered in this situation?+
Two separate problems came out of that interruption. The take that was running when the power went is unfinalized and may never have received its index, while the takes before it lost only the directory update. They need different treatment and different tools. The result still depends on what remains readable on the source.
What should I avoid before scanning?+
Do not restart the recording device with the same card inside to see 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?+
The earlier takes are fine when each one plays from the first to the last frame with sound in sync.